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MLA Style

In March 2009 the Modern Language Association released the 7th edition of MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. General formatting and in-text citations remain the same as published in the 6th edition, but all Works Cited references are different from the 6th edition guidelines. Examples listed below are based on the 7th edition guidelines.

The final authority for MLA format is the Modern Language Association as published in MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. The final authority for the bibliographic form used in your paper is your professor.

Works Cited List:

Book:

Wahrhaftig, Paul. Community Dispute Resolution, Empowerment and Social Justice: The Origins, History and Future of a Movement. Washington D.C.: NAFCM Press, 2004. Print.

Journal article in print format:

Biasio, Elisabeth. "Contemporary Ethiopian Painting in Traditional Style: From Church-Based to Tourist Art." African Arts 42.1 (2009): 14-21. Print.

Fulltext journal article from a database:

Yorganson, Jeremy B., Deanna Linville, and Bryan Zitzman. "Mental Health among College Students: Do Those Who Need Services Know About and Use Them?" Journal of American College Health 57.2 (2008): 173-182. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Mar. 2009.

Newspaper article:

Pogue, David. "When Laptops Go Light." New York Times 26 Mar. 2009, natl. ed.: n. pag. Web. 5 Oct. 2009.

DVD:

The Yacoubian Building. Dir. Marwan Hamed. Strand Releasing, 2007. Film.

Specialized reference book article:

Allen, Anita L. "Privacy in Health Care." Encyclopedia of Bioethics. Ed. Stephen G. Post. 3rd ed. Vol 4. New York: Macmillan-Thomson, 2004. Print.

Online encyclopedia:

"de Kooning, Willem." Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009. Web. 26 Mar. 2009.

Web site:

"Include a URL as supplementary information only when your reader probably cannot locate the source without it or when your professor requires it" (MLA Handbook 182).

Eaves, Morris, Robert Essick, and Joseph Viscomi, eds. The William Blake Archive. Lib. of Cong., 26 Mar. 2009. Web. 30 Apr. 2009.

If URL is required, list it immediately following the date of access, surrounded by angle brackets:

Eaves, Morris, Robert Essick, and Joseph Viscomi, eds. The William Blake Archive. Lib. of Cong., 26 Mar. 2009. Web. 30 Apr. 2009. <http://www.blakearchive.org/blake/>.

Biblical citation:

The English Standard Version Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with Apocrypha. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2009. Print.

In-Text Citations:

  • Include the author's name with the page number in parentheses, e.g., (MacCannel 145)
  • If there is no author, use one or two words of the title, e.g., ("Freedom" 69)
  • If there are multiple works by one author, include a short title with the name, e.g., (Bloom, "Afro-American" 10)
  • If there are multiple authors with the same last name, include the first initial, e.g., (C. Neubauer 120)
  • Biblical in-text citations: identify the version you used, in the first in-text citation; for example: (New International Version, Gen. 3.15)

More Resources:

There are a number of WWW links to help with MLA documentation style. Try these:

Note also the following books in the reference room of our library. All of these plus more are located on the counter top at the north end of the reference room and labeled "Style Guides."

  • Maimon, Elaine P., Janice H. Peritz, and Kathleen Blake Yancey. A Writer's Resource: A Handbook for Writing and Research. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009. Print. (Ref PE 1408 .M3366 2009)

  • Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: Modern Language Association, 2009. Print. (Ref LB 2369.G53 2009)

  • Modern Langauge Association of America. MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. 3rd ed. New York: Modern Langauge Association, 2008. Print. (Ref PN147.G444 2008)


Updated 17-Dec-2009 SH