Center for Academic Support
MLA Documentation Style
(Adapted from MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers 7th ed.)
MLA PARENTHETICAL REFERENCES
A parenthetical reference in a paper points the reader to the full citation on the works cited page.
Typically, the reference includes the author’s last name and page number if applicable. If sources
don’t have authors listed or page numbers, other methods are used to connect the parenthetical
reference to the works cited entry.
Note: When punctuating parenthetical references, periods go after the parentheses, not before.
Below are examples of parenthetical references along with section numbers from the handbook
where additional information can be found.
Author’s Name in Text —If the author’s name is mentioned in the text of the paper, then only a page
number (if applicable) is required in parentheses (6.3).
Baker states that the cause of death was accidental (24).
Author’s Name in Reference—If the author’s name does not appear in the text of the paper, both
author’s name and page number (if applicable) are required in parentheses (6.3).
The cause of death was accidental (Baker 24).
Work by Two or Three Authors—Name the authors either in the text or include their last names in
the parenthetical reference along with the page number (if applicable): (Patterson and Linden 89)
(6.2).
Patterson and Linden agree that the gorilla Koko acquired language more slowly than a
normal speaking child (89).
Work by Four or More Authors—Name the first author and mention the co-authors in the text, or
put the first author’s last name followed by et al. (Latin for “and others”) in parentheses: (Terrace et
al. 891) (6.2).
Ultimately, Terrace and his co-authors concluded that “most of Nim’s utterances were
prompted by his teacher’s prior utterance” (891).
Work by Corporate Author—Name the corporate author in the text of the paper or put an
abbreviated version in the parentheses: (Natl. Research Council 15) (6.4.5).
According to a study by the National Research Council, the population of China around 1990
was increasing by more than fifteen million annually (15).
Works Listed by Title, Not Author—Mention the full title in the text or use a shortened form of the
title in the parentheses. Titles or shortened titles of books are italicized: (Times Atlas 43). Titles or
shortened titles of articles are put in quotation marks: (“Black” 103) (6.4.4).
According to “Black, Blue, and Gray: The Other Civil War,” black Americans, both slave and
free, “provided the margin of difference that turned the tide against the confederate forces in
1864 and 1865” (103).
Two or More Works by the Same Author—If the list of works cited contains two or more works by
the same author, mention the full title of the work in the text or use a shortened form of the title in
the parentheses: (Eloquent 67) (6.4.6).
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In Eloquent Animals, Flora Davis reports that a chimp at the Yerkes Primate Research
Center “has combined words into sentences that she was never taught” (67).
In the rare case when both the author and a shortened title must be given in parentheses, the
citation should appear like this: (Davis, Eloquent 67).
Indirect Source—When a writer’s or speaker’s quoted words appear in a work written by another
author, use the abbreviation “qtd. in” (quoted in) before the author’s name in the parentheses (6.4.7).
“We only used seven signs in his presence,” says Fouts. “All of his signs were learned from
the other chimps at the laboratory” (qtd. in Toner 24).
Work in an Anthology—Put the name of the author of the work (NOT the editor of the anthology) in
the text or in the parentheses: (Chopin 25) (6.4.2).
At the end of Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard drops dead upon learning
that her husband is alive. In the final irony of the story, doctors report that she has died of a
“joy that kills” (25).
Multivolume Work—To cite a volume number as well as a page reference for a multivolume work,
separate the two by a colon and a space: (Terman 2: 279) (6.4.3).
Terman’s studies of gifted children reveal a pattern of accelerated language acquisition
(2: 279).
To cite an entire volume of a multivolume work, place a comma after the author’s name and include
the abbreviation “vol” in the parenthetical reference: (Thomas, vol. 2). Write out the word “volume”
in a sentence:
Thomas explains the importance of gun safety in volume 2.
Entire Work—To cite an entire work, use the author’s name in the text or in a parenthetical
reference (page numbers are NOT necessary) (6.4.1).
Patterson and Linden provide convincing evidence for the speech-making abilities of nonhuman primates.
More Than One Work in a Single Reference—When citing more than one source to document a
particular point, separate the citations with a semicolon (6.4.9).
With intensive training, the apes in this study learned more than two hundred signs or
signals (Desmond 229; Linden 173).
Authors with the Same Last Name—If the list of works cited includes works by two or more authors
with the same last name, include the first initial of the author being cited in the text or parenthetical
reference. If the initials are the same as well, use the full first name: (Adrian Desmond 201) (6.2).
Both Lucy and Koko have been reported to lie (A. Desmond 201).
Electronic Publications without Page Numbers—Some electronic sources use paragraph numbers or
other types of reference numbers instead of page numbers. For sources with paragraph numbers use
the abbreviation “par.” or “pars.” in the parentheses: (Smith, par. 4). When a source has no page
numbers or any other kind of reference numbers, no number can be given in the parenthetical
reference. In that case, use either the author’s last name or the title of the work, whichever is
applicable. Do not count unnumbered paragraphs (6.4.1 and 6.4.2).
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Long Quotations—If a quotation is more than four lines in your paper, set it apart from the text by
beginning a new line and indenting one inch. Type it double-spaced, without adding quotation
marks (the example below has been single spaced to conserve space). The following is an example of
a long quote. Note that the end punctuation is different than an in-text reference—the period comes
before the parenthetical citation. Note also that a full sentence followed by a colon generally
introduces a long quotation (3.7.2):
At the conclusion of the Lord of the Flies, Ralph and the other boys realize the horror of their
actions:
The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the
first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his
whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the
island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too.
(186)
Punctuation with Quotations—When quoted material is introduced formally (using a complete
sentence), follow the introduction with a colon. If the introduction is part of the sentence structure,
use either a comma or no punctuation (3.7.7):
Smith states the obvious at the end of the story: “John was to blame for the fire, but Sarah was the
person who influenced his decision” (221).
Smith states, “John was to blame for the fire, but Sarah was the person who influenced his decision”
(221).
Use double quotation marks around direct quotes and single quotation marks around quotes within
quotes:
“Robert Stone believed he was ‘an advocate’ for human rights” (31).
Refer to the following sections in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. for more
information about parenthetical references:
Prose
Poetry
Drama
Common Literature
3.7.2
3.7.3
3.7.4
6.4.8
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MLA LIST OF WORKS CITED
An alphabetized list of works cited, which appears at the end of a paper, gives full publishing
information for each of the sources cited in the paper. This list should be titled Works Cited. The
following models illustrate the MLA form for entries in the list of works cited. To find additional
information in the handbook, reference the section numbers (in parentheses) listed with each entry.
NOTE: To conserve space in this handout, the following entries are single-spaced; however, in your
paper they should be double-spaced between and within entries (see last page of handout for a
model).
When possible, shorten the names of publishers in the works cited entries. The following are some
abbreviations commonly used for publishers’ names (For more abbreviations, refer to 7.5):
ALA
Cambridge UP
ERIC
Gale
GPO
Harper
Houghton
Macmillan
McGraw
U of Chicago P
American Library Association
Cambridge University Press
Educational Resources Information Center
Gale Research, Inc.
Government Printing Office
Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.
McGraw-Hill, Inc.
University of Chicago Press
Books
Book by a Single Author (5.5.2)
McPherson, James M. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. New York: Oxford UP, 1988.
Print.
Book by Two or Three Authors (5.5.4)
Bentley, Nicolas, Michael Slater, and Nina Burgis. The Dickens Index. New York: Oxford UP, 1990.
Print.
Book by Four or More Authors (5.5.4)
Medhurst, Martin J., et al. Cold War Rhetoric: Strategy, Metaphor, and Ideology. New
York: Greenwood, 1990. Print.
Anonymous Book (5.5.9)
New York Public Library American History Desk Reference. New York: Macmillan, 1997. Print.
Book by a Corporate Author (5.5.5)
Fidelity Investments. Mutual Brokerage Services Handbook. Boston: Fidelity Investments, 1993.
Print.
Anthology or Compilation (Not the same citation used for a work in an anthology) (5.5.3)
Dubus, Andre, ed. Into the Silence: American Stories. Cambridge: Green Street, 1988. Print.
Book with Author and Editor (5.5.10)
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Ed. David W.
Blight. Boston: Bedford, 1993. Print.
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Translated Work (5.5.11)
Eco, Umberto. Foucault’s Pendulum. Trans. William Weaver. San Diego: Harcourt, 1989. Print.
Two or More Works by the Same Author (5.3.4)
Brown, Rita Mae. Riding Shotgun. New York: Bantam, 1996. Print.
---. Rubyfruit Jungle. New York: Bantam, 1988. Print.
Book Published in a Second or Subsequent Edition (5.5.13)
Wilson, Edwin, and Alvin Goldfarb. Living Theater: A History. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw, 1994.
Print.
Multivolume Work (5.5.14)
Sewall, Richard B. The Life of Emily Dickinson. Vol. 1. New York: Farrar, 1974. Print.
Note: Citations will vary, depending on what you are using from a multivolume work.
Work in an Anthology (5.5.6)
Gordimer, Nadine. “The Bridegroom.” African Short Stories. Ed. Chinua Achebe and C. L. Innes.
London: Heinemann, 1985. 155-63. Print.
Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterword (5.5.8)
Van Vechten, Carl. Introduction. Last Operas and Plays. By Gertrude Stein. Ed. Van Vechten.
New York: Vintage-Random, 1975. vii-xix. Print.
Article in a Reference Book (5.5.7)
“Mandarin.” The Encyclopedia Americana. 8th ed. 1991. Print.
Book in a Series (5.5.15)
Laughlin, Robert M. Of Cabbages and Kings: Tales from Zinacantán. Washington: Smithsonian,
1977. Print. Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology 23.
Republished Book (5.5.16)
Atwood, Margaret. Surfacing. 1972. New York: Doubleday, 1998. Print.
Periodicals
Article in a Monthly or Bimonthly Magazine (5.4.6)
Harrison, Barbara Grizzuti. “Collecting the Stuff of Life.” Harper’s May 1996: 15-19. Print.
If the article is not printed on consecutive pages, write the first page number and a plus sign.
Brown, Glenda. “Imagining the Unimaginable.” Cosmopolitan March 2007: 45+. Print.
Article in a Weekly or Biweekly Magazine (5.4.6)
Weil, Andrew. “The New Politics of Coca.” New Yorker 15 May 1995: 70-80. Print.
Article in a Newspaper (5.4.5)
Browne, Malcolm W. “Math Experts Say Asteroid May Hit Earth in Million Years.” New York Times
25 Apr. 1996: B10+. Print.
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Article in a Scholarly Journal (5.4.2)
The following items should be listed in the citation:
1) Author of article
2) Title of article (in quotes)
3) Name of journal (italicized)
4) Volume number
5) Issue number (if available)
6) Year of publication
7) Page numbers
8) Medium of publication consulted (Print)
Segal, Samuel. “The Age of Despair.” Canyon Review 98.2 (2008): 189-214. Print.
Article in a Scholarly Journal with Only Issue Numbers—If journals do not use volume numbers, cite
the issue numbers alone (5.4.3).
Jones, Susan. “Children and Their Problems.” Psychological Review 24 (2007): 210-17. Print.
Anonymous Article (5.4.9)
“Covert Operation.” National Times 22 Apr. 1996: 51. Print.
Review (5.4.7)
Stone, Margaret. Rev. of The Chronicle Files, dir. Sam Sneed. New York Review of Books 28 Oct.
2008: 44-47. Print.
Editorial (5.4.10)
"The Clout Is Out There.” Editorial. Los Angeles Times 30 Nov. 1998: A14. Print.
Letter to the Editor (5.4.11)
Aronson, Michael A. Letter. Chronicle of Higher Education 16 Oct. 1998: B11. Print.
Other Sources
Government Publication (5.5.20)
United States. Dept. of the Interior. National Park Service. Ford’s Theatre and the House Where
Lincoln Died. Washington: GPO, 1989. Print.
Brochure, Pamphlet, or Press Release (5.5.19)
London. New York: Trip Builder, 1996. Print.
Use the above example for a brochure or pamphlet. For a press release, add the day and month of
release to the year if available.
Unpublished and Published Dissertations (5.5.25 and 5.5.26)
For an unpublished dissertation, the entry should look like the following:
Fedorko, Kathy Anne. “Edith Wharton’s Haunted House: The Gothic in Her Fiction.” Diss. Rutgers
U, 1987. Print.
For a published dissertation, the entry should look like the following:
Fedorko, Kathy Anne. Edith Wharton’s Haunted House: The Gothic in Her Fiction. Diss. Rutgers U,
1987. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2000. Print.
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Interview Conducted by Researcher (5.7.7)
Shaw, Lloyd. Personal interview. 21 Mar. 1996.
Published or Broadcast Interview (5.7.7)
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Interview. Progressive. Feb. 1995: 34-38. Print.
Film or Video Recording (5.7.3)
It's a Wonderful Life. Dir. Frank Capra. Perf. James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, and
Thomas Mitchell. RKO, 1946. Film.
Cite a DVD, videocassette, laser disc, slide program, or filmstrip as you would a film, but also include
the original release date when it is relevant.
It's a Wonderful Life. Dir. Frank Capra. Perf. James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, and
Thomas Mitchell. 1946. Republic, 2001. DVD.
Radio or Television Broadcast (5.7.1)
“Love in the Afternoon.” Narr. Cynthia Roberts. Weekend Edition Sunday. Natl. Public Radio.
WOWU, New York, 28 Dec. 2006. Radio.
Performance (5.7.4)
The Sisters Rosensweig. By Wendy Wasserstein. Dir. Daniel Sullivan. Perf. Jane Alexander,
Christine Estabrook, and Madeline Kahn. Barrymore, New York. 11 July 1993.
Performance.
Sound Recording (5.7.2)
Simon, Paul. The Rhythm of the Saints. Warner Bros., 1990. CD.
Work of Visual Art (5.7.6)
Cassatt, Mary. In the Loge. 1878. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Letter, Memo, or E-Mail (5.7.13)
Hollander, Rosemary. “Re: Computers.” Message to Susan Jones. 21 June 2007. E-mail.
Lecture, Speech, Address, or Reading (5.7.11)
Quinn, Karen. “John Singleton Copley’s Watson and the Shark.” Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 1
July 1993. Lecture.
Cartoon or Comic Strip (5.7.9)
Chast, Roz. “Are You all Right?” Cartoon. New Yorker 5 July 1993: 65. Print.
Map or Chart (5.7.8)
Spain/Portugal. Map. Paris: Michelin, 1992. Print.
Online Sources
According to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed., URLs have “limited value”
when attempting to reference a source from a works cited entry. The entries below do NOT contain
web addresses (URLs); however, if your instructor wants URLs to be included in your work cited
entries or if the reader cannot locate sources without URLs, include them at the end of your online
entries, enclose them in angle brackets < >, and end with a period.
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Work Cited Only on the Web (5.6.2.b)
This source needs to have the following items listed:
1) Author, compiler, director, editor, narrator, performer, or translator of the work
2) Title of the work (italicized if the work is independent; in quotation marks if the work is part
of a larger work)
3) Title of the overall Web site (italicized), if distinct from item 2
4) Version or edition used
5) Publisher or sponsor; if not available, use N.p.
6) Date of publication (day, month, and year, as available); if no date is available, use n.d.
7) Medium of publication (Web)
8) Date of access (day, month, and year)
Yuan, Elizabeth. “Taiwan Kicks off Eco-Friendly World Games.” CNN.com. Cable News Network,
16 July 2009. Web. 17 July 2009.
Work Cited on the Web and in Print (5.6.2.c)
Bierce, Ambrose. “Academy.” The Devil’s Dictionary. The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce. Vol.
7. New York: Neale, 1911. N. pag. The Ambrose Bierce Project. Web. 15 May 2007.
Work Cited on the Web and in Another Medium (5.6.2.d)
The Great Train Robbery. Dir. Edward Porter. Thomas Edison, 1903. Internet Archive. Web. 5
June 2008.
Scholarly Journal (5.6.3)
Denning, Peter J. “Business Designs for the New University.” Educom Review 31.6 (1996): n. pag.
Web. 23 June 1998.
Periodical Publication in an Online Database (5.6.4)
Butler, Janet. “Specialty Pet Shops Fetch Nice Profits.” New Mexico Business Journal 26.11 (2002):
18-21. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 13 June 2003.
Potterf, Tina. “Learning English ‘Is My Greatest Pleasure.’” The Seattle Times 30 Apr. 2003: H4.
LexisNexis. Web. 28 Sept. 2007.
For further help with citing sources,
consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed.