MLA 8th Edition Reference Guide

Dinwiddie High School Library

MLA has new guidelines! To make a citation, list the elements in order that apply to each source. If something doesn’t apply to the source, skip it and move to the next element. The punctuation needed for each element is listed after the element.

Core Elements of MLA Citations

  • Author.
  • Title of source.
  • Title of container, (when part of a larger whole, i.e. anthology or database)
  • Other contributors, (directed by, translated by, edited by)
  • Version, (or edition)
  • Number, (volume and issue)
  • Publisher,
  • Publication date,
  • Location. (page number, URL, or physical location of source)

Examples of MLA Citations

Book, single author

Bouchard, Elizabeth. Everything You Need to Know About Edgar Allan Poe . Rosen, 1992. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein . Edited by Maurice Hindle, Penguin Books, 1992.

Book, two authors

Gee, Henry, and Luis V. Rey. A Field Guide to Dinosaurs . Barron’s, 2003.

Book, three or more authors

Dingus, Lowell, et al. Dinosaur Eggs Discovered! Twenty-First Century Books, 2008.

Chapter or Section of a book

“ Call of the Wild.” Novels for Students, edited by Marie Rose Napierkowski and Deborah A. Stanley, vol. 8, Gale Group, 2000, pp. 42-52.

Book, three or more authors

Dingus, Lowell, et al. Dinosaur Eggs Discovered! Twenty-First Century Books, 2008.

Chapter or Section of a book

“ Call of the Wild.” Novels for Students, edited by Marie Rose Napierkowski and Deborah A. Stanley, vol. 8, Gale Group, 2000, pp. 42-52.

“Dylan Thomas.” Encyclopedia of World Biography, edited by Paula K. Byers, 2nd ed., vol. 15, Gale, 1998, pp. 188-190.

Franklin, Benjamin. “Anne Bradstreet.” Colonization to the American Renaissance, 1640-1865 , edited by C. E. Frazer Clark, Jr., Gale, 1988, pp. 2-9.

Lorenz, Janet. “Jane Austen.” Magill’s Survey of World Literature , edited by Frank N. Magill, vol. 1, Marshall Cavendish, 1993, pp. 110-119.

Relman, Arnold S. “What Market Values Are Doing to Medicine.” Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Business Ethics and Society , edited by Lisa H. Newton and Maureen M. Ford, 4th ed., Duskin, 1996, pp. 24-32.

Book, editor as author

Bloom, Harold, editor. John Cheever . Chelsea House, 2004.

Article from a Database (2 containers)

Dave, R. A. “` To Kill a Mockingbird’: Harper Lee’s Tragic Vision.” DISCovering Authors , 2003. Student Resources in Context, ic.galegroup.com.

“Plot Summary: Wuthering Heights .” DISCovering Authors , Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context, ic.galegroup.com .

Rebala, Monika, and Sara Miller Llana. “Trending conservative, Poland considers tighter

abortion laws.” The Christian Century , vol. 133, no. 11, 25 May 2016, pp.17+. Student Resources in Context, ic.galegroup.com.

Article from an Ebook (2 containers)

” To Kill a Mockingbird.” Novels for Students , edited by Diane Telgen, vol. 2, Gale, 1997, pp. 285-307. Gale Virtual Reference Library , go.galegroup.com .

Website

Cao, Rachel. “ How ‘Pokemon Go’ is Helping Kids with Autism and Asperger’s.” Cnn . com , www.cnn.com/2016/08/05/health/pokemon-go-autism-aspergers/index.html. Accessed 7 June 2015.

For additional examples see:

http://libguides.mcckc.edu/ld.php?content_id=22292327 or https://style.mla.org/

  • Remember to double space your entries. It was not done here to conserve space.
  • If you are typing; you must use italics. If handwriting, then you would underline.
  • Not all sources have all of the information. If this is the case, skip it and go to the next piece of information.
  • Additional lines in entries are indented 5 spaces; the first line IS NOT. This is called a hanging indent. In Word or Google Docs, do not enter/tab each line. See a teacher for help in setting up a hanging indent.
  • URLs: Some instructors will require the full URL address in the citation.