Preparing a Works Cited Page:  MLA Citation Style

 

This MLA style sheet was prepared by Minnesota West Library staff. The examples are based on Joseph Gibaldi’s book, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th edition, which is found in the reference section of all five Minnesota West Libraries.

 

 

CITING SOURCES IN THE TEXT

Internal notes usually appear after the sentence being documented and before the end punctuation (e.g., period, questions, or exclamation mark) of that sentence. Use enough information in the internal notes for a clear reference to an entry in the Works Cited list.

 

For example:

Medieval Europe was a place both of “raids, pillages, slavery, and extortion” and of “traveling merchants, monetary exchange, towns if not cities, and active markets in grain” (Townsend 10).

 

One Author: (Napier 23).

 

Two Authors: (Napier and Kinne 56).

 

More Than Three Authors:  (Napier et al. 42).

 

No Author Given; use Main Entry in Works Cited List: (“Watercolor” 236).

 

 

WORKS CITED LIST

The Works Cited page is found at the end of the paper.  It should begin on a new page, continuing the page numbers of the text. Each entry begins flush with the left margin, but if it carries over to a second line, that line is indented ½ inch (a hanging indention).  The entire list should be double-spaced and in alphabetical order according to the first word (usually author’s last name) in each entry.

 

 

BOOKS

One Author:

Didion, Joan. Political Fiction. New York: Knopf, 2001.

 

Two or Three Authors:

Grandin, Temple, and Catherine Johnson.  Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior.  New York: Scribner, 2005.

 

More Than Three Authors: (option to use et al. or can list all authors as found on title page)

Hanson, Glen R., et al. Drugs and Society.  Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett, 2004.

 

 


Corporate Author:

American Medical Association. American Medical Association Family Medical Guide.  4th ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2004.

 

Editor & Editions of a Work:

Cledhill, Kristen M., ed. Fitness and Exercise Sourcebook.  2nd ed. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 2001.

 

 

PRINT REFERENCE BOOKS

Encyclopedia entry, no author.

“Mandarin.” The Encyclopedia Americana. 2001 ed.

 

Encyclopedia entry, with author:

Economides, Michael J. “Petroleum.” World Book Encyclopedia. 2004 ed.

 

Dictionary Entry

“Dobro.” The New Oxford American Dictionary. 2001.

 

Less familiar reference books; give full publication information:

Tirone, Steven J.  “Order of Battle: Army of the Republic of Vietnam.” Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War.  Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. New York: Scribner’s, 1996.

 

 

PRINT ARTICLES

Journal article with author and volume number (journal has continuous pagination):

Gaint, Ruth.  “The Role of Value Priorities in Parental and Maternal Involvement in Child Care.” Journal of Marriage and Family 67 (2005): 643-655.

 

Journal article with author, volume number, and issue number:

Simon, Nancy A. “Management of Employee Records: Orderly Files Bring Order to the Office.” CMAtoday 38.5 (2005): 7-8.

 

Magazine article with author and no volume number:

Mandel, Michael. “The Real Reasons You’re Working So Hard…and What You Can Do About It.” BusinessWeek 3 Oct. 2005: 60-67.

 

Magazine article with no author and no volume number:

“Product Recalls.” Parents Nov. 2005: 100.

 

Newspaper Article

Harris, Gardiner. “Drugs, Politics and the F.D.A.” New York Times 28 Aug. 2005, natl. ed.: 1.1.

 

Cartoons & Comic Strips

Chast, Roz. Cartoon. New Yorker 11 Apr. 2001: 58.

 

Trudeau, Garry. “Doonesbury.” Comic strip. St. Paul Pioneer Press 3 Jan. 1996: 12.

ONLINE SOURCES

**A citation for an online text contains the publication date of the document as well as the date the researcher accessed the document.**

 

Information from a Web site

Salem Witch Trials 1692. 3 Oct. 2005. Salem Office of Tourism and Cultural Affairs.  10 Oct 2005 <http://www.salemweb.com/memorial/default.htm>.

 

HistoryChannel.com. 10 Oct. 2005. History Channel. 10 Oct. 2005 <http://www.historychannel.com/>.

 

 

Personal Web Site

Hansen, Randall. Dr. Randall Hanson’s Wide World of Web. 10 Oct. 2005 <http://www.stetson.edu/~rhansen/>.

 

 

Article from an Online Magazine Web Site

Springen, Karen. “Cabbie: A Sartorial Sea Change.” Newsweek 10 Oct. 2005. 15 Oct. 2005 <http:/www.msnbc.msn.com/>.

 

 

Article from an Online Periodical Database (available through Library)

Purssell, Edward. “Evolutionary Nursing: The Case of Infectious Diseases.” Journal of Advanced Nursing 49 (2005): 164-172. OVID/CINAHL. Minnesota West Lib. 15 Oct. 2005 <http://gateway.ovid.com.>.

 

Smith, Nick. “A New Era in Antarctica.” Geographical Sept. 2005: 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Minnesota West Lib. 15 Oct. 2005 <http://www.epnet.com/>.

 

Wilson, Jennifer. “Developing Firm Leaders: Mapping Career Success.” Accounting Today 26 Sept. 2005: 24-25. Career and Technical Education. ProQuest. Minnesota West Lib. 9 Oct. 2005 <http://proquest.umi.com/>.

 

Youngquist, Walter. “Alternatives to Oil Must Be Developed.” What Energy Sources Should Be Pursued?  Ed. Stuart A. Kallen. Greenhaven, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. Minnesota West Lib. 17 October 2005
<http://galenet.galegroup.com/>.

 

 

Entry from an Online Reference Database (available through Library)

Albright, Louis D. “Greenhouse Technology.” AccessScience. McGraw Hill. Minnesota West Lib. 9 Oct. 2005 <http://accessscience.com/>.

 

“Human Genome Project.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. 10 Oct. 2005 Minnesota West Lib. <http://www.search.eb.com>.

 

 

OTHER SOURCES

Television or Radio Program

“Frederick Douglass.” Civil War Journal. Narr. Danny Glover. Dir. Craig Haffner. Arts and Entertainment Network. 6 Apr. 1999.

 

 

Videocassette, videodisc, film, slide program, or filmstrip

It’s a Wonderful Life. Dir. Frank Capra. Perf. James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore and Thomas Mitchell. RKO, 1946.

 

 

Interview You Conducted

Johnstone, James R. Personal interview. 9 Sept. 2005.

 

Kerkoven, Paulette. Telephone interview. 29 Aug. 2005.

 

 

A Work of Art or a Performance

Bernini, Gianlorenzo. Ecstacy of St. Teresa. Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome.

 

A Christmas Carol. By Charles Dickens. Dir. Gary Gisselman. Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis. 19 Nov. 2005.

 

 

E-Mail Communication

Danford, Tom. “Monday Afternoon Greetings.” E-Mail to Terry Craig. 1 Oct. 2005.

 

 

Letter or Email you have received

Hanson, Warren. E-mail to the author. 12 Oct. 2005.

 

Morrison, Toni. Letter to the author. 15 Jan. 2005.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

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email to: chris.schafer@mnwest.edu
Last revised: 26 April 2006