MLA

References/Works Cited

• Books
• Periodical Articles
• Web Pages
• Miscellaneous Sources

In Text Reference Citations

• Direct Quotes
• Parenthetical Statements

These guidelines on the construction of a bibiliography and the format of in text citations are based on the 6th edition of the Modern Language Association of America's style manual, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, call number LB2369 .G53 2009 located at the Burke Reserve Desk and in the Reference area. You may also find information on the MLA citation format at the MLA Style FAQ Web site. MLA style is used primarily in the arts and humanities disciplines.

References/Works Cited

BOOKS

Use the following format:

Last Name, First Name. Title of Work. Location: Publisher, year. Medium.

One author/editor

Krent, Harold J. Presidential Powers. New York: New York UP, 2005. Print.

Two or three authors/editors

Caufield, Sueann, Sarah C. Chambers, and Laura Putnam, eds. Honor, Status, and Law in Modern Latin America. Durham: Duke UP, 2005. Print.

Corporate author

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR. Washington: American Psychiatric Association, 2005. Print.

No author

"Punctuated Equilibrium." World Encyclopedia. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2003. Oxford Reference Online Premium. Web. 6 Sept. 2006.

Chapter/essay in an edited book

Tallmadge, John. "Deerslayer with a Degree." Eco-Man: New Perspectives on Masculinity and Nature. Ed. Mark Allister. Charlottesville: U of Virginia P, 2004. 17-27. Print.

Encyclopedia article

Maryanski, A. R. "Evolution Theory." Encyclopedia of Social Theory. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2004. Print.

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PERIODICAL ARTICLES

Use the following format:

Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name. "Title of the Article." Title of the Periodical volume number.issue number (year): beginning page number-ending page number. Medium.

Journal article - one author

Austin, Tom. "Miami Noir." Columbia Journalism Review 44.5: 28-37. Print.

Journal article - two or more authors

Hutchins, Brett, and Lester Libby. "Environmental Protest and Tap-Dancing with the Media in the Information Age. Media, Culture & Society 28.3 (2006): 433-451.

Magazine article

Tietz, Jeff. "Boss Hog." Rolling Stone 14 Dec. 2006: 89-139.

Full text article from an online database

Wernersson, Ann-Sofie. "Aquatic Ecotoxicity Due to Oil Pollution in the Ecuadorian Amazon." Agricultural Research 47.1 (2004): 2. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 July 2006.

Online journal article with no print equivalent

Wiggins, Richard. "Al Gore and the Creation of the Internet." First Monday 5.10 (2002). n. pag. Web. 17 June 2006.

Online newspaper article

Reel, Monte. "Two Views of Justice Fuel Bolivian Land Battle." Washington Post 20 June 2006, A1. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 23 June 2006.

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WEB PAGES

Citing internet resources accurately can be tricky because web-based documents are not as stable as print documents and vary in the amount of available publication information. For a detailed explanation of how to cite electronic media, consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition), chapter 5.6. Use the following formats:

Web page with an author

Burgess, Guy, and Heidi Burgess. "The Meaning of Civility." Conflict Research Consortium. U. of Colorado. 1997. Web. 5 July 2006.

Web page without an author

"Democratic Party Platform of 1980". The American Presidency Project. n.d. Web. 24 June 2006 <http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/index.php>.

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MISCELLANEOUS SOURCES

Unpublished interview

Crouper, Richard W. Interview with Randall Ericson. Hamilton College Archives. Clinton, NY. 2004. CD.

Films/videos

O Brother, Where Art Thou?. Dir. Joel Coen. Perf. George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, and Charles Durning. 2000. Touchstone, 2001. DVD.

Images

Rothstein, Arthur. Girl at Gees Bend. 1937. Photograph. Prints and Photographs Div., Lib. of Cong. America from the Great Depression to World War II: Black-and-White Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1935-1945. Web. 9 Sept. 2009.

Government publications

United States. Cong. House. Select Committee to Investigate Cover Arms Transactions with Iran. Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair: with Supplemental, Minority, and Additional Views. 100th Cong., 1st sess. Washington: GPO, 1987. Print.

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In Text Reference Citations

Whenever you incorporate another author's words, facts, or ideas into your paper, you must acknowlege the source by using an in text reference that links to a full citation in your works cited list. The MLA style uses parenthetical references in the form of the author name and page number of the referred to material in the text of a paper. The author name and page numbers may be enclosed in parentheses or, to improve readability, the author's name may be part of your text, with the only the referred to pages enclosed in parentheses.

DIRECT QUOTES

Krent maintains, "the need for congressional approval..." (115).

or

"The need for congressional approval..." (Krent 115).

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PARENTHETICAL STATEMENTS

Single or multiple authors

In a recent analysis of male roles...(Tallmadge 20).

In the introduction to Honor, Status, and Law in Modern Latin America editors Caulfield, Chambers, and Putnam integrate the concepts...(10-15).

Corporate author

The American Psychiatric Association recommends...(7-21).

No author identified

In the Concise Medical Dictionary, anemia is defined as....(127).

Government documents

The United States Congress, House Select Committee to Investigate Cover Arms Transactions with Iran characterized Oliver North's role...(97-184).

Web pages with an author

Burgess and Burgess define civility.....

Web pages with no author

In 1980, the Democratic Party crafted a platform that reflected the values...("Democratic Party Platform of 1980").

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Questions? Ask a librarian for further assistance.

(Updated: September 17, 2009)