Citing Sources: MLA
Using the 2016 MLA Handbook: 8th Edition
Introduction
Note
All parenthetical citations in this guide of page numbers from the MLA Handbook refer
to the MLA Handbook: 8th edition, published in 2016 and referenced here as MLA. Many
of the explanations and examples also come directly from the mla.org website with
permissions granted in the Terms of Service found on the website.
The Writer’s Responsibilities:
1. Think “about the sources [you] are documenting” (MLA 4).
2. Select “the information about the [source you] are documenting that is appropriate to
the project [you] are creating” (MLA 4).
3. Organize “[the entry] logically and without complication” (MLA 4).
A Summary of What Has Changed in the New Edition:
 Any source in any format can be documented easily, using a template containing
common elements for Works Cited entries. (See the final page of this handout for
the Template.)
 Works Cited entries are based on “containers,” of which there are three kinds:
1. a self-contained source: a source can stand alone (a book, a movie, etc.)
2. a source in a container: a source can be “in a container” (an article in a
newspaper, a song on a CD, a poem in an anthology, an entry in a
specialized dictionary)
3. a source in a container in a container: sometimes a source’s container is
also inside another container (an article in a journal found in a database, an
image in an article found in an online document, an episode in a television
show series viewed on a digital service)
 Depending on the author’s purpose for using a source “… there is often more than
one correct way to document a source” (MLA 4).
MLA Style 2
Formatting a Research Paper
This guide was collected and adapted from The MLA Style Center (which can be found
at style.mla.org) by Wor-Wic’s Arts & Humanities Faculty.
Note
If your instructor has specific requirements for the format of your research paper, check
them before preparing your final draft. The most common formatting is presented here.
When you submit your paper, be sure to keep a secure copy.
Margins
Except for the running head (see below), leave margins of one inch at the top and
bottom and on both sides of the text.
Text Formatting
Always choose an easily readable typeface (e.g., Times New Roman or Ariel) in which
the regular type style contrasts clearly with the italic, and set it to a standard size (e.g.,
12 points). Do not justify the lines of text at the right margin: align text LEFT; turn off any
automatic hyphenation feature in your writing program. Double-space the entire
research paper, including quotations, notes, and the list of works cited. Indent the first
line of a paragraph half an inch from the left margin. Indent set-off quotations half an
inch as well (for examples, see 76–80 in the MLA Handbook). Leave one space after a
period or other concluding punctuation mark, unless your instructor prefers two spaces.
Heading and Title
A research paper does not need a title page. Instead, beginning one inch from the top of
the first page and flush with the left margin, type your name, your instructor’s name, the
course number (and session, if required by your instructor) and the date (day, month,
year) on separate lines, double-spacing the lines. On a new, double-spaced line, center
the title (fig. 1). Do not italicize or underline your title, put it in quotation marks or
boldface, or type it in all capital letters. Follow the rules for capitalization in the MLA
Handbook (67–68), and italicize only the words that you would italicize in the text.
Do not use a period after your title or after any heading in the paper (e.g., Works Cited).
Begin your text on a new, double-spaced line after the title, indenting the first line of the
paragraph half an inch from the left margin. (Note: If your teacher requires a title page,
format it according to the instructions you are given.)
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MLA Style 3
Fig. 1. The top of the first page of a research paper.
Running Head with Page Numbers
Number all pages consecutively throughout the research paper in the upper right-hand
corner, half an inch from the top and flush with the right margin. Type your last name,
followed by a space, before the page number (fig. 2). Do not use the
abbreviation p. before the page number or add a period, a hyphen, or any other mark or
symbol. Your writing program will probably allow you to create a running head of this
kind that appears automatically on every page. Some teachers prefer that no running
head appear on the first page. Follow your teacher’s preference.
Fig. 2. The running head of a research paper.
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MLA Style 4
In-text Citations
An in-text citation points clearly and explicitly to a source on the list of Works Cited. In
other words, for every entry on your Works Cited page, there should be at least one
related in-text citation; for every individual source cited in your essay, there should be a
corresponding entry on the Works Cited page. In-text citations should be placed in such
a way that they do not interrupt the flow of your sentence; most often you should put
them at the ends of your sentences. When your sentence ends with a quotation, place
the citation to the right of the closing quotation mark and then end your sentence with a
period (see models below).
The citations in this section will refer to the following source (entries on a Works Cited
page should be double-spaced):
Goodman, Jennifer R. "Arthurian Literature of the Twentieth Century." The Legend of
Arthur in British and American Literature, Twayne Publishers, 1988, pp. 90-115.
Twayne's English Authors Series 461. Twayne's Authors on GVRL, Artemis
Literary Sources. Accessed 03 Jan. 2017.
The simplest in-text citation contains the author’s last name and the relevant page
number of the source:
As can be seen, “The Arthurian legend enters its fifteenth century with
undiminished power and authority, a remarkable achievement for a monarch, or
a myth, of any age” (Goodman 115).
However, if you include the author’s name in a signal phrase in your text, only the page
number appears in the citation:
As Goodman explains, “The Arthurian legend enters its fifteenth century with
undiminished power and authority, a remarkable achievement for a monarch, or
a myth, of any age” (115).
Remember that varying the placement of the signal phrase does not change the
placement of the citation:
“The Arthurian legend enters its fifteenth century with undiminished power and
authority,” Goodman explains, which is “a remarkable achievement for a
monarch, or a myth, of any age” (115).
“The Arthurian legend enters its fifteenth century with undiminished power and
authority, a remarkable achievement for a monarch, or a myth, of any age,”
explains Goodman (115).
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MLA Style 5
Source Document Formats: PDF vs HTML
Goodman’s article, housed in Gale’s Artemis Literary Sources, is formatted as a .pdf
(Portable Document Format), and so a printout of that article is actually a photograph of
each page. The actual page numbers appear in a printout of the article. But what do you
do if your article is formatted as .html — whether you accessed that article online or in
one of the databases?
A printout of an .html article may contain chapter, section, or paragraph markers, so you
can use those in place of page numbers. Use the following abbreviations in your
citation: chapter = ch.; section = sec.; paragraph = par. Do not, however, number the
paragraphs yourself.
If no divisions are indicated within an .html article, cite it by the author’s last name only,
either as an in-text citation or as a signal phrase. Here is an article from the databases
formatted in .html:
Kellman, Martin. "The Sword in the Stone: Arthurian Beginnings." Children's Literature
Review, edited by Tom Burns, vol. 139, Gale, 2009. Literature Resource Center.
Accessed 13 Jan. 2017. Originally published in T. H. White and the Matter of
Britain: A Literary Overview, Edwin Mellen Press, 1988, pp. 79-113.
The two ways of citing the article above:
In comparing T.H. White to Sir Thomas Malory, it becomes clear that “White takes far
greater care in describing character and motivation, factors often slighted in epics of
action” (Kellman).
OR
Martin Kellman argues that “White takes far greater care [than Sir Thomas Malory] in
describing character and motivation, factors often slighted in epics of action.”
NOTE: For the purposes of a research assignment, your instructor may require you to
submit printouts of the articles you have used. If your printout is in .pdf format, you will
use the actual page number in your in-text citations; however, if the printout is in .html
format, your instructor may ask you to use the page number from your printout for ease
in locating the source of your citation. Be sure to check the specific requirements of your
assignment when constructing your in-text citations.
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MLA Style 6
Placement of the List of Works Cited
The list of works cited appears at the end of the paper, after any endnotes. Begin the list
on a new page. The list contains the same running head as the main text. The page
numbering in the running head continues uninterrupted throughout. For example, if the
text of your research paper (including any endnotes) ends on page 10, the list of works
cited begins on page 11. Center the title, Works Cited, an inch from the top of the page
(fig. 3). (If the list contains only one entry, make the heading Work Cited.) Double-space
between the title and the first entry. Begin each entry flush with the left margin; if an
entry runs more than one line, indent the subsequent line or lines half an inch from the
left margin. This format is sometimes called hanging indention, and you can set your
writing program to create it automatically for a group of paragraphs. Hanging indention
makes alphabetical lists easier to use. Double-space the entire list. Continue it on as
many pages as necessary.
Fig. 3. The top of the first page of a works-cited list.
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MLA Style 7
The Template (see the final page for a full-sized version)
The template is a simple guide for organizing your information for each entry in your
Works Cited page.
Note the punctuation used after each item on the Template is in bold in Fig. 4.0
Formatting Rules for Items in a
Works Cited Entry:
Place titles in italics if the source
is self-contained and
independent.
Place titles in “quotation marks”
if the source is contained in a
larger work. Examples: the title of
an article from a magazine is in
quotation marks; the title of that
magazine is in italics.
The title of the container is
normally italicized.
Generally, write the full date as it
is given, ordered as day, month,
and year, and using
abbreviations for all months
except May, June, and July, e.g.,
13 Nov. 2016.
The location of an online source
is generally indicated by the URL.
Omit the URL, however, for a
database source; use URLs only
for a source from the Internet.
Fig. 4. The “Template.”
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MLA Style 8
Examples of Works Cited Entries
You will find examples of Works Cited entries on the following pages, arranged by type
of container. You will find a copy of the template on the final page of this document. The
parenthetical superscript numbers are not part of the entries—they are included
in order to show the related template number.
Type 1: A Self-Contained Source
Some examples of “single container” sources: novels, entire books, movies, entire
record albums, an entire web site, an entire TV series, and an entire textbook.
A Movie
Chaplin, Charlie.(1) Modern Times.(2&3) 1936.(8)
A Book
Holy Bible,(2 & 3) New Revised Standard Version,(5) HarperCollins Publishers,(7) 2011.(8)
An Anthology
Mays, Kelly J., editor.(1) The Norton Introduction to Literature.(2 & 3) Shorter 12th ed.,(5)
Norton,(7) 2016.(8)
A Website
Maryland, Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services.(1) Division of Parole and
Probation.(2 & 3) www2.dpscs.state.md.us/parole_and_probation.(9) Accessed 17
May 2016.
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MLA Style 9
Type 2: A Source in a Container
Physical Sources in a Container
Sources that are found inside a single container are those that exist in the physical
world — those you can actually hold in your hands. Such sources include articles from
newspapers, magazines, or journals; songs from albums; and plays, short stories, or
poems that appear in a print collection.
An Article in a Journal
Berger, Michael.(1) “Developing a Writing Across the Curriculum Program for a TwoYear Nursing College.”(2) TETYC,(3) vol. 42, no. 4,(6) May 2015,(8) pp. 400-09.(9)
A Short Story in an Anthology
Chopin, Kate.(1) “The Story of an Hour.”(2) The Norton Introduction to Literature,(3) edited
by Kelly J. Mays,(4) shorter 12th ed.,(5) Norton,(7) 2016,(8) pp. 523–25.(9)
A Poem in an Anthology
Donne, John.(1) “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning.”(2) The Norton Introduction to
Literature,(3) edited by Kelly J. Mays,(4) shorter 12th ed.,(5) Norton,(7) 2016,(8) pp.
1108–09.(9)
A Play in an Anthology
Glaspell, Susan.(1) Trifles.(2) The Norton Introduction to Literature,(3) edited by Kelly J.
Mays,(4) shorter 12th ed.,(5) Norton,(7) 2016,(8) pp. 1155–65.(9)
A Song on an Album
Greenwood, Colin, et al.(1) “BBC Radio One Evening Session_05.28.97: Exit Music (For
a Film).”(2) OK Computer,(3) collector’s edition,(5) EMI,(7) 2011.(8)
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MLA Style 10
Springsteen, Bruce, lyricist.(1) “You’re Missing,”(2) performance by Bruce Springsteen.
The Rising,(3) Columbia,(7) 2002,(8) track 12.(9)
Digital Sources in a Container
Another type of source found inside a single container is a source located inside an
electronic or “virtual” source. Examples of this type of source could include articles
posted on blogs; articles in online newspapers, online magazines, or other websites;
status updates on Facebook; Tweets on Twitter or entries from other social media;
articles in online encyclopedias or dictionaries; and stand-alone documents found in
online databases. Since websites can change, you should add the date you accessed
them for these entries.
An Article in an Online Journal
Jones, Terry.(1) “Outcome Measurement in Nursing: Imperatives, Ideals, History, and
Challenges.”(2) OIJN,(3) 30 May 2016,(8) www.nursingworld.org/ojin/. Accessed 6
June 2016.
A Video on a Website
Charlie Chaplin.(1) “Modern Times (1936) - Charles Chaplin.” YouTube,(3) 12 Apr.
2016,(8) www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMIYharGqbY/.(9) Accessed 15 May 2016.
Culvyhouse, Henry.(1) “Police: Man Attacked by Bloods Gang Members.”(2)
Delmarvanow.com.(3) Delmarva Media Group.(7) 18 May 2016.(8)
www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2016/05/17/bloods-murdergangs-salisbury/94837.(9) Accessed 18 May 2016.
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MLA Style 11
An Article in an Online Encyclopedia
Safransky, Robert J.(1) “Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.”(2) Encyclopedia of
Education Law,(3) vol. 1, edited by Charles J. Russo, Sage Publications,(7)
2008,(8)
books.google.com/books?id=UFJ2AwAAQBAJ&lpg=PT343&dq=Equal%20Emplo
yment%20opportunity%20commission%20Safransky&pg=PT343#v=onepage&q
=Equal%20Employment%20opportunity%20commission%20Safransky&f=false.(9
)
Accessed 23 May 2016.
Weston, Burns H.(1) “Human Rights.”(2) Encyclopædia Britannica. Britannica
Academic,(3) Encyclopædia Britannica,(7) 2016.(8) Accessed 23 May 2016.
Posts, Comments, Tweets, etc. on Social Media
Cy realist.(1) "Hello 1950's? You left your oppressive gender roles in our century. Can
you come pick them up?"(2) Pinterest,(3) 13 May 2016,(8)
www.pinterest.com/pin/322500023297763470/.(9) Accessed 14 May 2016.
@DinaLRelles.(1) “just called a friend on the phone for no reason other than to talk and I
can't remember the last time I did such a thing.”(2) Twitter,(3) 17 May 2016, 7:17
pm,(8) twitter.com/DinaLRelles/status/732665798410571776.(9) Accessed 22 May
2016.
A Mighty Girl. (1) “Katia Hetter taught her daughter an important lesson with a very
simple phrase: ‘I would like you to hug Grandma, but I won't make you do it.’”(2)
Facebook,(3) 24 Aug. 2014, 1:30 pm,(8) www.facebook.com/amightygirl/?fref=nf.(9)
Accessed 14 June 2016.
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MLA Style 12
Marlon, James.(1) “The Writing Couldn’t Care Less About the Writer.”(2) Facebook,(3) 21
May 2016, 7:41 am,(8) www.facebook.com/notes/marlon-james/the-writingcouldnt-care-less-about-the-writer/10153458564447077.(9) Accessed 6 June
2016.
Paul, Annie.(1) Comment on “The Writing Couldn’t Care Less About the Writer.”(2)
Facebook,(3) 21 May 2016, 8:08 pm,(8) www.facebook.com/notes/marlonjames/the-writing-couldnt-care-less-about-the-writer/10153458564447077.(9)
Accessed 6 June 2016.
Thegoodvybe.(1) “I stress about stress before there’s even stress to stress about.”(2)
Tumblr,(3) 17 May 2016, 5:38 pm,(8)
thegoodvybe.tumblr.com/post/144521043620.(9) Accessed 20 May 2016.
Single-Container Sources Found in an Online Database:
Issitt, Micha L. and Kathryn Cook.(1) “Decline of Reading: An Overview.”(2) Points of
View Reference Center.(3) Accessed 20 May 2016.
Lehman, Danny (photographer).(1) (1983). Mexican Immigrants Crossing the Rio Grande
[digital image].(2) Opposing Viewpoints in Context,(3) accessed 23 May 2016.
A File from an Online Media Distribution Service:
Swindell, Cole and Ashley Gorley, lyricists.(1) “You Should Be Here,”(2) performance by
Cole Swindell.(4) Distributed by iTunes,(7) April 2016.(8)
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MLA Style 13
Video Embedded in an Online Encyclopedia
European Court of Human Rights: Freedom of Religion.(2) Video. Britannica
Academic,(3) Open University,(7) accessed 23 May 2016.
(2)Human
Rights: President Jimmy Carter, January 14, 1981. Video. (3)Britannica
Academic, (7)WPA Film Library. Accessed 23 May 2016.
Audio Podcast from a Website
“Guest DJ Thom Yorke.”(2) All Songs Considered,(3) Hosted by Bob Boilen,(4) 14 Feb.
2008,(8) www.npr.org/2008/02/14/18960914/guest-dj-thom-yorke/.(9) Accessed 6
June 2016.
Article in an Online Encyclopedia
“Paul Gaugin.”(2) Britannica Academic.(3) Douglas Cooper, primary contributor.(4)
Encyclopedia Britannica,(7) 2016.(8) Accessed 17 May 2016.
Definition in an Online Dictionary
“Supercilious.”(2) Oxford English Dictionary,(3) Oxford UP,(7) 2016,(8)
www.oed.com/view/Entry/194242?redirectedFrom=supercilious#eid.(9) Accessed
23 May 2016.
Text of Historical Document from Website
U.S. Constitution.(2) Amend. II, Sec. 3. www.archives.gov
Song on an Album Found on iTunes
Springsteen, Bruce, lyricist.(1) “You’re Missing,”(2) performance by Bruce Springsteen.(4)
The Rising,(3) Columbia / iTunes,(7) 2002,(8) track 12.(9)
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MLA Style 14
Type 3: An Item in a Container in a Container
Sometimes the source you are working with is in a “container” that itself is housed
inside another “container.” Some common examples of this are articles that are
published in journals, magazines, or newspapers that are housed in one or more online
databases. (Hint: an online database is like a virtual library. Instead of physical shelves
loaded with paper documents, everything exists in digital form.) Others may be items
from a sub-section of a large website that has many divisions. Below are some
examples of sources that may be housed in 2 or more “containers.
Here are some examples of sources you might find in one of the online databases
available through Wor-Wic’s library services.
Charts, Articles, Speeches, Government Reports, and Videos in Databases
“Americans Overwhelmingly Support Immigration Reform.”(2) Illegal Immigration,(3)
edited by David Haugen and Susan Musser,(4) Greenhaven Press, (7) 2011.(8)
Opposing Viewpoints in Context.(3) Accessed 23 May 2016.
“87K Going Toward Art Projects.”(2) Ferguson Falls Daily Journal (MN),(3) 18 August
2014.(8) Points of View Reference Center.(3) Accessed 20 May 2016.
Hinojosa-Ojeda, Raúl.(1) "Illegal Immigrants Should Be Granted Legal Status."(2) Raising
the Floor for American Workers: The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive
Immigration Reform,(3) edited by David Haugen and Susan Musser,(4) Center for
American Progress,(7) 2010.(8) Opposing Viewpoints in Context.(3) Accessed 23
May 2016.
Jacobs, W. E. and Matt Donnelly.(1) “Point: Intelligent Design Should Be Taught
Alongside Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.”(2) Points of View: Intelligent Design,(3) 1
Mar. 2016.(8) Points of View Reference Center.(3) Accessed 20 May 2016.
Leshner, Alan I., Fanta Aw, and Edward Alden (1) ”Immigration Reform.”(2) Issues in
Science and Technology,(3) vol. 31, no. 2,(6) 2015,(8) p. 5+.(9) Opposing
Viewpoints in Context,(3) accessed 23 May 2016.
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MLA Style 15
Logan, John A. (1) “The Liberal Arts College.”(2) Originally delivered on 21 Oct. 1968.
Vital Speeches of the Day,(3) vol. 34, no. 10,(6) 1 Mar. 1968,(8) pp. 308-313.(9)
Points of View Reference Center.(3) Accessed 20 May 2016.
Peltz, Jennifer.(1) “NY State Report Says Effort to Boost Art Education Pays off.”(2) AP
Regional State Report — New York 2015,(3) 16 Nov. 2015.(8) Points of View
Reference Center.(3) Accessed 20 May 2016.
Nicholls, Mark.(1) “Brush Up Your Shakespeare: Performance Anxieties in Shakespeare
in Love.”(2) Journal of Film and Video,(3) vol. 54, no. 4,(6) Dec. 2002,(8) pp. 3-15.(9)
ProQuest.(3) Accessed 12 May 2016.
"Senate Hearings on Methods Used to Question Guantánamo Detainees." (2) AP Video
Archive 2008.(3) Opposing Viewpoints in Context.(3) Accessed 23 May 2016.
Snell, Kelsey. “Senate Set to Approve Zika Funding.”(2) The Washington Post, (3) 17 May
2016.(8) Opposing Viewpoints in Context.(3) Accessed 23 May 2016.
"Testimony of James R. Edwards, Jr., Center for Immigration Studies, Hearing on the
Ethical Imperative for Reform of Our Immigration System, July 14, 2010." (2)
Immigration and Illegal Aliens: Burden or Blessing?(3) edited by Melissa J. Doak,
2011.(8) Opposing Viewpoints in Context.(3) Accessed 23 May 2016.
Video Podcast from a Website
Boilen, Bob.(1) “Wilco.”(2) Tiny Desk,(3) Performed by Wilco,(4) NPR,(3) 17 Oct. 2011.(8)
www.npr.org/event/music/141331825/wilco-tiny-desk-concert/.(9) Accessed 22
May 2016.
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MLA Style 16
Song Lyrics from an Album, Found on a Website
Springsteen, Bruce, lyricist.(1) “You’re Missing,”(2) The Rising,(3) Columbia,(7) 2002,(8)
track 12.(9) AZLyrics,(3)
www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/brucespringsteen/youremissing/html.(9)
Type 4, Sources in a container in a container in a container!
On rare occasion, a source may have more than two containers. Here is an example of
a source that is found housed inside multiple “containers”:
Article from an Edited Anthology Collected in a Larger Source Found in a Viewpoints
Database
Harper, Jim. "E-Verify Does Not Significantly Deter Illegal Immigration." Illegal
Immigration, edited by David Haugen and Susan Musser, Greenhaven Press,
2011. "Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification: Franz Kafka's Solution to
Illegal Immigration." Cato Policy Analysis No. 612. 2008. Opposing Viewpoints in
Context. Accessed 23 May 2016
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MLA Style 17
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MLA Style 18
This Guide is compiled by A&H faculty and distributed by Library Services.
MLA January 2017