Basic MLA Format
Spartanburg Community College Library

For use with the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 7th ed.
 Unless otherwise noted, all page #’s refer to the 7th edition of the Handbook

Printable Version | Sample Paper using MLA Format | MLA Format Workshop (Video) | Handout on MLA Works Cited/Parenthetical Documentation

NoodleBib--Online MLA/APA Formatting
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Books Reference Books Magazine/Journal (Paper) Magazine, Newspaper, and Journal Articles from a Database
Books with Author, 1st Edition or No Edition Information Given
Books with Author, Edition Other than 1st
Books with Two or More Authors
Book with an Editor Instead of an Author
Chapter or Article from a Collection of Essays, Poems or Stories		 Entry from a Widely Used Reference Book/General Dictionary or Encyclopedia
Article/Entry from a Specialized Reference Book/Subject Encyclopedia or Dictionary
Previously Published Scholarly Article in a Collection of Essays or Articles
 		 Journal Article (paper)
Magazine or Newspaper Article (paper)		 Book from a Database
Book Article (reference book article or article from a collection of essays, poems,plays)
Book Article from a Book in a Series
Journal Article from Library Database
Magazine or Newspaper Article from a Library Database
Articles from Library's Reference Databases - Only Date Given WebSites Interviews Movies
Access Science
Country Watch
Culture Briefings
CultureGrams
Encyclopedia Britannica
Funk & Wagnell's New Encyclopedia
Hoovers' Online
Issues and Controversies
Today's Science		 Document or Article Cited Only on the Web
Photo or Other Image on the Web
Entire Internet Site		 Interview Movie on VHS or DVD

 

Helpful Information

-Double space entries. If an entry runs more than one line, indent the next line(s) ½ inch (5 spaces) (130-31).
-Include author’s name(s) as appears in source, but put last name first to alphabetize by. Leave out titles and degrees such as “PhD” and “MD” but include suffixes such as “Jr.” (149-51). If work lists corporate author, see p. 224.  
-If source has more than 3 authors, an option is to put “et al.” after 1st author’s name to represent authors 2+ (see example in books section for additional options) (154-56).
-If no author given, start with title and alphabetize entry by title (132, 162).
-Include publication medium (usually either “Print” or “Web”) (xvii, 136, 187).


Books

Helpful Information - Books
-Publishers: omit beginning articles (the, a, an), business abbreviations, and descriptive words (Co. ,Corp., Books, House, Press, etc). Abbreviate University Press as UP (ex: South Carolina UP or U of Arizona P). If publisher made up of people’s names, only use the last name of the first person. See MLA Handbook for common abbreviations (247-49).

-Include edition information if given (2nd ed., 3rd ed,  Rev. ed,  etc) (167).
-For reference works and anthologies, include name of editor if given (153-54,157).

-If book used is part of a multivolume set, include the volume # used (168).
-If no date given, use  “n.d.” (179).
-If no publisher  given, put “n.p.” (179).
-If no pages given, put “n. pag.” (179).
-If no place of publication given, put “n.p.” (179).

Books with Author, 1st Edition or No Edition Information Given (148-49)

Author’s Last name, First name. Title of Book. City of publication: Publisher, year. Publication medium.
 

Webb, George E. The Evolution Controversy in America. Lexington: U of Kentucky P, 1994. Print.

 

Books with Author, Edition Other than First (167)

Author’s Last name, First name. Title of Book. EDITION ed. City of publication: Publisher, year. Publication medium.
 

Papp, Jeffrey. Quality Management in the Imaging Sciences. 2nd ed. St. Louis: Mosby, 2002. Print.

 

Books with Two or More Authors (154-56)

First author's Last name, First name, and second author's First name Last name. Title of Book. EDITION ed. City of publication: Publisher, year. Publication medium.

Polk, Milbry, and Mary Tiegreen. Women of Discovery. New York: Potter, 2001. Print.

If more than 3 author there are two options: name only the first author and add “et al.” (“and others”)  or give all the names in full (155): 

James, David K., et al.  Or    James, David K., Philip J. Steer, Carl P. Weiner, and Bernard Gonik.  

Book with an Editor Instead of an Author (153-54)

Editor's Last name, First name, ed. Title of Book. EDITION ed. City of publication: Publisher, year. Publication medium.

Agre, Philip E., ed. Technology and Privacy: The New Landscape. Cambridge: MIT, 1997. Print.

Chapter or Article from a  Collection of Essays, Poems, or Stories (157-60)

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Essay, Chapter or Article." Title of Book. Ed. EDITOR’S NAME. EDITION  ed. Vol. #. City of publication: Publisher, year. page number(s). Publication medium.

Haddam, Jane. "Welfare Should be Expanded." Welfare: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Charles P. Cozic and Paul A. Winters. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1997. 29-34. Print.

Thomas, Lewis. “On Warts.” The Reader. Ed. Judy Sieg.  3rd ed. Boston: Pearson, 2010. 91-93. Print.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Birthmark." The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2011. 420-31. Print.

Note: If you are citing a play or a novel, italicize title instead of putting in quotation marks (157)

  

Reference Books

Entry from a Widely Used Reference Book Such as a General Dictionary or Encyclopedia (160-61)

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of Entry.” Title of Book. Edition information. Year. Publication medium.

Brodsky, Arthur F. "Telegraph." The World Book Encyclopedia. 1995. Print.

"Noon." The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. Print.

Article/Entry from Specialized Reference Book Such as a Subject Encyclopedia or Dictionary (160-61; 89-90)

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Entry.” Title of Book. Ed. EDITOR’S NAME. EDITION ed. Vol. #. City of publication: Publisher, year. page number(s). Publication medium.
Note: Include page number(s) if entries are not in alphabetical order.

Hennessy, Michael. “W. H. Auden.” Critical Survey of Poetry. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Rev. ed. Vol. 1. Pasadena: Salem, 1991. 80-89. Print.

“Large Intestine.” Merriam-Webster’s Medical Desk Dictionary. Rev. ed. Springfield: Merriam, 2002. Print.

“’To His Coy Mistress.’” Poetry for Students. Ed. Mary Ruby. Vol. 5. Farmington Hills: Gale, 1999. 275-83. Print.

Previously Published Scholarly Article in a Collection of Essays or Articles (159-60)

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of Essay or Article.” Name and publication information about book or journal where article was originally published. Rpt. in Title of Book. Ed. EDITOR’S NAME. EDITION ed. Vol. #. City of Publication: Publisher, year. Page numbers. Publication medium.

Reprinted Book Article:

Bayley, John. “The Nouvelle as Hypothesis.” Tolstoy and the Novel. n.p.: Chatto, 1966. 281-93. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Anna J. Sheets. Vol. 30. Detroit: Gale, 1999. 142-47. Print.

Reprinted Journal Article:

Hussman, Frederick. “William Carlos Williams: Imagery, Rhythm, Form.” The Sewanee Review 55.4 (1947): 675-90. Rpt. in Poetry for Students. Ed. Drew Kalasky. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 2002. 351-55. Print.
Note: For information on how to cite an article from a journal, see the next section on Journal Articles (Paper).

Journal, Magazine, and Newspaper Articles (Paper)
For tips on referencing articles, see information in database section under “Articles”

Journal Article (Paper) (136-41)

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume number.issue number (year): page number(s). Publication medium.

Johnson, Gabriel N. "Treatment of Liver Cancer." New England Journal of Medicine 339.14 (1998): 974-84. Print.

Magazine or Newspaper Article (Paper) (141-48)

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine or Newspaper Day Month Year of article: page number(s). Publication medium.

Beschloss, Michael R. "Eavesdropping at the Highest Levels." Newsweek 5 Oct. 1998: 40. Print.

Spencer, Jason. “County Council Lifts Band.” Herald Journal [Spartanburg] 21 July 2009: A1+. Print.

Articles and Books from Library’s Electronic Databases

Helpful Information- Databases

- Information in this section is grouped by type of source being cited
- To cite your database source correctly, you will need to know if it is a book, article from a book, magazine, newspaper, or journal article. Once you know, go to the appropriate section of this handout.
- If no publication information is give or if just a date is give, go to "Articles from Library's Reference Databases - Only Date Given."
- Abbreviate months except May, June, and July (pg. 143; 7.2)

 -SCC’s most commonly used databases are published by EBSCO and Gale
 -EBSCO databases include: Academic Search Premier, MagillonLiterature Plus, Business Source Premier, CIHAHL, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection

- Gale databases include: Academic OneFile, General OneFile, Custom Newspapers, General Reference Center, Expanded Academic Center, Expanded Academic, Health Reference Center Academic, General Business File, History Resource Center, Health and Wellness Resource Center, Biography Resource Center, Kid's InfoBits, Scribner Writers Series, Business and Company Resource Center, Gale Virtual Reference Library, and Literature Resource Center.
 

Book or Periodical Article from a Database (187-89; 192)

 Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of Article.” Name and publication information of book or periodical. Database Name. Publication medium. Day Month Year of access.
Note: For specific examples of Books and Articles from SCC Library’s electronic databases, see next  page.

Books and Book Articles from Library’s Databases
For instructions on citing information from the Library’s Databases see previous page

 

Helpful Information - Books
-Publishers: omit beginning articles (the, a, an), business abbreviations, and descriptive words (Co., Corp., Books, House, Press, etc.). Abbreviate University Press as UP (ex: South Carolina UP or U of Arizona P).  If publisher made up of people’s names, only use the last name of the first person. Common abbreviations on  248-49.

-Include edition information if given (2nd ed., 3rd ed.,  Rev. ed,  etc.) (167).
-For reference works and anthologies, include name of editor if given (153-54,157).

-If book used is part of a multivolume set, include the volume # used  (168).
-If no date given, use  “n.d.” (179).
-If no publisher given, put “n.p.” (179).
-If no pages given, put “n. pag.” (179).
-If no place of publication given, put “n.p.” (179).
Note: see books section at beginning of handout for examples of variations of books (# of authors, etc).

Book from Database (187-89)

Author’s Last name, First name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year.  Name of Database. Publication medium. Day Month Year of Access.

 Sedgwick, Fred. Shakespeare and the Young Writer. London: Routledge, 2002. eBook Collection. Web. 2 Sept. 2009.

SCC Library Databases with full-text books: eBook Collection

Book Article from a Database (reference book article or article from collection of essays, poems, plays) ( 187-89)

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Title of Book. Ed. EDITOR’S NAME. EDITION ed. Vol. #.  City of Publication: Publisher, year. page number(s). Name of Database. Publication medium. Day Month Year of access.

Lutwick, Larry. “Fish and Shellfish Poisoning.” Gale Encyclopedia of  Medicine. 3nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 1482-84.  Health Reference Center. Web. 7 July 2009. 

Hudock, Amy E. “’The Yellow Wallpaper.’” Masterplots II: Women’s Literature Series. n.p.: Salem, 1995. n. pag. MagillOnLiterature Plus. Web. 9 Sept. 2009.

“Shirley Ceasar.” Almanac of Famous People. 7th ed. n.p.: Gale, 2000. n. pag. Biography Resource Center. Web. 7 Aug. 2009.

SCC Library Databases with articles from books: eBook Collection (when using online reference book or collection of essays), Gale Databases, EBSCO Databases, Facts on File Health Reference Center, Salem, SIRS.

Book Article from Book in a Series (MLA pp. 170-71; pp. 187-89)

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Title of Book. Ed. EDITOR’S NAME. EDITION ed. City of Publication: Publisher, year. Name of Series. Page number(s). Name of Database. Medium of Publication. Day Month Year of access.

Goddard, Harold C. "Hamlet’s Hesitation." Shakespeare’s Tragedies. Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea, 1999.  Bloom’s Major Dramatists. 354-56. Bloom’s Literary Reference Online. Web. 15 July 2009.

SCC Library Databases with articles from books from a series: Bloom’s Literary Reference Online

Magazine, Newspaper, and Journal Articles from a Database

Helpful Information –Articles

-Periodicals: omit beginning articles of periodical titles (the, a, an) (139, 141).
- Abbreviate months except May, June and July (pg. 143, also 7.2).
-If not sure if periodical is journal or magazine –when in doubt include volume # (139).
-If article is not printed on consecutive pages, write only the first page number and a plus sign. Example: 53+; D7+.
-If newspaper is local publication, include city of publication in square brackets, not italicized, if not part of newspaper name: Independent Tribune [Concord] (141).
-If no pages given, put “n. pag.” (179)
Note: see beginning of handout for examples of  # of authors.

Journal Article from Library Database  (192-93;  136-40)

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Name of Journal Volume number.issue number (year): page number(s). Database Name. Publication medium. Day Month Year of access.

Goodwin, Jonathan. "Wallace’s 'Infinite Jest'." Explicator 61.2 (2003): 122-24. General OneFile. Web. 15 June 2009.

Leather, Simon R., and Donald J.L. Quicke. "Where Would Darwin Have Been without Taxonomy?" Journal of Biological Education 43.2 (2009): 51-52. Academic Search Premier. Web.  15 Aug. 2009.

SCC Library Databases with journal articles: Gale Databases, EBSCO Databases, Career and Technical Education.

 

Magazine, Newspaper, and Journal Articles from a Database, Cont.

Magazine or Newspaper Article from Library Database (192-93, 187-89)

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Name of Magazine or Newspaper Day Month Year of article: page number(s). Database Name. Publication medium. Day Month Year of access.

Henry, Mary. "Both the Cows and the Cheeses are a Bit Sassy Here." Christian Science Monitor 24 Mar. 2004: 11. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 July 2009.

Hawkins, David S. "For the Elephants’ Sake, A Quick Ban on Ivory." New York Times 11 June 1989: A6. SIRS Knowledge Source. Web. 15 Aug. 2009.

Common SCC Databases with magazine articles: Gale Databases, EBSCO Databases, SIRS, Career and Technical Education.

Articles from Library’s Reference Databases – Only Date Given 

Basic Example  (185-86)

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Name of Database. Publisher of Database, Day MonthYear of article or database copyright date. Publication medium. Day Month Year of access.

Note: the Publisher of the Database can be found by the © symbol near the bottom of the page

Examples, Alphabetically by Database Name:

Access Science

Berner, Elizabeth Kay. "Global Warming." Access Science. McGraw, 2009. Web. 15 Aug. 2009.

Country Watch

 “Iran.” CountryWatch. CountryWatch, 2009. Web. 21 Sept. 2009.

 Culture Briefings

"Culture Briefing: England." Culture Briefings. Geotravel Research Center, 2000-2009. Web.  5 Dec. 2009.

CultureGrams

"Republic of Belarus." CultureGrams. ProQuest, 2009. Web. 15. Aug. 2009.

Encyclopedia Britannica

"Gregor Mendel." Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009. Web. 8 Feb. 2010.

Funk and Wagnell’s New World Encyclopedia

"Codling Moth."Funk and Wagnell’s New World Encyclopedia. EBSCO, 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2009.

Hoovers’ Online

“Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.” Hoover's Online. Hoover's, 2009. Web. 8 July 2009.

Issues and Controversies

"Human Trafficking." Issues and Controversies. Facts on File, 17 Nov. 2008. Web. 2 Sept. 2009.

Today’s Science

Coleman, Elisheva. "Duck Love Spirals Out of Control."Today’s Science. Facts on File, May 2007. Web. 7 July 2009.

 Websites

Helpful Information -Websites
-If source is a journal, magazine, newspaper, or book article found on a website, cite exactly as database examples, but put name of website instead of database  (187-89; 192).

-MLA asks for version or edition of the website used; few websites have this information.
-If no date given, use  “n.d.” (179).
-If no publisher or sponsor of website given, put “n.p.” (179).
-If no pages given, put “n. pag.” (179).
-If no place of publication given, put “n.p.” (179).

- Only include URL “if reader probably cannot locate source without it or when your instructor requires it.” If possible, give complete address of the article you are citing.  If address is extremely long then give address of site’s main page (182).

Document or Article Cited Only on the Web (no print publication information given)  (184-87)

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of Document.” Title of Internet Site. Publisher or Sponsor of site, Day Month Year of Source. Publication Medium. Day Month Year of access. <include URL/web address only if source cannot be located without it or if instructor requires it>.

 Stewart, Bob. “Biostimulants.” IPMnet. University of Maryland, n.d. Web. 5 Aug. 2009. <http://ipmnet.umd.edu/5-4art1.htm>.

“Japan-A Country Study.” Federal Research Divisions. Library of Congress, 10 July 2009.Web. 7 May 2009. <http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/jptoc.html>.

Photo or Other Image on the web (200-01; 185-87)

include the medium of composition (photograph, painting, etc.) after title (200-201; 185-187).

 “A Child Soldier Victim in Northern Uganda.” Photograph. Embassy of the United States of America: Montevideo-Uruguay. Embassy of the United States of America, 15 Aug. 2005. <http://montevideo.usembassy.gov>.

Entire Internet Site  (184-87)

  Author or editor of site. Title of Internet Site. Publisher or Sponsor of site, Day Month Year of Source. Publication  medium. Day Month Year of access. <include URL/web address only if source cannot be located without it or if instructor requires it>.   Note: if editor given, put “ed.” after name.

 ExxonMobil. Exxon Mobil Corporation, 2003-2009. Web. 9 Aug. 2009. <www.exxonmobil.com>.

Interviews

Interview (201-02)

Person's Last name, First name. Type of interview. Day month year of interview.

Smith, Jane. Personal interview. 24 Oct. 2009.

Note:  Examples of types of interviews are “E-mail interview,” “Telephone interview” or “Personal interview.”  See p. 201 for examples of published or broadcast interviews

Movies

Movie on VHS or DVD (197-98)

Name of Movie. Dir. DIRECTOR’S NAME. Perf. NAME OF KEY PERFORMERS. original year of release if given. Distributer, copyright date. Publication medium.

Star Wars. Dir. George Lucas. Perf. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Alec Guiness. 1977. Fox, 1992. Videocassette. 
Note: Other mediums,such as “DVD,” can substitute for “Videocassette.”

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Last update 06.09.10

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