How do I …
Compile a Bibliography According to MLA?
Introduction
The MLA (Modern Language Association) bibliographic format is a set of documentation rules used
when writing research papers in the liberal arts and humanities.
It is highly recommended to consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed., 2009
for additional information on the MLA style. Check your campus library for a copy of this publication.
Reference List Formatting Guidelines
Some important formatting guidelines include:
List sources on the final page of the research paper on a separate page entitled Works Cited
Works Cited entries must be double-spaced, and each entry should have a hanging indent
Invert only the name of the first author of a reference, and provide any subsequent authors of
the same reference in normal form
Capitalize each word in the title of a work, but do not capitalize articles, prepositions, or
conjunctions unless one is the first word of the title or subtitle: The Grapes of Wrath, The Book
of Negroes, The Piano Teacher
Entries are arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author of a reference. If no
author is provided, move title into author position
For every entry, you must determine the Medium of Publication. Most entries will likely be
listed as Print or Web sources, but other possibilities may include Film, CD-ROM, or DVD.
Please note: In order to save space, the examples in this document
have been formatted with single spacing. The sample works cited
(page 5) shows the correct use of double-spaced citations.
www.nscc.ca/library
Library Services
Books - Print and Electronic
Format Books
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Medium of Publication.
One Author
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Toronto: Anchor Canada, 2004. Print.
Two-Three Authors
Doob, Anthony N., and Carla Cesaroni. Responding to Youth Crime in Canada. Toronto: U of
Toronto P, 2004. Print.
More Than Three
Authors
Harrison, Walter T., Charles T. Horngren, Michael A. Robinson, and W. Morley Lemon. Accounting.
3rd ed. Scarborough, ON: Prentice-Hall, 1996. Print.
or
Harrison, Walter T., et al. Accounting. 3rd ed. Scarborough, ON: Prentice-Hall, 1996. Print.
No Author
The Chicago Manual of Style. 16th ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2010. Print.
Edited Book
Merrian, Sharan and Phyllis M. Cunningham, eds. Handbook of Adult and Continuing
Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1989. Print.
A Work in an
Anthology
Pearson, Norman. “From Villages to Cities.” The Canadians, 1867-1967. Eds. James Maurice,
Stockford Careless, and Robert Craig Brown. Toronto: MacMillan, 1967. 621-638. Print.
Encyclopedia Entry
Faber, Betty Lane. “Grasshopper.” World Book Encyclopedia. 2010 ed. Print.
Brochure with
Corporate Author
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Your Rights to Safe and Healthy Work - Advice
for Young People. Bilbao, ES: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2006. Print.
Periodical Articles - Print and Electronic
Format – Print
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages. Medium of publication.
Print Magazine
Article (with author)
Pareles, John. “What Makes a Great Bob Dylan Song?” Rolling Stone 26 May 2011: 54-55. Print.
Print Magazine
Article (no author)
“Growing by satellite.” Canadian Geographic Oct. 2011: 54. Print.
Print Newspaper
Article (with author)
McKenna, Barrie. “Newfoundland Pulls Ahead of Maritimes with Oil and Mining Boom.” The Globe
and Mail [Toronto] 4 July 2011: B1. Print.
NSCC Library Services, July 2012
Page 2
Periodical Articles - Print and Electronic (continued)
Local Print Newspaper
Article (no author)
“Province Pulls Plug on Toxic Hotel Bill.” Chronicle Herald [Halifax, NS] 15 June 1999: A1+.
Print.
Print Scholarly Journal
Article
Duchesne, Louis. “Present-day Expansion of American Beech in Northeastern Hardwood
Forests: Does Soil Base Status Matter?” Canadian Journal of Forest Research 39.12 (2009):
2273-2282. Print.
2282. Print.
Article in Web
Magazine
Smaby, Kristin. “Being Human is Good Business.” A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites.
A List Apart Mag., 6 Sept. 2011. Web. 7 Sept. 2011.
Article in NSCC
Database
Verner, L.A., and S.B. Holmes. “A Review of the Interaction Between Forest Birds
and Eastern Spruce Budworm.” Environmental Reviews 18.1 (2010): 191-207. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 27 July 2011.
Article in Online-only
Scholarly Journal
Park, Taemin Kim. “The Visibility of Wikipedia in Scholarly Publications.” First Monday 16.8
(2011): n. pag. Web. 1 Aug. 2011.
Article in Journal
Available Online and in
Print
Berthier, Ludovic, and Giulio Biroli. “Theoretical Perspective on the Glass Transition and
Amorphous Materials.” Reviews of Modern Physics 83.2 (2011): 587-645. Web. 7 Sept. 2011.
Internet Resources
Format Website
Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of
institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource
creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access.
Entire Website
Canadian Kennel Club. Canadian Kennel Club, n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.
Single Page from a
Larger Website
NSCC. “Hands On, Practical Learning.” NSCC. 2012. Web. 18 July 2012.
Personal E-mail
Message
Brennan, Sarah K. “Re: Question Regarding Tuition Payment.” Message to Elizabeth
MacDonald. 1 Dec. 2010. E-mail.
Messages posted to a
Blog
Geist, Michael. “Wikileaks Cables Provide Global Insights on Intellectual Property Issues.”
Michael Geist’s Blog. Michael Geist, 7 Sept. 2011. Web. 8 Sept. 2011.
Online Video
Jacobs, Michelle. “A Competitive Edge in the Information Society.” YouTube. YouTube. 8 Oct.
2007. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.
NSCC Library Services, July 2012
Page 3
Audiovisual Media
(Includes Motion Pictures, Audio/Television Broadcasts, Maps, Artwork or Photographs)
Motion Picture (Videos)
A Beautiful Mind. Dir. Ron Howard. Perf. Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connolly, and
Christopher Plummer. Universal Studios, 2006. Film.
Television Series –
Single Episode
“The Last Grizzly of Paradise Valley.” The Nature of Things. Dir. Jeff Turner. Narr. David Suzuki.
Prod. Bob Culbert. CBC, Toronto. 1 Sept. 2011. Television.
Audio Recording
Lady Gaga. Born This Way. Interscope Records, 2011. CD.
Map (Online)
“Significant Earthquakes of the 20th Century,” Map. Natural Resources Canada. Natural
Resources Canada, n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.
Painting, Sculpture or
Photograph
Thomson, Tom. Fire-swept Hills. 1915. Oil on canvas. The Hudson’s Bay Company Gallery,
Toronto.
Image from Online
Source
Nishinaga, Susumu. “Small Intestine Blood Vessels.” 2007. Photograph. National Geographic
Science and Space. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.
Photograph (in book)
Lewis, Maud. Three Black Cats. n.d. Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax. Capturing Joy: The Story
of Maud Lewis. By Jo Ellen Bogart. Toronto: Tundra Books, 2002. 10. Print.
In-text Citations
In MLA style, each parenthetical citation must correspond to source information on the Works Cited page. This method
involves placing relevant source information in parentheses after a quote or a paraphrase.
Source information that you provide in-text must correspond to the source information on the Works Cited page.
Examples of In-text Citations
Print Source with 1 Author
(Kaye 41)
Print Source with no Author
(“Beowulf” 2)
Print Source with 2-3 Authors
(Middendorf and Engelmann 192)
Print Source with more than 3 Authors
(Hepler et al. 215)
Corporate Author or Government Publication
(Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans 25)
Electronic Source with Numbered Paragraphs
(Confetti par. 4)
Electronic Source without Numbered Pages
(Confetti)
NSCC Library Services, July 2012
Page 4
Sample Works Cited Page
Smith 8
Works Cited
Berthier, Ludovic, and Giulio Biroli. “Theoretical Perspective on the Glass Transition and
Amorphous Materials.” Reviews of Modern Physics 83.2 (2011): 587-645. Web. 7 Sept.
2011.
Canadian Kennel Club. Canadian Kennel Club, n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.
The Chicago Manual of Style. 16th ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2010. Print.
Doob, Anthony N., and Carla Cesaroni. Responding to Youth Crime in Canada. Toronto: U of
Toronto P, 2004. Print.
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Your Rights to Safe and Healthy Work – Advice
for Young People. Bilbao, ES: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2006. Print.
Geist, Michael. “Wikileaks Cables Provide Global Insights on Intellectual Property Issues.”
Michael Geist’s Blog. Michael Geist, 7 Sept. 2011. Web. 8 Sept. 2011.
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Toronto: Anchor Canada, 2004. Print.
Lady Gaga. Born This Way. Interscope Records, 2011. CD.
Lewis, Maud. Three Black Cats. n.d. Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax. Capturing Joy: The Story
of Maud Lewis. By Jo Ellen Bogart. Toronto: Tundra Books, 2002. 10. Print.
NSCC. “Hands On, Practical Learning.” NSCC. 2012. Web. 18 July 2012.
“Province Pulls Plug on Toxic Hotel Bill.” Chronicle Herald [Halifax, NS] 15 June 1999: A1+. Print.
Verner, L.A., and S.B. Holmes. “A Review of the Interaction Between Forest Birds and Eastern
Spruce Budworm.” Environmental Reviews 18.1 (2010): 191-207. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 27 July 2011.
NSCC Library Services, July 2012
Page 5