MLA Documentation

From the “D.S. English Handbook”

Format

ü      Center the title Works Cited one inch from the top of the page.

ü      Do not use boldface, underlining, italics, or any sort of stylized font (unless you are underlining or italicizing the title of a work). 

ü      Double space between the title and the first entry in the list.

ü      Begin each entry flush with the left margin (l inch), and, if it runs more than one line, indent the subsequent line or lines five spaces from the left margin.

ü      Double space the entire list, both between and within entries.

ü      Continue the list on as many pages as necessary.

Arrangement

 In general, alphabetize entries in the list of works cited by the author's last name, using the letter-by-letter system. If the author's name is unknown, alphabetize by the first word in the title other than a, an or the. DO NOT NUMBER these entries.

 Sample Entries

Ø    A book by a single author

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of the Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, copyright date.

      Examples:

            Lobdell, Jared. England and Always: Tolkien's World of the Rings. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1981.

            Tilden, William S.  History of the Town of Medfield, Massachusetts 1650-1886. Boston: George H.

                 Ellis, 1887.

Ø    A book by two persons

Author’s Last Name, First Name and First Name Last Name. Title of the Book. Place

     of  Publication: Publisher, copyright date.

     Example:

            Berry, Jason and Tad Jones.  Up from the Cradle of Jazz.  Athens: U of Georgia Press, 1986.

Ø    A book by three or more authors

 Author’s Last Name, First Name, et. al. Title of the Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, copyright date.

Example:

      Charyn, Jerome, et. Al. Presidents in the U.S. New York: Putnam, 1996.

Ø    A book by an anonymous author

            Title of the Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, copyright date.

     Example:

            A Guide to Our Federal Lands.  Washington:  National Geographic Society, 1984.

Ø    A book with an editor, but no author

Editor’s Last name, First name, ed. Title of the Book. Place of Publication: Publisher,

     copyright date.

Example:

      Lawrence, Jane W., ed. Palestinians In the Middle East. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.

Ø    An edition

     Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of the Book. Ed. Editor’s First Name, Last Name. # ed. Place of

          Publication: Publisher, date of publication. Vol. Volume #.

     Examples:

            Chaucer, Geoffrey.  The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer.  Ed. F. N. Robinson.  2nd ed. Boston:  Houghton,

                 1957.

            Daiches, David. A Critical History of English Literature. 2nd ed. 2 vols. New York:Ronald, 1970.

                  Vol. 2.

Ø    Part of a book

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Chapter or Section of the Book.” Title of the Book. Place of Publication:

     Publisher, date of publication. Page # - page #.

Example:

Berry, Wanda Warren.  “Affirmative Action is Just.” In Social Justice. Eds. David L. Bender and Leone

     Bruno. St. Paul: Greenhaven Press, 1984. 16-25.

Ø    A reference book

     Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Article.” Title of the Reference Book. Ed.

          Editor’s First Name Last Name. # vols. Place of Publication: Publisher, date of publication.

     Examples:

            "American Revolution." Encyclopedia Americana.  1985 ed.

            Brakely, Theresa C. "Mourning Songs." Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore,

                 Mythology, and Legend. Ed. Maria Leach and Jerome Fried. 2 vols. New York: Crowell, 1950.

Ø    A pamphlet

     Title of Pamphlet. Place of Publication: Publisher, date of  publication.

     Example:         

     Career as an Aerospace-Aircraft Engineer.  Chicago:  Institute for research, 1978.

Ø    A government publication

Author or Govt. Agency. Title of Publication. Place of publication: Publisher, date.

     Example:

            New York State.  Committee on State Prisons.  Investigation of the New York State Prisons.  1883.  New

                 York:  Arno, 1974.

Ø    An article from a magazine

     Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Article.” Title of Magazine Day Month Year: page # - page #.

     Example:

            Walsh, John.  "US-Japan Study Aim is Education Reform." Science  16 Jan. 1987: 274-275.

Ø    An article from a newspaper

     Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Article.” Title of Newspaper Day Month Year: Section p. #.

     Example:

            Fuerbringer, Jonathan.  "Budgetary Rhythms."  New York Times  20 Mar. 1987, late ed.: A8.

Ø    Microfiche

Author (leave out if there is no author). Title of the article. Original newspaper or magazine source date of

     article (Fiche number). Name of the collection of fiche. Place of publication: Publisher, date.

Example:

      “An Interview With Robert Frost.” New York Times 24 May 1942 (Fiche 2: 15B). In Great American

Writers/ One. Sanford, NC: Microfilming Corporation of America, 1980.

Ø    Non-print Materials

For videos or DVD’s-

Title of video.  (Videocassette). Producer or distributor, copyright date.

Example:

Raiders of the Lost Ark. (Videocassette).  Paramount Pictures, 1981.

For CD’s-

     Composer (leave out if no composer listed). Title of CD. Producer, date.

      Example:

                  Williams, John, Schindler’s List. MCA Records, 1993.

Ø    Interviews

     Interviewee’s Last Name, First Name. Type of Interview. Day Month Year of interview.

     Examples:

            Pei, I.M.  Personal Interview.  27 July 1983.

            Poussaint, Alvin F.  Telephone Interview.  10 Dec. 1980.

Ø    Maps

     Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of the Map. Place of Publication: Publisher, Date of Publication.

     Example:

            Canada.  Map.  Chicago: Rand, 1987.

Ø    Computer software

     Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Software. Computer Software. Place of Publication: Publisher,  

          Date of Publication.

     Example:

          Shapire, Marvin and Ted Salzman.  Bibliography Generator.  Computer Software. Educational Activities,

               1987.  PC-DOS, 256KB, disk.

Ø    An Original Web Page, created for publication on the Internet

Author’s last name, first name. "Title of document or web page." Date of publication. Date you viewed the

     document. <URL>

Example:

Linner, Rachelle. “The E. B. White Home Page.” Dated Apr. 1996. Viewed 14 Sept.1997.

          http://www.tiac.net/users/winlib/ebwhite.htm

Ø     An article that is part of an Internet database or a section of a larger work published on the Internet as part of a searchable database, such as the Britannica encyclopedia or a periodicals service like ProQuest Direct.

Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical. Title of database or service. Date of

     publication. Date you viewed the article. <URL>

Example:

“Diana, Princess of Wales.” Britannica. Viewed 15 Sept. 1997. http://www.eb.com: 180

Morton, Andrew. “The Diana I Knew.” People Magazine. ProQuest Direct. Dated Sept.15, 1997. Viewed

          3 Mar. 1998. http://proquest.umi.com/pdqmainpage.htm

Ø    An electronic text published on the Internet

Author’s last name, first name. Title of text. Date of publication. Date viewed. <URL>

Example:

Shakespeare, William.  As You Like It. Dated 2 Aug. 1995. Viewed 15 Sept. 1997.

http://the-tech.mit.edu:80/Shakespeare/Comedy/asyoulikeit.asyoulikeit.html

*Be sure that you get all of the appropriate information from your resources.