Citation Style

MLA Style, 8th/9th edition Quick Guide
Based on MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

Two steps to citing:  Every source you use must (1) have an in-text citation and (2) be listed in the Works Cited list.

Step 1. In-Text Citations

In the body of your paper, provide in-text, parenthetical citations where you quote from, or use ideas from, a source. For each source, give the author’s last name and page number, if available. Each in-text citation will correspond to a more detailed citation on your Works Cited list (see Step 2).

Examples:        Baer and Heron have argued that “social norms evolve in consistent and cyclical patterns” (124).

- OR -

                         Scholars have argued that social norms consistently and cyclically evolve (Baer and Heron 124).

Step 2. Works Cited List

Gather these elements for each source you cite:

• Author(s) or editor(s) of your source
• Title of your source (Web page, article, chapter, book, video etc.).
• Title of any periodical, database, Web site, or book that contains your source.
• Publisher of the Web site or book, if applicable.
• Volume and issue number of a periodical, or edition number of a book, if given.
• Publication date as shown on your source (copyright date, periodical issue date, Web page updated date, etc.).
• DOI (digital object identifier) for online articles when available, or Web site address.

Works Cited List - Tips

1. See a sample MLA-formatted Works Cited list:  tinyurl.com/mla8workscited
2. Title your list Works Cited. Include a header with your last name and the page number of your document, and leave one-inch margins on all sides of the page. Double-space throughout.
3. Begin the first line of each citation at the left margin. Indent additional lines 5 spaces, or one-half inch.
4. Arrange all works in one alphabetical list by author, or by title if there is no author. When listing a work by title, alphabetize by the first main word in the title (ignore initial articles such as A, An, The).
5. When a work has three or more authors, list only the first author, followed by “et al.” For example:

Burdick, Anne, et al.

6. If a work doesn’t credit a person as author, its author can be the corporation or organization that created the work. If the corporate/organization name will also be in your citation as the name of the publisher, omit it as the author name and begin your citation with the title instead.
7. If an element doesn’t apply to the source you’re using – for instance, no page numbers, or no publication date – then omit that element from the citation.
8. Keep in mind that your reader should be able to locate your sources based on the information you provide in your citation.

For More Information...

More detailed citation guides can be found at Excelsior College's Online Writing Lab (OWL).

For additional citation support, please ask a librarian.