MLA Style
MLA style is most commonly used to cite sources within the language arts, cultural studies, and other humanities disciplines. MLA style consists of two parts: a brief reference in text In-text citation and the Works Cited list.
MLA main elements:
Sources to help you learn how to cite:
Owl Purdue
MLA Citation Style
MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear on your Works Cited page. The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always appear in parentheses, not in the text of your sentence. For example:
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).
Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).
|
Number of Authors/Editors |
Format of In-Text Citation |
|---|---|
| One author |
(Author's Last Name Page Number) (Case 57) |
| Two authors |
(Author's Last Name and Author's Last Name Page Number) (Case and Aristotle 57) |
| Three or more authors |
(Author's Last Name et al. Page Number) (Case et al. 57) |
|
No author (When a source has no known author, |
(Cell Biology 12) If the title in the Works Cited list is in quotation marks, put ("Nursing" 12) |
1. Always start your works cited on a new page.
2. Page title - The words Works Cited should appear centered one inch from the top of the page. If you have only 1 citation the title should be Work Cited.
3. Line Spacing - Double space between each line.
4. Alignment - The first line of each entry should align with the left margin. All subsequent lines should be indented 5 spaces or set a hanging indent at 1/2 inch.
5. Order of entries - Alphabetical order by author. If there is no author, use the title of the document. If you have more than one entry by the same author, order the entries alphabetically by title.
ONE AUTHOR
Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle if Any. Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication.
Works Cited List Example
Kirsh, Steven J. Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence: A Critical Look at the Research. 2nd ed., Sage, 2006.
MORE THAN TWO AUTHORS
Last Name, First Name of First Author, et al. Title of Book: Subtitle if Any. Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication. Note: If you have three or more authors list only the first author's name followed by et al. instead of listing all authors names.
Works Cited List Example
Nickels, William, et al. Understanding Canadian Business. 9th ed., McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2016
Page on the website
Author. "Title." Title of container, Publication date, Location (URL), Date of Access (if applicable).
Smith, Joanne. “Athlete's Foot - Topic Overview.” WebMD, 25 Sept. 2014, www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/athletes-foot-topic-overview.
Whole website
KNOWN AUTHOR
Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Website, Name of Organization Affiliated with the Website, Date of copyright or date last modified/updated, URL. Accessed access date.
Work Cited list example
Mabillard, Amanda. Shakespeare Online, 29 Dec. 2011, www.shakespeare-online.com. Accessed 6 July 2016.
UNKNOWN AUTHOR
"Title of Section." Title of Website, Publisher or Sponsoring Organization, Date of publication or last modified date, URL. Accessed access date.
Work Cited list example
"Audit and Assurance." Chartered Professional Accountants Canada, 2016, www.cpacanada.ca/en/business-and-accounting-resources/audit-and-assurance. Accessed 6 July 2016.
Journal Article
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Name of Journal, vol, no, Date of Publication, pp. First Page Number-Last Page Number. Name of Database, doi:DOI number.
Work Cited List Example:
Guillen, Jorge. "Does Financial Openness Matter in the Relationship Between Financial Development and Income Distribution in Latin America?" Emerging Markets Finance & Trade, vol. 52, no. 5, 2016, pp. 1145-1155. Business Source Complete, doi:10.1080/1540496X.2015.1046337.
Online document/report
Title of Document: Subtitle if Given. Edition if given and is not the first edition, Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee, Publication Date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited.
Example
Highlights from the Competition Bureau’s Workshop on Emerging Competition Issues. Competition Bureau of Canada, 4 Mar. 2016, www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/vwapj/cb-Workshop-Summary-Report-e.pdf/$FILE/cb-Workshop-Summary-Report-e.pdf. Accessed 6 July 2016.
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Entry." Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary, Publication, or Update Date. URL. Accessed Date.
McLean, Steve. "The Tragically Hip." The Canadian Encyclopedia, 26 Mar. 2015, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/the-tragically-hip-emc. Accessed 27 Jun. 2016.
Magazine Article
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical, Day Month Year, URL.
Example
​Bernstein, Mark. “10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.” A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites, 16 Aug. 2002, alistapart.com/article/writeliving.
Artwork on Web
Artist's Last Name, First Name. Title of Work: Subtitle if Any. Year, Location of Work. "Title of Webapge," by Author's First Name Last Name. Title of Website, Publisher or Sponsoring Organization, Date of publication or last modified date, URL. Accessed access date
Da Vinci, Leonardo. Last Supper. 1498, Santa Maria della Grazie, Milan. Great Paintings of the Western World, by Gallup, Alison, et al., Barnes & Noble, 1998, p. 223.
Encyclopedia Entry
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Entry." Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary, edited by Editor's First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol. Volume Number, Publisher Name, Date of Publication, pp. First Page - Last Page. Name of Database.
Works Cited Example
Lander, Jesse M. "Shakespeare, William." World Book Student, 2016. World Book
Streaming Video From a Website (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
Last Name, First Name of video creator or Username of Creator. "Title of Video." Title of the Hosting Website, uploaded by Username, Day Month Year of Publication, URL of the video. Accessed Day Month Year video was viewed.
Example
Sethi, Ramit. "How to Write a Winning Resume, With Ramit Sethi." YouTube, uploaded by I Will Teach You to Be Rich, 23 June 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0fjkKCsM1w. Accessed 28 June 2016.
Film from a Streaming Video Service (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc.)
Title of Movie. Contributor(s). Publisher/Production Company, Year of Release. Name of Streaming Service.
Coraline. Directed by Henry Selick, screenplay by Henry Selick and Neil Gaiman, Laika, 2009. Netflix.
in-text
(Title of Movie Start Time of Relevant Section-End Time of Section)
(Coraline 1:25:15-01:40:05)
Television Series Episodes from a Streaming Video Service (Netflix, Crave, Amazon Prime, etc.)
"Title of Episode." Title of TV Series, Contributors Name(s), season, episode, Production Company, Year of Release. Name of Streaming Website, URL
"The One Where Chandler Can't Cry." Friends, created by Marta Kauffman, performance by Matthew Perry, season 6, episode 14, Warner Brothers, 2004. Crave, www.crave.ca.
In-text
("Title of Episode" Start Time of Relevant Section-End Time of Section)
("The One Where Chandler" 14:56-15:33)
Image on Web
Author(s). “Title of Image.” Title of Website in Italics, Website Publisher (if different than title), Date of Publication/Posting, URL
Work Cited example
Example1
“Kim Kardashian.” Vanity Fair, Condé Nast, 11 Jan. 2004, www.vanityfair.com.
Example 2
Lange, Dorothea. "Migrant Mother." Prints & Photographs Reading Room Collection, Library of Congress, 11 Jan. 2004, montevideo.usembassy.gov.
Example (No Title)
Penguin sitting on a rock. National Geographic, www.natgeo.com/images/149603845. Accessed 9 Feb. 2021.
Example (Artwork)
Van Gogh, Vincent. The Starry Night. 1889. MoMALearning, Museum of Modern Art, www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/vincent-van-gogh-the-starry-night-1889/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2021.
Personal interview
Last name, First Name of the interviewed person. Personal Interview. Date
Works Cited List Example
Smith, Jane. Personal interview. 19 May 2014.
Last Name, First Name. "Name of the lecture." Name of the course, Date of the lecture, University name. Type of the source (video recording, PowerPoint...)
Works Cited List Example
Paulson, Paul. "ANTH 110: Week 2: The Nature of Culture." Introductory Anthropology I, 15 Jan. 2016, Columbia College. Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.
We do not recommend treating the AI tool as an author. This recommendation follows the policies developed by various publishers, including the MLA’s journal PMLA.
Describe what was generated by the AI tool. This may involve including information about the prompt in the Title of Source element if you have not done so in the text.
Use the Title of Container element to name the AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT).
Name the version of the AI tool as specifically as possible. For example, the examples in this post were developed using ChatGPT 3.5, which assigns a specific date to the version, so the Version element shows this version date.
Name the company that made the tool.
Give the date the content was generated.
Give the general URL for the tool.1
Example
“Text of prompt” prompt. ChatGPT, Day Month version, OpenAI, Day Month Year, chat.openai.com/chat.
Works Cited List Example
“Tell me about confirmation bias” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 16 Feb. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.
If you are using an online primary source from a website, follow the format below:
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Primary Source Document: Subtitle." Year of creation.Title of Website, Publisher of Website, Publication Date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited.
Example
Lord, J.K. "American Furs: How Trapped and Traded." [c. 1866]. Canadiana Online, https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.18349/2. Accessed 25 Oct. 2017.
If you are using an online primary source from an online database, follow the format below:
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Primary Source Document: Subtitle." Title of Journal, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. First Page Number-Last Page Number. Name of Database, doi:DOI number if any.
Example
W.P. "On the Fur Trade." Agricultural Magazine, vol. 6, no. 30, Jan. 1802, pp. 9-12. American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 1.