Research Guide: Citations

Note on Accessible URLs in MLA Style

MLA standard format requires that source URLs be written out rather than including a link with descriptive, accessible text.

The exception to this rule is if the Works Cited list is created for a project that exists only in digital format, then accessible descriptive links are acceptable. Examples of both are provided in this guide.

For more info see:

Other Sources (Film, TV...etc) - MLA

Citing Other Sources (Film, TV...etc) - MLA

Film or Video Uploaded to a Sharing Site

Examples
Citation Element Example
Standard Works Cited Example

"What is the MLA International Bibliography?" Vimeo, uploaded by MLA International Bibliography, 14 Oct. 2016, vimeo.com/187399565.
Accessible Digital Works Cited Example (check with your instructor before using this style)

"What is the MLA International Bibliography?" Vimeo, uploaded by MLA International Bibliography, 14 Oct. 2016.

Television Episode Viewed on a Website

Examples
Citation Element Example
Standard Works Cited Example

"I, Borg." Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 5, episode 23, Paramount Pictures, 1992, Netflix, www.netflix.com.
Accessible Digital Works Cited Example (check with your instructor before using this style)

"I, Borg." Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 5, episode 23, Paramount Pictures, 1992, Netflix.

Film or Video with one publisher

Examples
Citation Element Example
Standard Works Cited Example

Opening Night. Directed by John Cassavetes, Faces Distribution, 1977.

Foreign Language Film or Video with Original Title Given Optionally

Examples
Citation Element Example
Standard Works Cited Example

Like Water for Chocolate [Como aqua para chocolate]. Directed by Alfonso Arau, screenplay by Laura Esquivel, Miramax, 1993.

Live radio broadcast

Examples
Citation Element Example
Standard Works Cited Example

"The Music of Edgar Allan Poe - Inspired Films on his 197th Birthday." Morricone Island, hosted by Devon E. Levins, WFMU, 19 Jan. 2016.
Accessible Digital Works Cited Example (check with your instructor before using this style)

Doyle, Christine. "Louisa May Alcott: New Texts and Contexts." Children's Literature, vol.27, 1999, pp. 211-17. ProQuest. Accessed 15 Sep. 2016.
   

Song

Examples
Citation Element Example
Standard Works Cited Example

Beyoncé. "Pretty Hurts." Beyoncé, Parkwood Entertainment, 2013, www.beyonce.com/album/beyonce/?media_view=songs.
Accessible Digital Works Cited Example (check with your instructor before using this style)

Beyoncé. "Pretty Hurts." Beyoncé, Parkwood Entertainment, 2013.

Personal Communications (letters, interviews):

Examples
Citation Element Example
Standard Works Cited Example

Santiago, Robert. Personal communication with author.  11 Feb. 2017.

Example Formula for a Chapter within an Electronic Book

 

Standard Works Cited Example

The following citation is for a chapter within an electronic book.

"Chicken, Shrimp, and Sausage Stew." Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay. Food Network. 7 Jan. 2000. 

This table shows how the elements of this citation look within the MLA formula template.

Part of the Formula Example of electronic book chapter
Author.
Title of Source. "Chicken, Shrimp, and Sausage Stew."
Title of Container, Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay.
Contributors,
Version,
Number,
Publisher, Food Network
Publication date, 7 Jan. 2000.
Location.  

Example Formula for a Chapter within an Electronic Book

 

Standard Works Cited Example

The following citation is for a chapter within an electronic book.

"Beyond Vick: Animal Cruelty for Sport." Morning Edition, NPR, 8 Aug. 2007. Academic OneFile, search.proquest.com/docview/189 828779?accountid=1558. Accessed 5 May 2008. 

This table shows how the elements of this citation look within the MLA formula template.

Part of the Formula Example of electronic book chapter
Author.  
Title of Source. "Beyond Vick: Animal Cruelty for Sport."
Title of Container, Morning Edition,
Contributors,
Version,
Number,
Publisher, NPR,
Publication date, 2013,
Location. 8 Aug. 2007

ADDITIONAL CONTAINER
Part of the Formula		 Example of electronic book chapter
Title of Container, Ebrary,
Contributors,
Version,
Number,
Publisher,
Publication date,
Location.

search.proquest.com/docview

/189 828779?accountid=1558.
Access date. Accessed 5 May 2008. 

 

Personal Communication - MLA

Interviews and Emails

 

Personal Interviews

Works Cited Format:

Last name of person who was interviewed, First name. Personal interview with the author. Date Abbreviated Month Year.

Example:

Santiago, Roberto. Personal interview with the author. 5 Jan. 2021/

Note: Published interviews can appear in many types of sources (magazines, newspapers etc.). When citing published interviews, follow the guidelines for the type of source it was published in.

 

Emails

Works Cited Format:

Last name of person who was interviewed, First name. "Subject Line of Email." E-mail to the author, Date Abbreviated Month, Year.

Example:

Takamoto, Naoko. "My Experience Working in a Chocolate Factory." E-mail to the author, 2 Aug. 2020.

Oral Teachings of Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers

Note: Official MLA Style does not provide a format for citing oral teachings of Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers.  These formats are offered following the recommendation from:

Works Cited Format:

Last name, First Name. Nation/Community. Treaty Territory if applicable. City/Community they live in, if applicable. Topic/subject of communication, if applicable. Oral teaching. Date Month Year.

Example:

Cardinal, Delores. Goodfish Lake Cree Nation. Treaty 6. Lives in Edmonton. Oral teaching. 4 April 2004.

Online Audio-Visual Materials - MLA

Online Audio-Visual Materials

Radio and TV episodes/segments from Library Databases

Examples
Citation Element Example
Standard Works Cited Example

"Beyond Vick: Animal Cruelty for Sport." Morning Edition, NPR, 8 Aug. 2007. Academic OneFile, search.proquest.com/docview/189 828779?accountid=1558. Accessed 5 May 2008.
Accessible Digital Works Cited Example (check with your instructor before using this style)

"Beyond Vick: Animal Cruelty for Sport." Morning Edition, NPR, 8 Aug. 2007. Academic OneFile. Accessed 5 May 2008.

Radio and TV episodes/segments from websites

Examples
Citation Element Example
Standard Works Cited Example

"Federal Prosecutors Eye MySpace Bullying Case." All Things Considered, NPR, 14 Jan. 2008. www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18121662. Accessed 15 Jan. 2008.
Accessible Digital Works Cited Example (check with your instructor before using this style)

"Federal Prosecutors Eye MySpace Bullying Case." All Things Considered, NPR, 14 Jan. 2008. Accessed 15 Jan. 2008..

Films and film clips on the web

Examples
Citation Element Example
Standard Works Cited Example

"The Landlord." Funny or Die, 2007, www.funnyordie.com/videos/74/the-landlord-from-will-ferrell-and-adam-ghost-panther-mckay ?_cc=__d___&_ccid=4fab531c-3e90-49f0-a9e2-1ddc91844d1e. Accessed 15 Jan. 2008.
Accessible Digital Works Cited Example (check with your instructor before using this style)

"The Landlord." Funny or Die, 2007. Accessed 15 Jan. 2008.

Lectures, speeches, addresses, readings, and other web video presentations

Examples
Citation Element Example
Standard Works Cited Example

Bittman, Mark. "What’s Wrong with What We Eat." TEDTalks, TED Conferences, Dec.2007, www.ted.com/talks/mark_bittman_on_ what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat?language=en. Accessed 18 May 2009. Speech.
Accessible Digital Works Cited Example (check with your instructor before using this style)

Bittman, Mark. "What’s Wrong with What We Eat." TEDTalks, TED Conferences, Dec.2007. Accessed 18 May 2009. Speech..

Artwork from Library Databases

Examples
Citation Element Example
Standard Works Cited Example

Clark, Larry. Man with Baby. Circa 1960. ARTstor, library.artstor.org.greenriver.idm.oclc.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=8D1Efjk2M
jY5MTs4YVN7R3IgW38vfA%3D%3D&userId=gjtOdDop&zoomparams=. Accessed 15 Jan. 2008.
Accessible Digital Works Cited Example (check with your instructor before using this style)

Clark, Larry. Man with Baby. Circa 1960. ARTstor. Accessed 15 Jan. 2008. 

Artwork from the web

Examples
Citation Element Example
Standard Works Cited Example

Close, Chuck. Ronald. 2002. The Museum of Modern Art, www.moma.org/collection/works/108890?locale=en. Accessed 23 Sept. 2016. .
Accessible Digital Works Cited Example (check with your instructor before using this style)

Close, Chuck. Ronald. 2002. The Museum of Modern Art. Accessed 23 Sept. 2016. .

Photograph from the web

Examples
Citation Element Example
Standard Works Cited Example

Viewing the Unfortunates at the Morgue. 2005. The Triangle Factory File, Cornell University, trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/primary/photosIllustrations/slideshow.html?image_id=757&sec_id=3#screen. Accessed 23 Sept. 2016.
Accessible Digital Works Cited Example (check with your instructor before using this style)

Viewing the Unfortunates at the Morgue. 2005. The Triangle Factory File, Cornell University. Accessed 23 Sept. 2016.

Basic Formula For MLA Works Cited Citations (9th Edition)

Basic Formula For MLA Works Cited Citations

Include as much of the following as possible:

Author. Title of Source. Title of Container, Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location. Date Accessed.

Elements of a Citation and Examples
Part of the Formula Examples and Explanation
Author. •    one author: Last Name, rest of name as presented in the source. (example: Williams, Fred Laurence.)
•    two authors: reverse name of first author followed by a comma, then second author’s first name and then last name. (example: Cordell, Barbara, and Jane Buckle.)
•    more than two authors: reverse the name of the first author, follow with a comma and et al.  (example: Browne, Charlene, et al.)
Title of Source. • Put name of source in italics.
• HOWEVER, if citing an article or only part of the source, instead put that title in quotation marks with no italics: “Article Name.”

Title of Container,

 • When the source is part of a larger whole, the larger whole can be thought of as a container (example: a whole book is a container for a book chapter)
• Put the title of the container in italics (if you have cited an article or part of the whole source container)
Contributors, Example: edited by,
Version, Example: 7th ed.,
Number, Any numbered sequence. Example: vol. 3, no. 7
Publisher, (however, no publisher is required for articles)
Publication date, date as given on source but following this date style: 28 Jan. 2020,
Location.

• Example of website: www.cnn.com (do not include http:// in the URL)
• Example of chapter pages in a hardcopy book: pp. 250-259.
• Example of article from database: pp. 195-212. ProQuest Research Library,
https://doi.org/10.1000/182
**if no “DOI,” include stable URL or “permalink” without the http://

 

Quick Guide - MLA

Quick Guide - MLA Citation Style

Automatic Citation Generator

NoodleTools

Access online tutorials using the links below: