Learning Resource Center Guides
Updated 02/2016
MLA CITATION STYLE GUIDE EXAMPLES
The hard copies of the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers can be found in the COS
Library. There are copies in the Reference area and on Reserve at the front Circulation Desk.
The call number is R 808.027 M689.
Style Manual is a book or web page that prescribes how material used in research should be listed in a bibliography or
Works Cited Page. Two of the most commonly used style manuals are those from the Modern Language Association
(MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA).
Bibliography is a list of citations for books, articles, web pages and other resources on a particular subject. For example, a
bibliography can be found at the end of encyclopedia articles, magazine articles, chapters in books, etc. The list of
resources used for a research paper is also called a bibliography (or Works Cited Page).
Citation has the basic information needed to find specific materials. For a book this information includes author, title,
place of publication, publisher, and date published. When the book is "cited" by another author, page number(s) may be
included. For an article, the citation usually includes author, title, name of journal, date, volume, and pages.
Abstract is the summary of an article, book, chapter, or other publication.
Annotated Bibliography is a list of books, articles and/or other publications on a subject with brief summaries or
evaluations of their content.
Print Books
 Edition (if other than 1st)
Important Elements:
 Author (last name, first name)
 Place of publication
 Publication date
 Title (in italics)
 Publisher
 Medium of publication (Print)
Book by a single
Rollin, Bernard E. Science and Ethics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print.
author
Book by two authors
Sherman, Chris, and Gary Price. The Invisible Web: Uncovering Information Sources Search
Engines Can’t See. Medford, NJ: CyberAge Books, 2001. Print.
Book by three or
more authors
Goodpaster, Kenneth E., Laura L. Nash, and Henri-Claude de Bettignies. Business Ethics:
Policies and Persons. 3rd ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2006. Print.
Book by a
corporate author
American Medical Association. American Medical Association Family Medical Guide. 4th ed.
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2004. Print.
Article or chapter Winne, Philip H. “Self-regulated Learning Viewed from Models of Information Processing.” Selfwithin an edited
regulated Learning and Academic Achievement. Eds. Barry J. Zimmerman and Dale H.
book
Schunk. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001. Print.
Translation
Tolstoy, Leo. War and Peace. Trans. Anthony Briggs. New York: Viking, 2006. Print.
Articles from Print Periodicals (magazines, journals, and newspapers)
Important Elements:
 Author (last name, first name)
 Title of article (in quotation marks)
 Title of publication in italics (i.e., Journal of Abnormal
Psychology, Newsweek, New York Times)
 Medium of publication (Print)
 Volume and issue number (for journals only)
 Date of publication of article (month and year for
monthly publications, exact date for weekly and daily)
 Page numbers of article
Article in a monthly
magazine
Article in a weekly
magazine
Swedin, Eric G. “Designing Babies: A Eugenics Race with China?” The Futurist May/June
2006: 18-21. Print.
Will, George F. “Waging War on Wal-Mart.” Newsweek 5 July 2004: 64. Print.
Article in a daily
newspaper
Dougherty, Ryan. “Jury Convicts Man in Drunk Driving Death. ”Centre Daily Times 11 Jan.
2006: 1A. Print.
Rimer, Sara. “A Campus Fad That’s Being Copied: Internet Plagiarism Seems on the
Rise.” New York Times 3 Sept. 2003, late ed.: B7. Print.
Article in a scholarly
journal
Stock, Carol D. and Philip A. Fisher. “Language Delays Among Foster Children:
Implications for Policy and Practice.” Child Welfare 85.3 (2006): 445-462. Print.
Rifkind, Donna. “Breaking Their Vows.” Rev. of The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk
Kidd. Washington Post 10 Apr. 2005, final ed.: T6. Print.
Book review
Articles from the Library’s Online Databases
(including articles from print publications accessible electronically through the library’s subscription databases)
Important Elements:
 publication information (see Periodicals,

Medium of publication (Web)

above)
date you accessed the article
 name of database in italics (if known)
Magazine article from an
Poe, Marshall. “The Hive.” Atlantic Monthly Sept. 2006: 86-95.ProQuest. Web.
online database: ProQuest
27 Nov. 2008.
Journal article from an online
database:
Professional Development
Collection
Cross, Tracy L. “Nerds and Geeks: Society’s Evolving Stereotypes of Our Students
with Gifts and Talents.” Gifted Child Today 28.4 (2005): 2627. Professional Development Collection. Web. 8 Dec. 2008.
Articles in Online Journals, Magazines and Newspapers
(including articles from online publications accessible free on the Web, not from the library’s databases)
Important Elements:
 Author (last name, first name)
 Title of article (in quotation marks)
 Title of publication (in italics)
 Volume and issue number (for scholarly journals, if given)
 Date you accessed the article
 Date of publication of article
 Page numbers (if no page numbers are given, use n.
pg. for no pagination)
 Medium of publication (Web)
 Date you accessed the article
Note: MLA style recommends including the URLs for websites only if the source cannot be readily located without the URL. If you wish
to include the URL, put it in angle brackets after the date of access. Break URLS only after slashes. Example:
<http://www.mla.org/style>
Article in an online
scholarly journal
Article in an online
magazine
Sankey, Michael. “Considering Visual Literacy When Designing Instruction.” e-Journal
of Instruction Service and Technology 5.2 (2002): 1-14. Web. 5 Feb. 2009.
Ervin, Kathleen A. “Some Kind of Wonderful: Frank Capra Examines Failure.” Failure
Magazine. Mar. 2001. n. pag. Web. 5 Feb. 2009.
Entire Web Sites
Important Elements:
 Author (if known)
 Title of Web site (in italics)
 Publisher or sponsor (if not listed, use N.p. for
 Medium of Publication
no publisher)
 Date of publication (if not listed,
use n.d. for no date)
 Date you accessed the
(Web)
information
Note: MLA style recommends including the URLs for websites only if the source cannot be readily located without the URL. If you wish to include
the URL, put it in angle brackets after the date of access. Break URLS only after slashes. Example: <http://www.mla.org/style>
Web site with author
Web site with unknown
author
Kraizer, Sherryll. Safe Child. Coalition for Children, Inc., 2008. Web. 5 Feb.
2009.
The Nittany Lion Mascot. Penn State University, 2006. Web. 5 Feb. 2009.
Short Work from a Web Site
Important Elements:
 Author (if known)
 Title of work (in quotation marks)
 Title of Web site (in italics)
 Publisher or sponsor (if not
listed, use N.p. for no
publisher)
 Date of publication (if not listed,
use n.d. for no date)
 Medium of Publication (Web)
 Date you accessed the
information
Note: MLA style recommends including the URLs for websites only if the source cannot be readily located without the URL. If you wish to
include the URL, put it in angle brackets after the date of access. Break URLS only after slashes. Example:
<http://www.mla.org/style>
Short work with author
Aleem, Zeeshan. "One Chart Shows the Huge Racial Divide Over the Confederate Flag
in South Carolina.” Policy.Mic. Mic Network Inc., 23 June 2015. Web. 25 June
2015.
Short work with unknown “How to Ask for (and Get) Good Feedback.” College of the Sequoias. College of the
author
Sequoias, n.d. Web. 25 June 2015.
Entry in on Online Reference Work
Important Elements:
 Author
 Title of entry (in quotation marks)
Entry from Gale Virtual
Reference Library
 Title of reference work (in italics)
 Publication date
 Name of database (in italics)
 Medium
 Date of access
Rey, Georges. "Behaviorism.” Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2006. Gale
Virtual Reference Library. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.
Multimedia Resources: Film/Video/DVD
Important Elements
 Title (in italics)
 Lead actors
 Date of release
 Director
 Distributor
 Medium (i.e., DVD)
Hidalgo. Dir. Joe Johnston. Perf. Viggo Mortensen, Zuleikha Robinson, Omar Sharif, and Louise
Film
Lombard. Touchstone/Disney, 2004. Film.
DVD
Ballroom Dancing. Dir. Steve Kemsley. Perf. Angela Rippon and Ian Waite. American Home Treasures,
2006. DVD.
Television/Radio Program
 Network
Important Elements:
 Title of television episode or
 Names of writer, director,
 Local station and location
 Date of broadcast
radio segment
performers and/or host (if
 Title of program (in italics)
 Medium (i.e., Radio)
known)
Television
“Dogs and More Dogs.” NOVA. Dir. Noel Buckner and Rob Whittlesey. PBS. WPSU, State
Program
College, PA. 30 Nov. 2006. Television.
Radio
Program
“Could Shakespeare Survive in Hollywood?” All Things Considered. By Elizabeth Blair. NPR.
WPSU-FM, State College, PA. 20 Nov. 2006. Radio.
Government Publications
Important Elements:
 Government (i.e., United States)
 Government Agency
 Title of document (in italics)
Print
document
Online
document
 Place of publication (for print
 Medium of publication (i.e.,
documents)
 Publisher (government agency)
 Date of publication
 Date of access (for online
Print)
documents)
United States. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. Breaking the Cycle of Domestic Violence:
Know the Facts. Washington: U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, 2000. Print.
United States. National Science and Technology Council. Committee on Environment and Natural
Resources. Scientific Assessment of the Effects of Global Change on the United States.
Washington: Natl. Science and Technology Council, May 2008. Web. 25 June 2015. .
Personal Interview
Important Elements:
 Name of person interviewed
Interview
 Type of interview (personal, email, telephone)
 Date of interview
Smith, John. Personal interview. 31 Aug. 2007.
In-Text Citation
In-Text citation refers to the rules for identifying sources used in research. MLA style uses a two-part
parenthetical style for citing sources used. The in-text citations in a paper are used to point the reader to the
alphabetical Works Cited list that appears at the end of the research paper. By listing the source in the
parenthetical style, using a name or title, and a corresponding page number, your reader can easily and
readily identify your source and the research used. That is the purpose of the combination style of in-text
citation and a Works Cited list. Together, these references identify and credit the sources used in the paper and
allow others to access and retrieve this material.
Parenthetical references should be as clear as possible, and with just enough information to identify the source.
More in-depth information about the source is saved for the Works Cited list.





Give only the information needed to identify a source. In general, whatever appears on the left margin of
your Works Cited page will appear in your in-text and parenthetical citations, as well as page numbers if
your source has them.
Place the parenthetical reference as close as possible to the material being documented and where a
pause would naturally occur, preferably at the end of a sentence.
Parenthetical material should complement, not repeat, information given in the text. If you include an
author’s name in a sentence, you do not need to repeat it in your parenthetical statement.
The parenthetical reference should come before the punctuation mark that concludes the sentence, clause,
or phrase that contains the cited material.
Electronic and online sources are cited just like print resources in references cited in the text. If an online
source lacks numbering, omit numbers from the parenthetical references. If a source includes fixed page
numbers or section numbering, such as numbering of paragraphs (pars.), cite the relevant numbers.
Examples
Author’s name in text:
In Science and Ethics, Bernard E. Rollin has expressed this concern (118-21).
Author’s name in reference:
This concern has been expressed (Rollin 118-21).
Citing two locations in a single text:
Eric G. Swedin alludes to this premise in “Designing Babies: A Eugenics Race with China” (18, 21).
Two sources cited, second source online (no page numbers):
(Sankey 12; Aleem)
Corporate authors:
(United States, Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, 51-63)
Permission to reproduce this information for COS students has been obtained from the Library Learning Services, Penn State University
Libraries. Copyright 2013. The Pennsylvania State University. All rights reserved.