Cite Your Sources: MLA

MLA is a citation format created by the Modern Language Association. It is used for research papers in many college classes, including English. MLA updated their guidelines to the Ninth Edition in April 2021.  

• Font is size 11-13 in a legible font like Times New Roman or Arial. Nothing is underlined or bold. Font should be used consistently throughout paper.
   
• Center the words “Works Cited” one inch from the top of a new page at the end of the paper. Include only sources that have been quoted, summarized, or paraphrased.
  
  
• Double-spacing is used between sources as well as within each source.
  
  
• Use a hanging indent: begin the first line of each entry at the left margin, and indent all subsequent lines of an entry one-half inch (5 spaces); you may also use the “Tab” key.
  
  
• Alphabetize sources by the author’s last names.  List author by last name, followed by a comma, and then followed by the first name. If the source has no author, alphabetize by title ignoring the words “A,” “An,” or “The.”
  
  
• Capitalize all title words except for articles (a, an, the) and prepositions (to, from, between, etc.), and coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, etc.) unless they are the first/last word of the title or subtitle.
  
  
• Use italics for titles of books, journals, magazines, newspapers, reference books, databases, and websites.
  
  
• Put titles of periodical articles and other short works (such as poems, essays, short stories, and songs) in quotation marks.
  
  
• List just the publisher for books. Use the complete version of publishers’ names, except for terms such as Inc. and Co. Use U and P for University and Press. List vol. for the volume, no. for the issue number of a journal, and p. or pp. for the page numbers.
  
  
• Separate the author, title, and publication information (publisher and year for books) with periods. Only commas separate the journal title, volume, issue number, date, and page numbers. A period also goes at the end of each source.
  
  
• List dates as: day month year. Example: 7 Apr. 2021 (abbreviate names of months except for May, June, and July).
  
  
• For a range of two-digit page numbers, list the first and last page (pp. 37-51); for longer numbers, list only the last two digits of the last page number (pp. 137-51). In some cases, though, you may need more digits to clarify the range of pages (199-207). If the article does not appear on consecutive pages, use a plus sign (+) after the first page number (pp. 36+).
  
  
• Include as much of the following information about the source as is available: editor, translator, director, performer, version, volume and issue numbers, publisher or sponsor, date of publication, location of the source, page numbers, DOI (digital object identifier), URL, etc. Not all sources will require every element.

In-text parenthetical citations: Whenever you use a quotation, a paraphrase, or a summary, you should give the author’s last name (or the title if no author is included) in parentheses; you should also add the page number if you’re using a printed source. A parenthetical source might look like this for an author (Hammond 42) or like this for a title (MLA Handbook 58).

Parenthetical/In-text citation: (Perry B3).

Introduce the material being cited with a signal phrase that includes the author’s name.  Example:  HVCC librarian Mary Ellen Bolton points out that students who do not use libraries often find frustration in their research efforts (74).  Otherwise, provide the author’s last name and a page number in parentheses.  No comma is used.  Example: (Bolton 74).

For sources with no author listed, use a shortened version of the title of the work. Titles of books are italicized; titles of articles are put in quotation marks.

Secondary sources should be used sparingly. Try to locate the original source of information cited in the a work if it is possible. If you read an article or book which cites some information that you want to cite, always refer to the source where you found the information, not the original source.

Works Cited List Example:

Hanrahan, Patricia, et al. “The Mothers’ Project for Homeless Mothers with Mental Illnesses and Their Children: A Pilot Study.” Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, vol. 28 no. 3, 2005, pp. 291-294. APA PsycArticles, doi: 10.2975/28.2005.291.294

In-Text Citation Example:

Dincin and Zeitz’s study of mentally ill mothers (qtd. in Hanrahan, et al. 291)

How do I cite generate AI in MLA style. 

Ask the MLA

CSUDH Library. "Introduction to Citation Styles: MLA 9th ed." YouTube, 2020, July 9, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7MyM_V8-EA.

What is a digital object identifier, or doi?

A digital object identifier (doi) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency ( the International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to it's location on the Internet. The publisher assigns a doi when the article is published and made available electronically.

We recommend that when doi's are available, you include them for both print and electronic sources. The doi is typically located on the first page of the electronic journal, near the copyright notice. The DOI will be included in the citation of articles found in our databases.