Download MLA Documentation Style

Revised MLA Guidelines—2009
--adapted from the Purdue Online Writing Lab
In-text Citations for Print Sources--Known Author
When mentioning the author in a signal phrase, the citation only needs a page number.
Author and page number are needed if no signal phrase is used.
Jones says it is “time for Senator Windbag to step down” (3).
It is “time for Senator Windbag to step down” (Jones 3).
No Known Author
Use an abbreviated form of the title followed by the page number.
Pollution of the earth will “lead to unimaginable consequences” (Saving the Planet 6).
Citing a Work by Multiple Authors
Boslo, Edwards and Pullasky state that America is still first in GDP (76).
The authors state that "America is still first in GDP" (Boslo, Edwards, and Pullaksy
76).
Citing Indirect Sources
Williams argues that “chimpanzees do, in fact, make art” (qtd. in Noonan 259).
Citing Non-Print or Sources from the Internet

There is no need to use paragraph numbers or the entire URL.
the abbreviated web address, such as Time.com.
If necessary, use
Works Cited

The Works Cited page is a physically separate page after your essay and is
titled Works Cited.

Entries are double spaced and the second and subsequent lines are indented five
spaces.
Basic Format
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of
Publication. Medium of Publication.
Book with One Author
Wilson, Edward. Big Deals of the Century. New York: Opus, 1985. Print.
Book with More Than One Author
Gilman, Pauline, and Nellie Leman. The Chick’s Guide to Feminism. Boston: Allyn, 2009.
Print.
More than three authors:
you can use the abbreviated or the complete listing.
Wishman, Anne, et al. Writing for Kicks. New York: Dover, 2004. Print.
Wishman, Anne, John Johnson, Cynthia L. Brooks, and Geoffrey Santos. Writing for
Kicks. New York: Dover, 2004. Print.
Two or More Books by the Same Author
Pickering, William. Physics for Nerds. New York: St. Martin's, 1993. Print.
Physics for Physicists.
New York: Alpha Male, 1993. Print.
Translated Book
Le Droix, Pierre. The Lost Boys of Tangier. Trans. James Kelly. New York: Random
House, 1992. Print.
Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection
Lastname, First name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection. Ed. Editor's Name(s).
Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Page range of entry. Medium of Publication.
Government Publication
United States. Cong. Senate. Committee on Committees. Hearing on the Redundancies of
Committees. 110th Cong., 1st sess. Washington: GPO, 2007. Print.
United States. Government Propaganda Office. Climate Change: The Temperature Goes Up,
the Temperature Goes Down: No Big Deal. Washington: GPO, 2005. Print.
Pamphlet
Your Hamster’s Health: How to Avoid Wet Tail. Washington: American Hamster Health
Association, 2001. Print.
Don’t Drive Like a Lugnut. Sacramento, CA: California Dept. of Motor Vehicles, 2009.
Print.
Article in a Magazine
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages. Medium of
publication.
Wyknicke, James. "The Low Down on J-Lo." People 20 Nov. 2002: 70-79. Print.
Barfly, Dana. "Drinks for Everyone." Good Times Journal Mar. 2004: 142-48.
Print.
Article in a Newspaper
Knox, Bill. "Why This Country is on the Wrong Track." Washington Post 23 May 2006:
LZ01. Print.
Hurtz, Myhead. "Delicious Pain." New York Times 3 March 2003 late ed.: A7. Print.
An Article in a Scholarly Journal
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Year): pages. Medium of
publication.
Freeky, Shesso. "The Conflicts of Identity." Studies in Psychology 12.1 (1996): 21-52.
Print.
Emall, Farc. "Foreign Policy for the Middle East: A Study in Hopelessness." Erudition
Quarterly 44.3 (2006): 124-63. Print.
Entire Web Site
Use n.p. if no publisher name is given and n.d. when no publishing date is available.
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.
Stein, Frank N. Monsters Today. Monsters of America. Web. 5 May 2003.
Article in an Online Scholarly Journal
Article in an Online-only Scholarly Journal
Dolby, Thomas. “How She Blinded Me with Science.” On-Line Journal of 80’s Scientists
6.2 (2008): n. pag. Web. 3 March 2003.
Article in an Online Scholarly Journal That Also in Print
Wheels, Igotno. "The Correlation Between Public Transportation and Lack of Identity."
Journal of AutoPsychology 2.6 (2005): 29-62. Web. 3 Feb. 2007.
Article from an Online Database (or Other Electronic
Subscription Service)
Laurel, Stan, and
Oliver Hardy. “What a Fine Mess Our Planet Is In.” Flat Earth
Science 1 Apr. 2003: 642-44. Flat Earth Science Online. Web. 5 Mar. 2009.
Brown, I. M. “Diseases of the Bowel.” Lower GI Journal 12.1 (2005): 15-45. ProQuest.
Web. 15 March 2008.