How to Cite Print Sources in MLA Style
This document provides a guideline for cite the most common types of print sources using MLA style, based on information available in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 9th edition.
Works Cited List Citations for Periodicals
Journal article:
Author Names. “Article Title.” Journal Title, volume number, issue number, date, pages.
Example:
Smith, Earl, and Angela J. Hattery. “Incarceration: A Tool for Racial Segregation and Labor Exploitation.” Race, Gender and Class, vol. 15, nos. 1-2, 2008, pp. 79-97.
Example:
Brueggeman, Brenda Jo, and Debra A. Moddelmog. "Coming-Out Pedagogy: Risking Identity in Language and Literature Classrooms." Pedagogy, vol. 2, no. 3, 2002, pp. 311-35.
An article in a magazine:
Author Names. “Article Title.” Title of Magazine, Day Month Year, pages.
Example:
Weintraub, Arlene, and Laura Cohenl. "A Thousand Year Plan for Nuclear Waste." Business Week, 5 May 2002, pp. 94-96.
An article in a newspaper:
Author Names. “Article Title.” Newspaper Title, Day Month Year, pages.
Example:
Yee, Vivian, and Bilal Shbair. “A Gaza Family Separated by 20 Miles, and an Unrelenting War.” The New York Times, 11 Oct. 2024, A4.
Works Cited List Citations for Books
Book by a single author:
Author Name. Book Title. Publisher, Year.
Example:
Rich, Adrienne. The Complete Poems 1950-2012. Norton, 2016.
Book by two or more authors:
Author Names. Book Title. Publisher, Year.
Example:
Marya, Rupa, and Raj Patel. Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice. Picador, 2021.
Book with three or more authors:
First Author Name, et al. Book Title. Publisher, Year.
Example:
Kennedy, Tammie M., et al. Rhetorics of Whiteness: Postracial Hauntings in Popular Culture, Social Media, and Education. Southern Illinois UP, 2017.
A translated book:
Author Name. Book Title. Translated by Translator Name, Publisher, Year.
Example:
Celan, Paul. Language Behind Bars. Translated by David Young, Marick Press, 2012.
Introduction/foreword/afterword:
Author Name. Introduction/Foreword/Afterword. Name of Book, by Book Author Name, Publisher, Year, pages.
Example:
Roediger, David R. Foreword. Racing to Justice: Transforming our Conceptions of Self and Other to Build an Inclusive Society, by john a. powell, Indiana UP, 2012.
Work in an anthology:
Author Name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection, edited by Editor's Name(s), Publisher, Year, pages.
Example:
Bar-Nadav, Hadra. “The Poem as Canvas: Interdisciplinary Pedagogies.” Poets on Teaching: A Sourcebook, edited by Joshua Marie Wilkinson, U of Iowa P, 2010.
Article in a reference book:
“Title of Article.” Book Title. Edition. Year.
Example:
“Fabulous.” Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus. 2006.
A multi-volume work:
Example:
Silko, Leslie Marmon. “Prayer to the Pacific.” The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, edited by Jahan Ramazani, et al., vol. 2, W.W. Norton and Company, 2003, pp. 884-885.
In-text Citations
Example (narrative citation):
john a. powell states, “Racial categories that seem natural and immutable today have evolved historically as various groups vied for inclusion in American society and in the distribution of privilege” (55).
Example (parenthetical citation):
“Racial categories that seem natural and immutable today have evolved historically as various groups vied for inclusion in American society and in the distribution of privilege” (powell 55).
Example (organizational author):
“Research shows that 3.6 billion people already live in areas highly susceptible to climate change. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250 000 additional deaths per year, from undernutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress alone” (World Health Organization).
Example (no known author):
Voting day in 2024 is November 5 (“2024 U.S. Elections”).
For more examples of how to cite print sources in MLA style:
Consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 9th ed., available at Bellevue University Library, or visit MLA Formatting and Style Guide," at the OWL at Purdue website, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html
