how to cite primary research mla

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Primary Sources: Citing Primary Sources in MLA Style

• Finding Primary Sources Relating to an Individual
• Finding Primary Sources Collected in Books
• Finding Primary Sources in Databases and Finding Newspaper Articles
• Finding Primary Sources in the Dickinson College Archives and Other Archives
• Primary Scientific Sources
• Secondary Scientific Sources
• Primary Source Timeline
• Citing Primary Sources in MLA Style
• Citing Primary Sources in APA Style
• Citing Primary Sources in Chicago Style

MLA - Sample Citations

For more information on citing in MLA Style, please see our main MLA citation guide .

Images/Art Found Online (e.g., paintings, photography, etc.)

Note : For more information on citing images in MLA Style, please see our art & art history guide .

Art on display in a museum (or other physical place) :

Image available only on the web : 

Note : How you cite music depends on how you access it. You will always include the name of a piece, the artist(s), and the year; if a record label or album title are given, then you will need to cite those. You will also need to cite any “container” that the music was found in—such as YouTube, Spotify, or a CD. 

Legal Documents

Note : Names of court cases should be italicized (e.g. Marbury v. Madison). Laws, acts, and political documents should be capitalized but in plain font. Because you are not a legal scholar, how you cite these types of documents will depend on where you find them. (This makes your life much easier than if you were a legal scholar.) For more help, go to the MLA Style Center's guide to citing legal sources .

Constitutions :

Public laws :

Other Common Primary Sources

Newspaper Article : 

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MLA Citation Guide (9th Edition): Primary Sources

• What Kind of Source Is This?
• Advertisements
• Books, eBooks & Pamphlets
• Book Reviews
• Class Handouts, Presentations, and Readings
• Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
• Government Documents
• Images, Artwork, Charts, Graphs & Tables
• Interviews and Emails (Personal Communications)
• Journal Articles
• Magazine Articles
• Newspaper Articles
• Primary Sources
• Religious Texts
• Social Media
• Videos & DVDs
• In-Text Citation
• Works Quoted in Another Source
• No Author, No Date etc.
• Works Cited List & Sample Paper
• Annotated Bibliography
• Powerpoint Presentations

On This Page: Primary Sources

Primary source from a book.

• Primary Source from an Online Collection
• Primary Source from a Library Database

Tips: Author Information

What do I do when there is no author? 

Start the citation with the first one, two, or three words from the title.

You should provide enough words to make it clear which work you're referring to from your Works Cited list.

If the title in the Works Cited list is in italics, italicize the words from the title in the in-text citation. If the title in the Works Cited list is in quotation marks, put quotation marks around the words from the title in the in-text citation.

( Cell Biology 12)

("Nursing" 12)

What do I do if only the author's initials are available? 

The easiest method is to treat the initials as a unit. Use the initials in your in-text citation and list the entry under the first initial in your Works Cited list. 

Approximate dates

What do you do if you only have approximate date?

If you only have an approximate date of creation, put it in square brackets. Example: [c. 1920]  The "c." is an abbreviation of circa ("about" in Latin).

If you are using a primary source from a textbook, you can cite the document like a section from an anthology.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Primary Source Document." Title of Book: Subtitle if Any,  edited by Editor's First Name and Last Name,  Edition if given and is not first,  Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication, Page numbers of the primary source.

Primary Source From an Online Collection

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 .

Primary Source From a Library Database

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.

 Note:  While MLA 9th edition recommends including URLs, Columbia College Library recommends that URLs be left out when citing a work found in a library database. This is because most URLs from library databases will stop working after the session ends. If your instructor requires a URL, look for the "Permalink" icon in the article description and place the URL generated after the name of the database. 

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Research Using Primary Sources

• Getting Started
• Finding Primary Sources
• Plan Your Visit
• Interpreting Primary Sources
• Citing Primary Sources

How do I cite a Primary Source?

General guidelines.

By carefully documenting your sources, you acknowledge intellectual debts and provide readers with information about the materials you consulted during your research. Methods for citing primary sources (e.g., archival and manuscript collections) differ from those for published works. The discipline in which you are writing and class requirements will determine the citation system you should use.

Typical elements of a citation include: document title, document date, location information, collection title, collection number, and repository name.  For primary sources published online, a citation would include: the author, document title or a description, document date, title of the website, reference URL, and date accessed. Elements of a citation are usually listed from the most specific to the most general. 

Where to Find Citation Elements

The Finding Aid is the best place to find the information you need to cite a primary source. Below are examples from a finding aid that show where you can locate this information.

Take a look at the John H Alexander finding aid . In the top left corner of the record there is a citation button that will generate a citation for the collection you are viewing. You may need to slightly reformat this automatically generate citation, based upon the style guide your project requires. 

Repository Name:    In this findi ng ai d, th is information (the name of the collecting institution)  is simply listed  under "Repository". 

Collection Number:  Sometimes called the acquisition number, this is located just below title and author/creator in this finding aid.

Document Title: The Finding Aid only lists the names of folders, not the individual names of every item contained within each folder. If the document you want to cite has a title on it, like the name of a pamphlet, use that as the title in your citation. If it does not, give it a title that accurately describes the item. For example, if I were citing a letter in folder 1, I could title it, [Letter to J.J. Albert dated May 5, 1831]. If you do this, put the title in brackets to indicate that you created the title. 

Document Date: Look at the title of the Series, or the folder title. Sometimes, as in the example above, the date is a range. To find the specific date, look at the specific document you wish to cite. 

Location Information: Note the series, sub-series, or folder number the document is located in. In this example, it is "John H. Alexander Papers, Series 1: Correspondence, 1831-1848, Folder 1)

Preferred Citation : In this case, SCUA has provided a preferred citation format for you! It also provided a unique identifier to link to the finding aid, which should be included in your citation. 

Citation Styles

Once you have gathered this information, refer to the style handbook for the citation format you will be using (MLA, Chicago, APA). Citation format will differ not only by the style you use, but the format of the record itself, i.e. whether it is a letter, pamphlet, book, government document, etc. 

The Library of Congress gives examples of how to cite different types of primary sources in these three styles. And if in doubt, you can always ask a librarian how best to cite the document you need.

Below is the letter we used as an example from the John H. Alexander collection cited in MLA, Chicago, and APA. 

Alexander, John H. [Letter to J.J. Albert dated May 5, 1831]. 1831. "John H. Alexander Papers". Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries, College Park.   http://hdl.handle.net/1903.1/1747

Alexander, John H . (1831). [Letter to J.J. Albert dated May 5, 1831] .  "John H. Alexander Papers".  Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries, College Park, MD .  http://hdl.handle.net/1903.1/1747

John H. Alexander to J.J. Albert, 5 May 1831, Box 1, Folder 1, John H. Alexander Papers, Special John M. Sell to William Sell, 3 November 1861, Box 1, Folder 3, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries, College Park.    http://hdl.handle.net/1903.1/1747

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Thursday, February 23: The Clark Library is closed today.

MLA Style (9th Edition) Citation Guide: Introduction to MLA Style

• Introduction to MLA Style
• Journal Articles
• Magazine/Newspaper Articles
• Books & Ebooks
• Government & Legal Documents
• Biblical Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Videos/DVDs/TV Shows
• How to Cite: Other
• 9th Edition Updates
• Additional Help

Who should use MLA Style?

MLA style is used to cite sources within English, international languages, theater, cultural studies, and other humanities. 

What is MLA Style?

MLA style was created by the Modern Language Association of America. It is a set of rules for publications, including research papers.

In MLA style, you must cite sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places:

• In the body of your paper where you add a brief in-text citation .
• In the Works Cited list at the end of your paper where you give more complete information for the source.
• Sample Student Papers (MLA Handbook Plus)
• MLA Style Sample Paper (Purdue OWL)
• Formatting Your MLA Paper (including paper template)

MLA Core Elements

When deciding how to cite your source, start by consulting the list of core elements. These are the general pieces of information that MLA suggests including in each Works Cited entry. In your citation, the elements should be listed in the following order:

• Title of source.
• Title of container,
• Other contributors,
• Publication date,

Each element should be followed by the punctuation mark shown here. Earlier editions of the handbook included the place of publication and required different punctuation (such as journal editions in parentheses and colons after issue numbers). In the current version, punctuation is simpler (only commas and periods separate the elements), and information about the source is kept to the basics.

Note: According to p. 42 of the MLA Handbook, publisher information may be omitted for:

• periodicals (journals, magazines, newspapers)
• works published by an author or editor
• web sites whose title is the same as the name of the publisher
• a web site not involved in producing the work it makes (e.g. user-generated content sites like YouTube)

Commonly Used Terms

Access Date:  The date you first look at a source. The access date is added to the end of citations for all websites except library databases.

Citation: Details about one cited source.

Citing: The process of acknowledging the sources of your information and ideas.

In-Text Citation: A brief note at the point where information is used from a source to indicate where the information came from. An in-text citation should always match more detailed information that is available in the Works Cited List.

Paraphrasing: Taking information that you have read and putting it into your own words.

Plagiarism: Taking, using, and passing off as your own, the ideas or words of another.

Quoting: The copying of words of text originally published elsewhere. Direct quotations generally appear in quotation marks and end with a citation.

Works Cited List: Contains details on ALL the sources cited in a text or essay, and supports your research and/or premise.

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• Research Guides
• Citing Your Sources

Citing Your Sources: MLA

• Citing Basics
• Writing & Citing
• Chicago: Author-Date (17th)
• Chicago: Notes (17th)
• Citation Tools

Developed by the Modern Language Association, this style is most widely used for research papers in the humanities.

Citing sources in this style consists of two parts:

• In-text citations
• A works-cited list

See How to Format Works-Cited List and How to Format In-Text Citations . 

The 9th edition of the  MLA Handbook  asks writers to create citations and works-cited lists using a template of core-elements -- a set of objective facts common to most materials-- rather than having a different template for different kinds of publication formats. While this approach is more flexible for new media, it may be challenging for you to know which core elements are relevant to the source you are citing. Thus, this guide also provides some examples of commonly cited sources.

The core elements are: 

Author | Title of Source | Title of Container | Contributor | Version | Number | Publisher | Publication Date | Location

How to Format In-Text Citations

An in-text citation provides your reader with two pieces of information:

• The first element from the corresponding works-cited list entry, usually the author's last name
• The location of the cited information in the work, usually a page number

Standard Formatting of the In-Text Citation

• Put the page number in parentheses

Said makes a similar argument (3-4).

This point has been argued previously (Said 3-4).

The article "Black Workers Matter" links racism and union representation (18).

The link between racism and union representation is important ("Black Workers Matter" 18).

Later, the protagonist of Jane Eyre proclaims, "I would always rather be happy than dignified" (413).

• Place the parenthetical reference at a natural pause in the text or after the quotation marks for direct quotations.  

(Smith, Jones, and Brown 323)

(Bia et al. 161)

(K. Shepard 36)

(J. Shepard 212)

We should all try to "live in the Past, the Present, and the Future" (Dickens, A Christmas Carol 95).

(Pushkin, ch. 5)

According to the Human Rights Campaign's map of state laws and policies ....

("Hell Hath No Fury" 00:15:23-00:18:58)

How to Format the Works-Cited List

The "Works Cited" list provides details on all sources you used in your paper. If you include other sources consulted during your research, title the page "Works Consulted."

Core Elements

The menu below lists the core elements in a works-cited entry with its associated punctuation mark. Use information found in the source itself; do not use information about the source found on websites or in library catalogs. If an element does not exist for the source you are citing, skip it. For further details on an element, open the menu item.

The author is the person or group responsible for creating or producing the work.

• Alvarez, Julia.
• No author:  skip element and begin with title, but also see below for corporate author. 
• If published by the organization: skip the author element and put the organization's name in Publisher.
• If published by a different publisher: enter the organization's name as the author.
• Dorris, Michael, and Louise Erdrich.
• Manigault-Bryant, LeRhonda S., et al.
• Goldstein, Darra, editor.
• White, Alan, translator. 
• Smith, Will, performer.
• Lee, Spike, director.
• Pseudonyms, online usernames: Enter like regular author names. If the name takes the form of a traditional first name and last name, start the entry with the last name.

Title of Source.

The title of the source is often located near the author's name and prominently displayed.

• Enter the title exactly as it appears in the source, except for standardizing capitalization and punctuation.
• essay, poem, short story
• television episode
• blog posting
• Italicize the title if the work is self-contained and independent, such as books and films.
• Untitled works: Give a generic description in place of the title. Do not use italics or quotation marks.

Title of Container ,

A container is the larger work in which the source appears.

• journals, magazines, newspapers
• books containing collections of essays, poems, or short stories
• television show
• Italicize the title and follow it with a comma.
• an article from a journal available through a library database. The first container is the journal and the second is the database.
• a television episode watched online. The first container is the television show and the second is the online provider (Hulu, Netflix, etc.).
• In order to have a complete citation, you should add the core elements from "Title of Container" to "Location" to the end of the entry for each container.
• No larger container: skip this element.

Other Contributors,

Other contributors are other people credited for the work.

• If a person other than the author is important to what you are researching or for identifying the work, include their name in this element.
• Translated by
• Introduction by
• Directed by
• Performance by
• Illustrated by
• For works with many contributors, such as film and television, include only those people most relevant to your research.

Version indicates that there is more than one form of the work.

• For books there may be numbered editions (1st ed., 2nd ed., etc.) or revised editions (rev. ed., updated ed., etc.)
• unabridged version
• director's cut
• software versions
• The version information is written in lowercase, unless the previous element ended in a period, in which case the initial word is capitalized.

Number refers to works appearing in a numbered sequence.

Instances where the number element is used include:

• Using one volume of a multi-volume set: indicate which volume you used, using abbreviation vol. and the number.
• Journal volumes and issues: indicate volume with abbreviation vol. and the number, followed by a comma, and issue number with the abbreviation no. and the number (e.g., vol. 7 no. 4).
• Television series and episodes: record the season number and the episode number (e.g., season 5, episode 20).

Publisher is the organization responsible for making the content publicly available.

• If two or more organizations are equally responsible for the work, separate their names with a forward slash (/) with spaces before and after the slash.
• Books: look for the publisher on the title page or copyright page.
• Film and Television : cite the company that had the primary responsibility for the work.
• Web sites : look for a copyright notice in the footer or an About Us page.
• Omit business words such as Co., Corp., Inc., and Ltd. from the publisher's name.
• Abbreviate University (U) and Press (P) in the names of academic publishers.
• Journals, magazines, newspapers
• Works published by its author or editor
• Web sites whose title is essentially the same as the name of its publisher
• Web services not involved in producing the works it makes available. For example, YouTube, JSTOR, ProQuest. These services are containers.

Publication Date,

Publication date documents the date of the work you used.

• Multiple publication dates: for some sources there may be a print publication date and an online date. Cite the date for the format you used only.
• Works developed over time: cite the range of dates.
• Issues of a journal, magazines, newspapers: Indicate year (e.g., 2012), month and year (e.g., Oct. 2012), season and year (e.g., Fall 2012), or full date (e.g., 18 October 2012) as indicated on the work.
• Online comments : Record time stamp using 12-hour clock format ( e.g., 18 Oct. 2012, 8:58 a.m.)

Location specifies where you found the item within a larger container.

• Print works: indicate the page number or range of page numbers, preceded by p. or pp. (e.g., p. 6 or pp. 6-10).
• Online sources: provide the URL, stable URL (also called permalink), or DOI (digital object identifier).
• Episodes on DVD: indicate disc number (e.g., disc 4).
• Physical object: give name of the place that holds the object and the city (e.g., Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, MA).
• Archival material: provide name of repository, city, and collection locator (e.g. Williams College Special Collections, Williamstown, MA, Hopkins Family Papers).
• Performances: indicate the venue and city (e.g., '62 Center for Theatre and Dance, Williamstown, MA).

Formatting and Ordering the Works-Cited List

• Place the works-cited list at end of the paper .
• Use hanging indent feature of your word processor to indent the second and subsequent lines of the entry .5 inches from the left margin.
• Arrange entries in alphabetical order by the first element, usually the author. If there is no author, use the title.
• Alphabetize letter by letter of the author's name before the comma. Letters after the comma are used only when authors have the same last name.
• For multiple works by the same author, alphabetize by title. Also, replace the author's name with three hyphens on the second and subsequent entries.
• Alphabetize titles letter by letter ignoring initial articles (A, An, The, and foreign equivalents).

How do I deal with ___?

Missing citation elements.

In general, if one of the core citation elements is missing, you may skip that element in the works-cited entry.

• If the organization also published the work, begin the entry with the title and use the organization's name as the publisher only, ( MLA Handbook 25, 55-56; see also Ask the MLA  FAQ )
• For unknown author, start the works-cited entry with the title, and use the title in place of the author in the in-text citation. ( MLA Handbook 24, 55-56)
• No page number: For the in-text citation use explicitly numbered parts of the work (paragraphs, sections, chapters). Use author (or title) alone if there are no numbered parts. ( MLA Handbook 56)
• Use "circa": if you supply a date that is approximate. Example: [circa 2014]
• Use ?: if you are uncertain about the information you provide. Example: [2014?]

More than one author

• List authors in order they appear on title page
• Use the word "and," not an ampersand (&)
• For the in-text citation: use the first author's last name followed by et al. (Smith et al. 23). ( MLA Handbook 116)
• For the works-cited list: invert the first author's name, follow with a comma and et al. Smith, John, et al. ( MLA Handbook 22)

Using a source quoted in a secondary source

It is always better to consult the original source, but if it cannot be obtained, cite the secondary source in the works-cited list. If you are citing a quotation, use "qtd. in" (quoted in) in the in-text citation.  Example: (qtd. in Smith 22). ( MLA Handbook 124)

Examples: Books, Chapters

Generic citation format.

Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Source. Title of Container , Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.

For further details on the core elements, see How to Format the Works-Cited List .

Perle, George. Serial Composition and Atonality: An Introduction to the Music of Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern . 6th ed., U of California P, 1991.

Feder, Ellen K. Family Bonds: Genealogies of Race and Gender . Oxford UP, 2007. ProQuest ebrary , site.ebrary.com/lib/williams/docDetail.action?docID=10194201.

Note: ProQuest ebrary  provides a Williams-specific URL as the permalink. To make the "location" element more universal, replace the URL with docID 10194201. 

Edited Book

Higonnet, Margaret R., and Joan Templeton, editors. Reconfigured Spheres: Feminist Explorations of Literary Space . U of Massachusetts P, 1994.

Translated Book

García Márquez, Gabriel. One Hundred Years of Solitude . Translated by Gregory Rabassa, HarperCollins Publishers, 2003.

Note: if your focus is on the translation of the text, move the translator's name to the Author position, and the main content author's name to the Other Contributors position.

Rabassa, Gregory, translator. One Hundred Years of Solitude . By Gabriel García Márquez, HarperCollins Publishers, 2003.

Chapter or Essay in Book

Roell, Craig H. "The Piano in the American Home." The Arts and the American Home, 1890-1930 , edited by Jessica H. Foy and Karal Ann Marling, U of Tennessee P, 1994, pp. 193-204.

Introduction, Preface, Foreword, Afterword

Knox, Bernard. Introduction.  Metamorphoses, by Ovid, translated and edited by Charles Martin, W. W. Norton, 2004, pp. ix-xxiv.

If the introduction, preface, foreword, or afterword has a title, include it in quotation marks before the descriptive term (Introduction, Preface, etc.) ( MLA Handbook 106).

Examples: Articles

Journal article.

Wolff, Larry. "‘The Boys are Pickpockets, and the Girl is a Prostitute’: Gender and Juvenile Criminality in Early Victorian England from Oliver Twist to London Labour ." New Literary History , vol. 27, no. 2, Spring 1996, pp. 227-249. Project Muse , muse.jhu.edu/article/24302.

Smith, Matthew J. "God's Idioms: Sermon Belief in Donne's London." English Literary Renaissance , vol. 46, no. 1, Winter 2016, pp. 93-128. Wiley Online Library , doi: 10.1111/1475-6757.12061.

Magazine Article

Erdrich, Louise. "The Flower." The New Yorker , 29 June 2015, pp. 56-61.

Erdrich, Louise. "The Flower." The New Yorker , 29 June 2015, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/29/the-flower.

Newspaper Article

Byatt, A.S. "Harry Potter and the Childish Adult." The New York Times , 7 July 2003, p. A13. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times , search.proquest.com/docview/92581320?accountid=15054.

Byatt, A.S. "Harry Potter and the Childish Adult." The New York Times , 7 July 2003, www.nytimes.com/2003/07/07/opinion/harry-potter-and-the-childish-adult.html.

Examples: Web, Blogs, Social Media

Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Source."  Title of Container , Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.

For further details on the core elements, see How to Format the Works Cited List .

"Maps of State Laws and Policies." Human Rights Campaign , 2016, www.hrc.org/state_maps. Accessed 21 August 2016.

Note: Access date is not a core element, but it can be included if it helps to identify the version of the page you consulted or when there is no specific publication date.

Stewart, Jenell. "Natural Hair Creates a More Inclusive Standard." My Natural Hair Journey , Huffington Post, 12 July 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/jenell-stewart/natural-hair-creates-a-more-inclusive-beauty-standard_b_10949874.html.

Blog Comment

Silver H., Comment on "You Are Triggering Me! The Neo-Liberal Rhetoric of Harm, Danger and Trauma," Bully Bloggers , 16 Aug. 2014, 3:17 p.m., bullybloggers.wordpress.com/2014/07/05/you-are-triggering-me-the-neo-liberal-rhetoric-of-harm-danger-and-trauma/#comment-9001.

Social Media

@POTUS (President Obama). "Today is a big step in our march toward equality. Gay and lesbian couples now have the right to marry, just like anyone else. #LoveWins." Twitter , 26 June 2015, 7:10 a.m., twitter.com/POTUS/status/614435467120001024.

For untitled short works, such as tweets, use the entire tweet without changes as the title ( MLA Handbook 29).

Examples: Music, Film, TV, Images

Music score.

Schoenberg, Arnold. A Survivor from Warsaw For Narrator, Men's Chorus, and Orchestra. Op. 46, Bomart Music Publications, 1949.

Music Recording

Bernstein, Leonard. Candide: Opera House Version, 1982 . Performance by the New York City Opera Chorus and Orchestra, NW 340/341-2, New World Records, 1986.

Beyoncé. "Sorry." Lemonade , Parkwood Entertainment, 2016, www.beyonce.com/album/lemonade-visual-album/.

NW 340/341-2 in the first example is the record label's catalog number for the album.

Peck, Raoul. L'homme sur les quais [ The Man by the Shore ]. 1993. Velvet Film, 2013. DVD.

The date of original release (1993 in this example) is an optional element. Include it when it gives your reader insight into the creation of the work. While MLA Handbook , 8th edition, does not require "DVD" to be included in the citation, you can add it to help your reader know how you accessed the film.

Online Video

"TNC:172 Kennedy-Nixon First Presidential Debate, 1960." YouTube , uploaded by JFK Library, 21 Sept. 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbrcRKqLSRw.

"Chapter One: The Pilot." Jane the Virgin , created by Jennie Snyder Urman, season 1, episode 1, Poppy Productions, 2014. Netflix , www.netflix.com/watch/80060553.

Rodriguez, Gina, performer. "Chapter Forty-Four." Jane the Virgin , created by Jennie Snyder Urman, season 2, episode 22, The CW, 16 May 2016. www.cwtv.com/shows/jane-the-virgin/.

Jane the Virgin: Season 1. Created by Jennie Snyder Urman, performance by Gina Rodriguez, Warner Home Video, 2015. DVD.

If you are writing about a television episode without focusing on a particular individual's contribution, start the entry with the title. If you are focusing on the creator or performer, start with their name and role.

In the examples above, the first example is writing about the first episode in general and it was watched on Netflix. The second example is writing about Gina Rodriguez's performance in a particular episode that was watched online during the season. The last example is writing about the first season in general, watched on DVD. While  MLA Handbook , 8th edition, does not require "DVD" to be included in the citation, you can add   it to help your reader know how you acce ssed the film.

Degas, Edgar. The Dance Class . 1874, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Degas, Edgar. The Dance Class . 1874. The Met , www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/438817.

Degas, Hilaire-Germain-Edgar. The Dance Class. 1874. ArtStor , library.artstor.org.

Degas, Edgar. The Dance Class . 1875-1876. Impressionism: A Centenary Exhibition, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, December 12, 1974-February 10, 1975 , edited by Anne Dayez, Michel Hoog, and Charles S. Moffett, [Metropolitan Museum of Art], 1974, p. 105.

In the examples above, the first one is seeing the artwork in person, the second is accessing the image from the museum's website, the third is accessing it through the library database ArtStor, and the last is using an image from a book.

Examples: Government Documents

Congressional hearing.

U.S. Congress, House, Committee on International Relations. The Threat from International Organized Crime and Global Terrorism: Hearing before the Committee on International Relations . Government Printing Office, 1997. 105th Congress, 1st session.

You may end entries for congressional documents with the number of the Congress, session, and the type and number of publication (if applicable). If you are using many congressional publications, consult the Chicago Manual of Style for more specialized guidelines ( MLA Handbook 105.).

Examples: Unpublished/Archival

Interview/discussion.

Falk, Adam. Interview by author, 15 May 2016, Williamstown, MA.

Manuscript/Archival

Hopkins, Mark. Letter to Jaime Margalotti, 22 March 1861, Williams College Special Collections, Williamstown, MA, Hopkins Family Papers.

 A container is "a work that contains another work". Some works are self-contained, such as a print version of a novel, and other works have more than one container, like an essay that is printed in a book, and also published on a website. 

Websites can be but are not always containers. Refer to Chapter 5, section 31 (5.31) of the  MLA Handbook  for more information on containers. 

Need More Info?

• Ask the MLA Official answers to questions about MLA style.
• MLA Works Cited: A Quick Guide Provides an introduction to MLA style and a practice template for creating entries for the works-cited list.
• Sample Papers in MLA Style Shows examples of papers written in MLA style.

What Needs to be Cited?

• Exact wording taken from any source, including freely available websites
• Paraphrases of passages
• Summaries of another person's work
• Indebtedness to another person for an idea
• Use of another student's work
• Use of your own previous work

You do not need to cite common knowledge .

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Citing Sources Found in the Library Search Tool and in EBSCO Databases

"Citing Sources Found in the Library Search Tool and in EBSCO Databases," recorded September 2020, 3 minutes.

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Program Teachers

Citing primary sources, how to cite digitized primary sources.

Citing primary sources correctly is an important part of studying primary sources, for a number of reasons.

It is important--and ethically necessary--to provide full credit to the creators and publishers of documents, and to allow future scholars to find the source quickly and correctly. Citing a primary source is also crucial to critical thinking and analysis because it requires that the student think carefully about where the source came from, who made it, and in what context the student first discovered it.

Today, most students have access to primary sources through electronic means. The examples in this section serve as a guide to the most common formats and types available on the Library of Congress Web site.

Citation Examples for Library of Congress Digitized Primary Sources

Great variation exists among accepted styles, and different disciplines rely on different style guidelines. It is not possible to give a single example of documentation for the digitized materials available on the Library of Congress Web site. The examples in this section use style guidelines that are commonly used in history (Chicago) and language arts (MLA) disciplines.

UPDATE: The Library building has reopened. Please check the Library hours schedule for information.> Library Support and Services During Summer Closure .

How to Cite Your Sources

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MLA (9th ed.)

The mla style comes from the modern language association and is primarily used in the humanities and arts., mla handbook plus is available online through the library to help you cite every source..

Log into Okta if prompted.

• Works Cited List
• Works Cited: Books & Articles

Works Cited: Online Sources

• Works Cited: MLA Core Elements Template

In-Text Citations

Works cited.

Your Works Cited page includes every item you have cited in text and provides as much bibliographic information as you're able to find so your readers can locate the sources themselves.

Page Format

• Title: Works Cited
• Page title is center-justified on the page, entries are left-justified with a hanging indent (second and subsequent lines indented) of a half-inch.
• Entries listed alphabetically by author, or title of source if no author name.

Reference Format

The core elements of a journal/periodical article citation:, author. “article title.” journal title , vol. n , no. n , [year], pp. n-n . [location]..

Note that if the article is from the publisher website (which is considered self-contained) the URL falls within the punctuation following the page number(s).

Common Questions

• If you're citing an online source, note that including the date you accessed the website is encouraged only when there's no publication date and you can't guarantee the website will still be there in the future. (See Supplemental Elements .)
• A platform such as Canvas is only the container if the item has been published through it: a Library database publishes the full text of an article, but Canvas is only the means through which you might read it. However, a lecture posted to Canvas would be considered published through Canvas and you'd then include the platform as the "container" in your citation. (See Journal/Source Title .)
• PDFs are not considered a separate source type in MLA as instead they're the medium through which you're reading the source itself, such as a book chapter or journal article. In general, the Location field will direct your reader to the primary version of the document through URL or DOI. But if there are multiple versions of the document, include "PDF download" at the end of your citation in the Supplemental Element field to tell your reader which version you are citing.

More info about...

Author | document title | journal/source title (container) | contributor | version | number | publisher | publication date | location | supplemental elements.

Find more about these topics at the MLA Handbook sections mentioned throughout.

More info: MLA Handbook 5.3-22

• Smith, Max.
• Smith, Max, and Sam Jones.
• Smith, Max, et al.
• Matsuo, Bashō.
• Ngũgĩ wa Thiongʼo.
• Online handles: add in square brackets after author name, unless author name and handle are similar.
• U.S. Department of Education.

DOCUMENT TITLE

More info: MLA Handbook 5.23-30

• “Tapping the Youth Vote.”
• No title? Write a “concise but informative description of the work” (MLA Handbook)
• Subtitle? Sometimes not obvious, so check the copyright page if available.

JOURNAL/SOURCE TITLE (which MLA calls the Container of the document)

More info: MLA Handbook 5.31-37

• Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.
• 1 container : article read in print journal, tv show aired on tv, short story read in an anthology
• 2 containers : journal article in database, tv show on platform, chapter in edited anthology read on a website
• Works considered self-contained : book read in print, manuscript read in person, movie watched in a theater
• What is not a container - things that didn’t publish the thing you’re reading. That is to say, Canvas is not a container of a link to article but it IS the container for a lecture video published in the course shell.

CONTRIBUTOR if applicable

More info: MLA Handbook 5.38-47

• Translators, editors

VERSION if applicable

More info: MLA Handbook 5.48-50

• Edition, if an e-book

NUMBER if part of a sequence

More info: MLA Handbook 5.51-53

• vol. 12, no. 1,
• season 3, episode 4,

More info: MLA Handbook 5.54-67

• Website platform
• It's ongoing - you don't need to list a publisher for a journal because it's an ongoing periodical
• The website and publisher names are the same
• It's a platform others use to put their stuff up (such as YouTube)

PUBLICATION DATE

More info: MLA Handbook 5.68-83

• 4 Aug. 2022.

LOCATION if applicable

More info: MLA Handbook 5.84-99

Location makes reference to the container(s) of the work:

• Journal articles from a publisher website have one container - the journal, made available by the publisher, and the location is the DOI or permalink.
• Journal articles from a Library database have two containers - the journal and the database.

Formatting notes:

• No further location information needed if in print.
• PDF or found online? Add DOI/permalink/URL.
• But if you can't find the DOI or one doesn't exist, use the article permalink : https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.abo3420
• Online sources considered SELF-CONTAINED (such as from the publisher's website) : As the DOI/URL/permalink is the location of the self-contained work, it falls within the punctuation following the page number(s).
• MLA Handbook . 9th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2021.
• E-books you read through a database or platform will use the database or platform and URL as the location.

SUPPLEMENTAL ELEMENTS if applicable

More info: MLA Handbook 5.105-119

• Contributor, original publication date, section of a work
• Date of access for online item but only if there's no given publication date or if the website/item might disappear
• More details about the document type (publication status, whether it's a thesis or dissertation, etc.)
• PDF : "[I]f you view a file type, such as a PDF, other than the one presented as the default version of the work on a page where other versions of the work are available, include PDF download, supplementary material , or a similar description in the supplemental element." ( MLA Handbook, 5.112 )

Works Cited: Books and Articles

These are some commonly used source types and how they're formatted. Remember that your Works Cited references will require a hanging indent (second and subsequent lines indented) of a half-inch.

Source type: Print book | E-book | Scholarly article | Newspaper article | Magazine article

Newspaper article from the website; one author.

Astor, Maggie. “What’s on the Minds of 12 Young Voters.” The New York Times , 19 Oct. 2022. NYTimes.com , https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/19/us/politics/young-voters.html.

E-book from a database; one author

Cahill, Cathleen D. Recasting the Vote : How Women of Color Transformed the Suffrage Movement . E-book. The University of North Carolina Press, 2020. EBSCOhost , https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=2432685&site=ehost-live.  

Newspaper article from a database; one author

Gross, Neil. “Does College Make You Vote?” Chronicle of Higher Education , vol. 59, 24 Nov. 2012, p. B2. EBSCOhost , https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=83623976&site=ehost-live.  

Scholarly article from a database; multiple authors

Larson, Lincoln R., et al. “The Future of Wildlife Conservation Funding: What Options Do U.S. College Students Support?” Conservation Science & Practice , vol. 3, no. 10, Oct. 2021, pp. 1–12. EBSCOhost , https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.505.  

Magazine article from a database; one author

Padilla, Dynahlee. “Tapping the Youth Vote.” Diverse: Issues in Higher Education , vol. 37, no. 18, Oct. 2020, pp. 20–21. EBSCOhost , https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=146573844&site=ehost-live.  

Print book ; two authors

Shea, Daniel M., and John Clifford Green. Fountain of Youth: Strategies and Tactics for Mobilizing America's Young Voters . Rowman & Littlefield, 2007.  

Scholarly article from a database; two authors

Spagnuolo, Natalie, and Fady Shanouda. “Who Counts and Who Is Counted? Conversations around Voting, Access, and Divisions in the Disability Community.” Disability & Society , vol. 32, no. 5, June 2017, pp. 701–19. EBSCOhost , https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2017.1324765.  

Wolfe, Rob. “America’s Best Colleges for Student Voting.” Washington Monthly , vol. 54, no. 9/10, Sept. 2022, pp. 60–63. EBSCOhost , https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=158554880&site=ehost-live.

These are some commonly used online source types and how they're formatted. Remember that your Works Cited references will require a hanging indent (second and subsequent lines indented) of a half-inch.

• Access date : If you're citing an online source, note that including the date you accessed the website is encouraged only when there's no publication date and you can't guarantee the website will still be there in the future.
• Containers : For online sources, the MLA handbook states "A website is a container only when it serves as the platform of publication of the particular version of the work you consult" ( MLA Handbook 5.34 ; emphasis added). In that case, you will include the URL/DOI/permalink within the punctuation of the original container (such as a newspaper or website).

Section of a website

“New Jersey.” Ballotpedia , https://ballotpedia.org/New_Jersey. Accessed 18 Oct. 2022.  

Entire website

Ballotpedia , https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page. Accessed 18 Oct. 2022.  

Government info from a government website

“Electoral College History.” National Archives , 18 Nov. 2019, https://www.archives.gov/electoral-college/history.  

Newspaper article from the newspaper website

Astor, Maggie. “What’s on the Minds of 12 Young Voters.” The New York Times , 19 Oct. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/19/us/politics/young-voters.html.

MLA Core Elements

MLA formats each work cited using a set of core elements that are included in the citation if applicable and punctuated appropriately.

Find more details about the core elements in the MLA Handbook Plus or use the fill-in template below.

• MLA Interactive Practice Template (MLA 9) "The template is a tool for teaching and learning MLA style, not a citation generator. To verify that your entry is correct, consult the MLA Handbook."

In-text citations are a brief parenthetical reference within the text of your paper that includes the author name and page number so your reader knows where to find the source of your information.

The author name points your reader to the source citation on the works cited list, and the page number shows where in the source you found the quotation or text you used.

More info on in-text citations: MLA Handbook 6.31-77

Example article used throughout : Niemi, Richard G., and Michael J. Hanmer. “Voter Turnout Among College Students: New Data and a Rethinking of Traditional Theories.” Social Science Quarterly , vol. 91, no. 2, June 2010, pp. 301–23. EBSCOhost , https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2010.00694.x.

Quoting or paraphrasing the source

Parentheses are placed within the sentence punctuation and include author's last name and the page number where the relevant text is found..

• Quote: “ Traditional theories about voter turnout do not always fit well with the unique characteristics of college students" (Niemi and Hanmer 303).
• Paraphrase: The voting habits of college students sometimes conflict with more general ideas about voters (Niemi and Hanmer 303).

Articles with more than 3+ authors are referred to in the parenthetical with the first author surname and et al. : (Larson et al. 2).

Attributing the author in text

Parentheses are placed within the sentence punctuation and include only the page number as the author is mentioned in text through use of a signal phrase ..

In the case of 3+ authors , "you may list all the names or provide the name of the first collaborator followed by 'and others' or 'and colleagues.'" ( MLA Handbook Plus 6.5 )

In 2010, Niemi and Hanmer noted that college students are not studied as often as older voters (303).

• Signal and Lead-in Phrases (Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)) A handy list of words and phrases from the Purdue OWL you can use to signal to your reader that you're about to cite a source.

Long quotations (more than 4 lines of prose or 3+ lines of verse)

Indent quotation half an inch from left margin. if the author name is used in text, put just the page number in parentheses following sentence punctuation. if the author name is not used in text, include in parentheses following sentence punctuation..

Niemi and Hanmer observe that

[w]ith the age of college students almost invariant and the meaning and measurement of their education and mobility questionable, several key variables used in models of voter turnout may well not account for varying rates of turnout among college students. Though there is considerable variation among students in hours worked, most student jobs do not mirror the careers they will ultimately obtain, so labor force participation may also be of limited explanatory power. (304)

Writing Help from the WCC

• Using Quotations (Stevens WCC) How to incorporate quotations into your paper from the Stevens Writing & Communication Center. (Note: intranet site; must be logged into myStevens for access.)
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Citing Primary Sources

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• Archive material
• Chapter of an edited book
• Conference proceedings
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To have a quality research paper, it is incredibly important to include relevant sources as evidence that supports your ideas. While including references to sources such as books, journal articles, and newspapers is helpful, they do not represent the holistic picture of your research topic. Including references to primary sources, as well as secondary, can take your research to the next level.

Whether creating an annotated bibliography or composing in-text citations , Cite This For Me is a great resource for getting your references right.

Simply put, primary sources are sources that are firsthand or contemporary to your topic, and can include things such as diaries, letters, maps, and the like. So how do you make accurate citations for these kinds of sources? Read on for information on creating references for primary sources in some of the most popular citation styles.

The most important thing to remember when including references to primary sources in your paper is that the overall goal is to include enough information in your references so that, if needed, your reader can locate the primary source themselves. Here is some of the information you should look out for and consider when choosing a primary source:

• The name of the author/creator/illustrator, etc.
• The title of the source. A description can be used if there is no title.
• The date that the source was written or created.
• Information about where you accessed the source, such as a database or website.
• Collection name, if there is one.
• Box and folder, if the source was housed in a place that uses such a system, like a library or archive.
• The name of the library or archive that holds the original source.

Here is an example for a citation for a photograph as a primary source in Harvard referencing *:

Wilson, B. (1925) Marcus Garvey enters federal prison in Atlanta. Available at: http://www.exhibitions.nypl.org.

*These guidelines apply to Harvard-Cite Them Right 10 th edition

Here is how you would cite the same photograph in APA style : 

Wilson, B. (Photographer). (1925). Marcus Garvey enters federal prison in Atlanta [photograph]. New York, NY: New York Public Library. Retrieved from http://www.exhibitions.nypl.org.

Here is how you would cite the same photograph in MLA style:

Wilson, Bill. Photograph of Marcus Garvey entering federal prison in Atlanta. 1925. New York Public Library , www.exhibitions.nypl.org.

Depending on the source type (e.g., website, interview, government publication, recording, etc.), the format of the citation will change slightly. The citing tools at CiteThisForMe.com can help! Along with Harvard and APA, you can choose to cite sources in  MLA formatting ,   Chicago format , and thousands of other citation styles .

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Overview of mla citations, common reference examples, featured resources, understanding mla citations.

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• In-text Citations
• Works Cited Page

In-text citations provide brief information about a source and refer the reader to the full citation in the reference list.

Examples of parenthetical in-text citations:

Noble (36) describes the biases inherent in search algorithms.

Many digital media scholars have been investigating how commercial search algorithms contain inherent biases (Noble 36).

Example in-text citation with quotation:

It has become clear that "search results play a powerful role in providing fact and authority" (Noble 36).

"Some biases in AI-generated content include dataset bias, where the training data doesn't represent the full diversity of the real world, and algorithmic bias, which occurs when the AI system perpetuates or amplifies existing societal prejudices." OpenAI, 2024.

For more information about in-text citations, check out this guide from Purdue OWL: In-text Citations

Works Cited list citations provide all the information required about the source and correspond to the in-text citation.

Example of citation on Works Cited page:

Noble, Safiya Umoja. Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism . New York University Press, 2018.

For more examples of how to cite different type of sources (e.g. podcasts, tweets, press releases, and more), check out this guide from the MLA website: Citations by Format

Book by One Author

Mantel, Hilary.  Wolf Hall . Picador, 2010.

Book by an Unknown Author

Beowulf . Translated by Alan Sullivan and Timothy Murphy, edited by Sarah Anderson, Pearson, 2004.

An Edited Book

Sánchez Prado, Ignacio M., editor.  Mexican Literature in Theory . Bloomsbury, 2018.

Online Works

Article on a website.

Deresiewicz, William. “The Death of the Artist—and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur.”  The Atlantic , 28 Dec. 2014, theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/01/ the-death-of-the-artist-and-the-birth-of-thecreative-entrepreneur/383497/.

Book on a website

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Masque of the Red Death.”  The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe , edited by James A. Harrison, vol. 4, Thomas Y. Crowell, 1902, pp. 250-58.  HathiTrust Digital Library , hdl.handle.net/2027/coo.31924079574368.

Journal Article in a Database

Goldman, Anne. “Questions of Transport: Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante.”  The Georgia Review , vol. 64, no. 1, spring 2010, pp. 69-88.  JSTOR , www.jstor.org/stable/41403188.

AI generated content

"Some biases in AI-generated content include dataset bias, where the training data doesn't represent the full diversity of the real world, and algorithmic bias, which occurs when the AI system perpetuates or amplifies existing societal prejudices." ChatGPT , 9 July version, OpenAI, 9 July 2024, chat.openai.com/chat.

• MLA Formatting and Style Guide From the Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab). Examples, sample papers, and a PowerPoint presentation.
• MLA Style Center From the Modern Language Association This website will get started with MLA style. Learn how to document sources, set up your paper, and improve your teaching and writing.
• SDSU Library MLA Citations Tutorial
• The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation [Research Desk KF245 .B58] Description suggests consulting this but modifying to suit MLA style.
• Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary Preferred dictionary by many style manuals for spelling, capitalization, etc. Part of the Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Limit to Merriam-Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus when searching.
• Citing Information: MLA From UNC Libraries. Examples of In-text citation, print and online resources plus a sample "Works Cited" page.

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• A complete guide to MLA in-text citations

MLA In-text Citations | A Complete Guide (9th Edition)

Published on July 9, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on March 5, 2024.

An MLA in-text citation provides the author’s last name and a page number in parentheses.

If a source has two authors, name both. If a source has more than two authors, name only the first author, followed by “ et al. ”

If the part you’re citing spans multiple pages, include the full page range. If you want to cite multiple non-consecutive pages at the same time, separate the page numbers with commas.

Generate accurate MLA citations with Scribbr

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Table of contents

Where to include an mla in-text citation, citing sources with no author, citing sources with no page numbers, citing different sources with the same author name, citing sources indirectly, frequently asked questions about mla in-text citations.

Place the parenthetical citation directly after the relevant quote or paraphrase , and before the period or other punctuation mark (except with  block quotes , where the citation comes after the period).

If you have already named the author in the sentence, add only the page number in parentheses. When mentioning a source with three or more authors outside of parentheses, use “and others” or “and colleagues” in place of “et al.”

• MLA is the second most popular citation style (Smith and Morrison 17–19) .
• According to Smith and Morrison , MLA is the second most popular citation style (17–19) .
• APA is by far “the most used citation style in the US” (Moore et al. 74) , but it is less dominant in the UK (Smith 16) .
• Moore and colleagues state that APA is more popular in the US than elsewhere (74) .

Combining citations

If a sentence is supported by more than one source, you can combine the citations in a single set of parentheses. Separate the two sources with a semicolon .

Livestock farming is one of the biggest global contributors to climate change (Garcia 64; Davies 14) .

Consecutive citations of the same source

If you cite the same source repeatedly within a paragraph, you can include the full citation the first time you cite it, then just the page number for subsequent citations.

MLA is the second most popular citation style (Smith and Morrison 17–19) . It is more popular than Chicago style, but less popular than APA (21) .

You can do this as long as it remains clear what source you’re citing. If you cite something else in between or start a new paragraph, reintroduce the full citation again to avoid ambiguity.

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For sources with no named author , the in-text citation must match the first element of the Works Cited entry. This may be the name of an organization, or the title of the source.

If the source title or organization name is longer than four words, shorten it to the first word or phrase in the in-text citation, excluding any articles ( a, an, and the ). The shortened title or organization name should begin with the word the source is alphabetized by in the Works Cited.

Follow the general MLA rules for formatting titles : If the source is a self-contained work (e.g. a whole website or an entire book ), put the title in italics; if the source is contained within a larger whole (e.g. a page on a website or a chapter of a book), put the title in quotation marks.

If a source does not have page numbers but is divided into numbered parts (e.g. chapters, sections, scenes, Bible books and verses, Articles of the Constitution , or timestamps), use these numbers to locate the relevant passage.

If the source does not use any numbering system, include only the author’s name in the in-text citation. Don’t include paragraph numbers unless they are explicitly numbered in the source.

Note that if there are no numbered divisions and you have already named the author in your sentence, then no parenthetical citation is necessary.

If your Works Cited page includes more than one entry under the same last name, you need to distinguish between these sources in your in-text citations.

Multiple sources by the same author

If you cite more than one work by the same author, add a shortened title to signal which source you are referring to.

In this example, the first source is a whole book, so the title appears in italics; the second is an article published in a journal, so the title appears in quotation marks.

Different authors with the same last name

To distinguish between different authors with the same last name, use the authors’ initials (or, if the initials are the same, full first names) in your in-text citations:

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Sometimes you might want to cite something that you found quoted in a secondary source . If possible, always seek out the original source and cite it directly.

If you can’t access the original source, make sure to name both the original author and the author of the source that you accessed . Use the abbreviation “qtd. in” (short for “quoted in”) to indicate where you found the quotation.

In these cases, only the source you accessed directly is included in the Works Cited list.

You must include an MLA in-text citation every time you quote or paraphrase from a source (e.g. a book , movie , website , or article ).

Some source types, such as books and journal articles , may contain footnotes (or endnotes) with additional information. The following rules apply when citing information from a note in an MLA in-text citation :

• To cite information from a single numbered note, write “n” after the page number, and then write the note number, e.g. (Smith 105n2)
• To cite information from multiple numbered notes, write “nn” and include a range, e.g. (Smith 77nn1–2)
• To cite information from an unnumbered note, write “un” after the page number, with a space in between, e.g. (Jones 250 un)

If a source has two authors, name both authors in your MLA in-text citation and Works Cited entry. If there are three or more authors, name only the first author, followed by et al.

If a source has no author, start the MLA Works Cited entry with the source title . Use a shortened version of the title in your MLA in-text citation .

If a source has no page numbers, you can use an alternative locator (e.g. a chapter number, or a timestamp for a video or audio source) to identify the relevant passage in your in-text citation. If the source has no numbered divisions, cite only the author’s name (or the title).

If you already named the author or title in your sentence, and there is no locator available, you don’t need a parenthetical citation:

• Rajaram  argues that representations of migration are shaped by “cultural, political, and ideological interests.”
• The homepage of The Correspondent describes it as “a movement for radically different news.”

Yes. MLA style uses title case, which means that all principal words (nouns, pronouns , verbs, adjectives , adverbs , and some conjunctions ) are capitalized.

This applies to titles of sources as well as the title of, and subheadings in, your paper. Use MLA capitalization style even when the original source title uses different capitalization .

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If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2024, March 05). MLA In-text Citations | A Complete Guide (9th Edition). Scribbr. Retrieved September 9, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/mla/in-text-citations/

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How to Cite Primary Sources

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You already know that it’s critical to include a variety of sources as evidence to back up your argument or ideas. Sources of information like books, websites, and academic journals are easy to access and can help you locate pertinent information to your topic. But how do you include information from sources that provide first-hand evidence, such as maps, letters, etc.? 

These types of sources are called “primary” sources, and citing them can be a bit more challenging than citing those that are “secondary” (sources that interpret primary sources or information). However, primary sources are strong resources to use.

First, primary sources help you relate directly to the content. Instead of reading an “outsider’s” analysis of a topic or event, you can explore it for yourself through primary sources. Second, primary sources allow you to create your own opinions and analysis of a topic, without the bias of a secondary analyzer. Finally, there is less chance of miscommunication or misinformation with primary sources.

Now that you know the value of primary sources, here are some tips on how to properly include them in your next bibliography or MLA works cited .

No matter what you are citing, the key thing to remember is that the overall objective is to lead your readers directly to the sources you have consulted. Here are some of the pieces of information you should include from your primary source in order to accomplish this goal:

• Author or creator’s name
• Title of the source or a description
• Date the source was written/created
• Publication information, such as the database you accessed it from
• Collection name, if there is one
• Box and folder, if the source was housed in a place that uses such a system
• Repository/archive that holds the source

Here is an example for citing a letter as a primary source in MLA format:

Benton, Alice. Letter to Charles Friend. 24 Jan 1789. Charles Friend Collection, State University Library, New York, MS 511, box 15, folder 9.

And here is how you would cite the same letter in APA format :

Benton, A. (1789, October 24). Letter to Charles Friend . Charles Friend Collection (MS 511, Box 15, Folder 9). State University Archives, New York.

If you are unsure about how to cite a primary source for your paper, talk to your instructor or consult the manual for your citation style. BibMe.org also has helpful citation forms for many types of primary sources like interviews, photography, maps, federal bills, and more! 

Preparing to write a paper? Why review BibMe grammar guides and brush up on how to use an adverb , what is plagiarism , how to define “ conjunction ,” and more!

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The difference between a primary and secondary source is based on how raw or pure the source is. A primary source provides firsthand information that was experienced by the source’s creator.

Primary sources examples:

• data from a science experiment
• an interview
• a recording of an event
• maps survey results
• historical artifacts

A secondary source is a source that describes or analyzes a primary source. The creator of a secondary source experiences the information secondhand through the primary source, so it is labeled as “secondary.”

Secondary sources examples:

• journal articles
• book reviews
• art critiques
• biographies

Examples of a primary and secondary source on the same information:

• Primary source –> Video of a performance
• Secondary source –> Review of the performance
• Primary source –> Quantitative and qualitative data from a survey
• Secondary source –> Article interpreting what the results mean

Primary sources are original sources of information that provide first-hand evidence on a topic. While gathering data from a primary source, the following elements are necessary to include in references and citations:

• Author’s or content contributor’s full name
• Title of the content source and/or description where available
• Date when the content was created
• Information about the source of publication, such as a database
• Name of the collection, if available
• Box or folder name, if available
• Any other information that would be necessary to identify that source

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Generate accurate citations in MLA format automatically, with MyBib!

😕 What is an MLA Citation Generator?

An MLA citation generator is a software tool designed to automatically create academic citations in the Modern Language Association (MLA) citation format. The generator will take information such as document titles, author, and URLs as in input, and output fully formatted citations that can be inserted into the Works Cited page of an MLA-compliant academic paper.

The citations on a Works Cited page show the external sources that were used to write the main body of the academic paper, either directly as references and quotes, or indirectly as ideas.

👩‍🎓 Who uses an MLA Citation Generator?

MLA style is most often used by middle school and high school students in preparation for transition to college and further education. Ironically, MLA style is not actually used all that often beyond middle and high school, with APA (American Psychological Association) style being the favored style at colleges across the country.

It is also important at this level to learn why it's critical to cite sources, not just how to cite them.

🙌 Why should I use a Citation Generator?

Writing citations manually is time consuming and error prone. Automating this process with a citation generator is easy, straightforward, and gives accurate results. It's also easier to keep citations organized and in the correct order.

The Works Cited page contributes to the overall grade of a paper, so it is important to produce accurately formatted citations that follow the guidelines in the official MLA Handbook .

⚙️ How do I use MyBib's MLA Citation Generator?

It's super easy to create MLA style citations with our MLA Citation Generator. Scroll back up to the generator at the top of the page and select the type of source you're citing. Books, journal articles, and webpages are all examples of the types of sources our generator can cite automatically. Then either search for the source, or enter the details manually in the citation form.

The generator will produce a formatted MLA citation that can be copied and pasted directly into your document, or saved to MyBib as part of your overall Works Cited page (which can be downloaded fully later!).

MyBib supports the following for MLA style:

Daniel is a qualified librarian, former teacher, and citation expert. He has been contributing to MyBib since 2018.

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How to Write a Research Paper in APA and MLA Format

Updated 02 Sep 2024

Properly formatting a research paper in APA or MLA style is essential for several reasons. First, it ensures that your work adheres to the academic standards required by your institution, making your paper look professional and credible. For instance, an APA style paper outlines essential components and formatting guidelines, such as the title page, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and references, which are crucial for a professional and academically compliant presentation. Consistency in formatting helps readers easily navigate through your paper, understand the structure, and locate references.

Additionally, proper formatting demonstrates your attention to detail and respect for scholarly practices, which is crucial in academic writing. Whether using APA’s emphasis on author-date citation or MLA’s focus on page numbers for literary analysis, following the correct format enhances the clarity and authority of your research. Finally, it helps avoid plagiarism by ensuring that all sources are correctly cited, giving proper credit to the original authors and contributing to the integrity of your work. Additionally, it is crucial to format references correctly to ensure that all sources are properly cited and easily accessible to readers.

What is APA Formatting?

The APA style is a special format used in academic, business, and research writing for documentation of sources and publishing purposes. A research paper in APA format that you create must be presented in the latest 7th edition unless specified otherwise. Created by the American Psychological Association, hence the abbreviation, the latest manual is what we are going to reference in our APA guidelines to avoid confusion. It means that if your college professor asks for APA 7th edition, you are in the right place!

Published in October 2019, the latest edition of the writing style manual follows most rules that have been published before with a focus on simplification and readiness for publishing purposes. Speaking of research paper writing, the majority of students that use APA style format are majoring in subjects like Psychology, Sociology, Journalism, Education, Anthropology, Law, and Healthcare. Since it's relatively simple compared to Chicago, Harvard, or Turabian, it’s not hard to learn the basic rules as long as you remember the following:

There are in-text citations that you must use to provide a reference to a source mentioned in your text. The information that is required includes the author's name and the date of publication. You should also provide the page number or a section in the newspaper if such data is available.

There is a page called " References " that is placed at the end of your paper after your final conclusion part. This is exactly where you provide information (references) that list all of your sources that have been implemented in your research paper.

When to Cite a Source in APA Format?

This question often comes up. The answer is quite simple: when you need to summarize some data, paraphrase information you discover, or quote something from another source. These citations may include it all from books in print, scientific journals, online books, articles in a newspaper, reports, surveys, statistical data, and so on. When you use a reference, the APA 7th style format requires mentioning the name of the author and the year of publication that will look this way for a single author:

(Jones, 2005)

It means that you are dealing with an author with the last name Jones and something that has been published in 2005. Alternatively, your in-text citation can look this way:

Another important notion has been explained by the concept of mutual co-existence. According to Jones (2005), who believed that authoritarian leaders can exist in peace and mutual respect, we can conclude that...

What is the APA References Page?

We are certain that you have seen at least one references page before as you were looking through the final part of a research article online. The References page must list all of your sources alphabetically and may include up to 20 entries for a middle-sized research assignment. A typical APA example coming from a research journal looks this way:

Berry, B., Stipe, J. M., Wahlberg, R., and Zeldman, A. S. (2021). Social Interactions in Georgia State: A an overview of American South. Journal of Social Psychology , 34, 123-136.

As you can see, we have listed the authors alphabetically and mentioned the year of publication that is followed by the name of the scientific article. The name of the journal is given in italics to specify the importance of the source. It is followed by the journal’s volume and the number of pages that have been referenced.

Note: Remember that far not all sources and references that you may encounter are suitable for a research paper. EduBirdie experts recommend talking to your course instructor first and checking things twice regarding additional requirements and formatting. Our guide will provide you with the basic instructions on how to set things up to help your research paper meet the formatting standards.

APA Page Layout Disclaimer

Before you learn how to write a research paper in APA format by turning to various sections of our guide, it must be mentioned that using a Word processor or Google Docs as your writing source, it is essential to create a special page layout and the relevant headers that will be mentioned in our APA guide. While you can find online templates in APA format, these are not always accurate, which is why you must check things twice by focusing on fonts, headers, margins, indents, and other important aspects!

Writing a Research Paper in APA Style Format: General Requirements

1. Page Layout Rules

We'll start with the page layout that must be there all the time as this part of the APA 7th edition remains the same for all papers that you may encounter as a college student. Here is what you must do as you learn how to format a research paper:

Creating a document in MS Word or any other word processor of your choice, set your page margins to 1 inch on all sides of the page.

Your text must be double-spaced, including APA headings.

The APA 7th edition uses indents of the first line in every paragraph by 0.5 inches. Just press your TAB key once.

The recommended fonts for APA style format include Times New Roman (12 pt.), Arial (11 pt.), or Georgia (11 pt.). In certain cases, other fonts may be used, yet do so only after consulting your academic advisor.

Page numbers are included on every page of your document in the top right corner unless specified otherwise.

2 . Page Headers in APA 7th Edition

According to the manual, you must set your page header correctly. Every APA format research paper must provide headings that are written in upper case. Setting up your header, you must:

Click on the "Insert" tab in the MS Word toolbar.

Choose Header & Footer tab, click on Header and Blank.

The first (title) page of your APA research paper must include the left margin positioning where you type: MY RESEARCH PAPER TITLE. Of course, it's only an example and must be replaced by your actual title.

Tab once or twice to the right margin now.

Close your Header & Footer tab.

3. Page Numbering

Speaking of page numbering, use the default feature in MS Word or any other software to do so automatically. The page numbers must be placed in the top right corner and be present on all pages, including your references page. The title page in APA 7th edition should start from page number 1.

4. APA Title Page

Your title page in APA must start with the title of your paper, the name of the student or authors of the research project, and the institutional affiliation. All the lines must be centered and start in the middle of the title page. In addition to that, you must include your course number, instructor's name, and the due date of your research paper. It will look this way: 

The General Electrics Sample Title Page: 

Following the Engineering Principles of Electrical Circuit 

Department of Engineering, Georgia State University

ENGN 222: Electrical Engineering

Dr. Michael John Stipe

October 11, 2008

5. Table of Contents

A table of contents is only necessary if you are writing a thesis paper or working on a dissertation. This section must be placed between your abstract part and the introduction. Use the same font and size as the rest of your content. The text starts at the top of your page with the word "Contents". Every entry must be centered and in bold font. 

The outline in APA format follows the same rules and can be delivered as a separate document in most cases. The page margins remain the same with the page numbering starting from page one. The structure of a page (usually one page only) should include an introduction that mentions the main background points and your thesis, the main body with the elements that support your research thesis statement, and a short conclusion that makes your final take on things or your position clear.

Note : There are no headers or anything specific for an outline. You may copy the main paper's header by adding the word "OUTLINE". 

7. Abstract

Your abstract must appear on a separate page after your research paper's title page. It means that it should be numbered as page 2. Write "Abstract" in bold title case and center it at the top of your page. The abstract itself comes as the next paragraph with the 0.5 inches indent. The length of your abstract should be no longer than 250 words. You may write it down in a single paragraph or use a different kind of structure.

As you write, focus on the requirements that you want to achieve scientifically, consider your target audience as you explain your methodology and the problem that you are planning to explore. Describe your results and provide a brief conclusion to your work exactly as it would be done in a book’s review.

8. Body Parts

It does not matter if you are working on an essay or a complex research paper, APA style format does not mention any specific rules that must be used. Therefore, you should refer to your paper type. The majority of research papers should include an introduction with the list of research objectives (see research paper introduction example ), three to five body paragraphs that explain and support your arguments, and the conclusion part where you sum things up.

The body parts should start with the most important argument that speaks of your thesis and provides analytical information.

The second paragraph of the body in the APA research paper should implement statistical data, which is also considered as a reference. This is where you can use citations and refer to certain publications. Such an approach will help you to avoid plagiarism risks.

The last paragraph should provide alternative opinions and provide counter-arguments where additional citations, graphics, and multimedia sources can be added.

9. Conclusion

The APA manual mentions that your conclusion part should not use any citation elements in the final section and avoid introducing any new ideas. Keep this fact in mind and make sure that you leave suggestions and an overall review of your research paper.

Note: If you have any additional information that you refer to in your previous paragraphs, certain recommendations can be added as a research paper appendix section after your references page, yet always ask your academic advisor to ensure that it is applicable.

10. References Page

Start your References page by placing the word "References" at the top of the document’s layout. It must be centered and placed one inch down. Do not use capitalization, bold fonts, or italics.

All of your citations (references) must be double spaced and should have no additional lines in between.

If your reference goes past the first line, create a hanging indent by using tabulation.

Your references in APA 7th edition style are placed in alphabetical order.

If your reference does not start with the author, these are placed at the start of your paper, according to ABC.

The Writing Guides to Follow in APA 7th Citation Style

Basic citation rules in apa.

Let us imagine a situation when you need to cite a book in print for your research paper in APA style format. It will require the following information:

Author or authors of the book. The surname is always followed by the person’s initials.

The Year of publication of the book comes next in round brackets.

The book title is always placed in italics. Only the first letter of the first word in titles should be capitalized.

Edition (if available) also comes in round brackets. If the book represents the first edition, this part is not necessary.

DOI. It is necessary to include it (if available) for both online and print versions.

The second line of your citation in a References page must be indented per about 5 spaces.

For example:

Fisher, J.V. (2006). Teenage Violence: How do video games affect the modern youth? . Penguin Books.

For a journal article citation, provide the following information:

Author or authors of the article. The surname is always followed by the person’s initials.

The year of publication of the journal comes next in round brackets.

Journal title must be in italics.

Provide volume of journal (in italics).

Add an issue number of a journal in round brackets (no italics are necessary here).

Page range of article (if available).

Provide DOI or URL

Braxton, T. (2005). Asian Cuisine: A study of health benefits. Modern Health Care, 11(4), 34-36. https://doi.org/

Abbreviations

The rule of abbreviations in a research paper states that there should be at least three times when a certain abbreviation is used. If your abbreviation is only met once, it’s necessary to provide a complete spelling of your phrase each time you implement it for your assignment. When using APA style for research purposes, the use of abbreviation within headings is not necessary. Remember to provide a full term the first time you use an abbreviation by adding the abbreviated form in parentheses. APA 7th edition manual states that these must be used only when they help to provide a better kind of communication with your target audience.

The Use of Numbers & Punctuation

Turning to the latest APA style format manual, we can learn that one must use numerals to express numbers going from ten and above as numbers (12, 34, 721, and so on). When you have to use numbers up to ten, these are written in words such as "three positions", "two authors", "seven Chinese brothers", etc.

The rules also state that one must use commas between certain groups of three digits as you work with the figures. For example:

As over 2,000 people have participated in a meeting... 

Speaking of punctuation rules, the use of commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation cases must be put inside your quote marks. As for the rest of the punctuation marks, they go beyond your quotation.

Note: When you are planning to use a direct quote that is more than forty words, the block quotations are used with the indent.

Graphics & Multimedia in APA

Looking through the modern research paper APA format example, you will notice that there are frequent multimedia examples with the use of graphics. The use of graphics is permissible. Further research could explore the impact of multimedia on the readability of research papers.

If you are planning to use artwork from a museum in an online form, it looks this way:

Artist Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year). Title of the artwork [Format]. Location. URL

If there is a stock image:

Author. (Year). Title of image [format]. Website. URL

An image with no author or date would be resolved to this:

[Subject and type of work]. (n.d.). Your image’s URL.

Tips On How to Write a Research Paper in APA Format

Composing APA style research paper correctly, you must understand that such type of writing is not the same thing as the term paper or a simple essay that you do for college. It's not the same as a reflection paper either. You must provide research findings. It means that you should provide your writer's voice but do so in a limited way by focusing on methodology and an explanation of what you discover. Depending on your requirements and the grading rubric, you may have to provide 2-3 citations per page of your research as a way to support your arguments and reference at least one important publication that is dealing with your subject.

As you compose your research paper in the APA style format, make sure that you follow these simple academic writing tips:

Research tone must be present. It means that your research paper should not use the first person unless asked to. The general APA writing style manual recommends using "This study has been conducted by" phrases instead.

It’s recommended to avoid any personal information where you describe your experience. Don’t make the paper sound like a personal statement piece of writing. Your research assignment must synthesize various publications by comparing, contrasting, and finding similarities as you write.

APA 7th style manual asks to use the past tense, which means that you should say that your research paper has shown instead of using " shows ". There may be certain exceptions if you are turning to a certain timeline.

The use of contractions must be limited. It means that you should say " It does not result in " instead of " it doesn't result in ".

Your writing should stay honest and clear without specific bias. Your purpose is to research things without racial, sexual, religious, or gender discrimination.

The use of sources must be implemented correctly without turning your paper into a collection of sources.

Following these simple rules, you will be able to stay within the basic guidelines and follow the rules of APA-style writing. As always, there may be exceptions to every rule, which is why you must talk to your instructor in case of any doubts. Your college or university will always have a final say.

APA Style Format Bias-Free Language Matters

Writing a paper in APA format, one must remember the rules of bias-free language that are also mentioned in the APA 7th manual for research writing. The purpose is to use gender-neutral pronouns and strive for the avoidance of prejudicial beliefs or specific demeaning aspects that may appear as a negative attitude in your research writing. Therefore, when dealing with a sensitive subject, proofread your text twice and talk to your academic advisor before submitting your work. It will help us all create sincere and bias-free research works that follow the rules of mutual respect, multiculturalism, and democracy.

What is MLA Formatting? 

MLA stands for Modern Language Association and is currently in its 9th edition , which has been published in 2021. In simple terms, MLA style formatting is a special system of referencing and structuring research papers. The main purpose is to cite sources correctly and keep your research writing always accurate. By learning how to write a research paper in MLA format, you will be able to submit your college homework according to specified rules and will avoid confusion. You will also learn how to format and structure the list of bibliography references for a research or essay paper by using the Works Cited page. It is another essential aspect of MLA style format. It is also essential to format references correctly to ensure that all sources are properly cited and easily accessible to readers.

MLA style format aims to help your college professor and the target audience to navigate through your paper by turning to various in-text citations with an opportunity to see where information has been taken. Since MLA has specific standards, your academic advisor will check whether you have followed the rules and used the same format, font sizes, headers, and other aspects that make research writing universal.

What is MLA format then? The MLA style is mostly used by college students majoring in English, Literature, social sciences, arts, and humanities. One can assume that MLA style format is one of the most accessible writing standards, which is why it is often required during an introductory course where students learn how to structure their papers and keep information properly referenced.

When you are looking for reliable sources online, it will be easy to recognize the use of MLA format because of the famous MLA header that is always included on the first page where you must mention your full name, instructor’s name, your course, and the date. It is also necessary to use page formatting with your last name on each page, which also helps to determine that an MLA format has been used. We shall discuss this aspect further on as you proceed with our guide.

MLA Research Paper Format: General Guidelines 

If you are already familiar with at least one other academic writing format, you will already know the basics and it will be easier for you to process the information in MLA style. The majority of formats of research paper writing stand for the general rules on how to structure your page layout and a list of rules regarding correct citation. The most important is to start with the MLA header, which will look this way:

Adam Greeley

Professor Smith

Humanities 7311

14 May 2022

This header is always placed at the top left corner of the first page (no title page is required in most cases!) with the page number and your name aligned to the top right of the page. It will look this way:

The other rules on how to write a MLA research paper include:

The recommended fonts include Times New Roman, Arial, or Verdana in 12 pt size.

All the margins of the page in MS Word or a similar processor should be set at 1 inch.

The main content is double-spaced unless specified otherwise.

The MLA header is included only on the first page of your research paper.

The title of your work must be centered.

Every new research paper paragraph should have a hanging indent.

The MLA style uses the author-page citation pattern where you should list the author’s last name with the page number.

The Bibliography page has the “Works Cited” title at the top and center of the first page with your citations.

The sources are listed alphabetically.

Do not place a period after the title or headers.

Do not underline words unless it’s necessary.

Additionally, it is crucial to format references correctly to ensure that all sources are properly cited and easily accessible to readers.

It is recommended to use the rules of inclusive language, according to the latest manual edition of the MLA style. It means that you must avoid certain terms that focus on ethnic peculiarities, religion, gender, disability, age, or social challenges unless it is absolutely necessary. You can also use words like “human-made” to specify gender-neutral aspects.

MLA Research Paper Structure: Essential Parts

One of the most important parts of writing a research paper successfully is following the correct structure that is specified by the chosen writing style. Here are the MLA research paper format parts that you should consider:

Furthermore, it is essential to format references correctly to ensure that all sources are properly cited and easily accessible to readers.

It should have your university's name on top of the page, then the title of your research paper at the center of the page, and at the bottom of the page: your name, course name, professor's name, and the paper's due date (all centered).

Section Headings

The main heading should include your name, instructor's name, relevant class information, and the paper's delivery date.

The other MLA page headings:

First Level Heading.

Your text 

Second Level Heading.

Third Level Heading 

Fourth Level Heading

Fifth Level Heading 

Research Paper Outline

Title of the page (centered)

1. Introduction

Talk about the importance of your subject. 

An interesting topic sentence.

2. Thesis Statement

3. Body Paragraphs

Methodology. 

Research Justification. 

Research Findings.

4. Research Discussion

5. Conclusion

Thesis explanation. 

Introduction & Thesis

Talk about the importance of your research and use a strong thesis statement. Research paper MLA style guidebook recommends allocating about 10% of your final word count to this part.

This is where you must use in-text citations to support your arguments. Always introduce the subject that you want to explore, make a claim, and use citing only then to make it suitable.

In-text Citations

The classic in-text citation will look this way:

According to Darren Smith, “certain peculiarities have been noticed in Shakespeare’s perception of time and death” (9).

The majority of references to youth and the fragility help to understand how age has been limited by social circumstances (Smith 11).

Works Cited Page.

If you already know how to format your Bibliography, it is essential to look for complete information and provide as much as you can. If you are citing from a poetry book or an analysis paper that has been published:

Last Name, First Name of the author. “Title of your research paper.” Title of Collection , edited by Editor’s Name(s), Publisher, Year, page range of the data you have used.

Research paper MLA style Works Cited page example:

Stanley, Lace. “Shakespeare’s Psychology.” The Collected Classic English Poems, edited by John Langsley, Penguin Books, 2006, p.26. Only the first letter of the first word of both the chapter title and the book title should be capitalized.

Citing something from Jstor scientific database:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title.” Title of Scientific Journal , vol. Volume, no. Issue, Month Year of publication, pp. Pages, https://doi.org/DOI , or any relevant identifier.

Enciso, Patricia, et al. “Children’s Literature: Standing in the Shadow of Adults.” Reading Research Quarterly , vol. 45, no. 2, 2010, pp. 252–63. JSTOR , http://www.jstor.org/stable/20697185 . Accessed 20 Jun. 2022.

Regardless of whether you are using MLA format or would like to learn how to use different styles, your research paper should have an introduction, a review of the literature that you have used, the methodology that has been chosen, the results of your research, and a discussion of the findings, or you can simply pay someone to write my paper. You may also be limited by an introduction with a thesis statement, body parts with the arguments, and the conclusion part where you talk about the findings. It will always depend on your subject and research paper type.

Research Paper in MLA Format Writing Tips

Contrary to the popular belief, research paper writing in MLA format is not too difficult if you know the basic rules. If you plan to learn how to write a research paper in APA format, you will feel even more confident because you will be able to differentiate the styles. As a way to help you with your research writing, we have collected these simple MLA formatting for research paper tips:

Always start with the sources and check for Bibliography pages that may be included.

Use only verified sources and look for databases like Google Scholar, Jstor, PubMed, etc.

Always introduce your subject and talk about its importance.

Do not overuse citations in your research paper.

Correct Research Paper Formatting Helps to Avoid Plagiarism

Numerous college students often ask about the purpose of correct research formatting, be it MLA, APA, Chicago, or any other format. Formatting a research paper in MLA and APA formats can be time-consuming and intricate, leading many students to seek professionals who write essays for money to ensure their papers meet all formatting guidelines and academic standards. In addition to structuring things according to academic standards, the most important aspect of staying accurate as you research is to provide correct structure and citations if you use any external sources. It will help you to prepare your writing for publishing purposes and let you avoid plagiarism issues. It is the main purpose of correct research paper formatting. Moreover, it is essential to format references correctly to ensure that all sources are properly cited and easily accessible to readers. This guide contains the main rules that provide a checklist that will help you stay safe and follow all the essential rules.

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MLA Works Cited Page: Books

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

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When you are gathering book sources, be sure to make note of the following bibliographic items: the author name(s), other contributors such as translators or editors, the book’s title, editions of the book, the publication date, the publisher, and the pagination.

The 8 th  edition of the MLA handbook highlights principles over prescriptive practices. Essentially, a writer will need to take note of primary elements in every source, such as author, title, etc. and then assort them in a general format. Thus, by using this methodology, a writer will be able to cite any source regardless of whether it’s included in this list.

Please note these changes in the new edition:

• Commas are used instead of periods between Publisher, Publication Date, and Pagination.
• Medium is no longer necessary.
• Containers are now a part of the MLA process. Commas should be used after container titles.
• DOIs should be used instead of URLS when available.
• Use the term “Accessed” instead of listing the date or the abbreviation, “n.d."

Below is the general format for any citation:

Author. Title. Title of container (do not list container for standalone books, e.g. novels), Other contributors (translators or editors), Version (edition), Number (vol. and/or no.), Publisher, Publication Date, Location (pages, paragraphs URL or DOI). 2 nd  container’s title, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location, Date of Access (if applicable).

Basic Book Format

The author’s name or a book with a single author's name appears in last name, first name format. The basic form for a book citation is:

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book . City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.

* Note: the City of Publication should only be used if the book was published before 1900, if the publisher has offices in more than one country, or if the publisher is unknown in North America.

Book with One Author

Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science . Penguin, 1987.

Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House . MacMurray, 1999.

Book with More Than One Author

When a book has two authors, order the authors in the same way they are presented in the book. Start by listing the first name that appears on the book in last name, first name format; subsequent author names appear in normal order (first name last name format).

Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring . Allyn and Bacon, 2000.

If there are three or more authors, list only the first author followed by the phrase et al. (Latin for "and others") in place of the subsequent authors' names. (Note that there is a period after “al” in “et al.” Also note that there is never a period after the “et” in “et al.”).

Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition . Utah State UP, 2004.

Two or More Books by the Same Author

List works alphabetically by title. (Remember to ignore articles like A, An, and The.) Provide the author’s name in last name, first name format for the first entry only. For each subsequent entry by the same author, use three hyphens and a period.

Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism . St. Martin's, 1997.

---. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History . Southern Illinois UP, 1993.

Book by a Corporate Author or Organization

A corporate author may include a commission, a committee, a government agency, or a group that does not identify individual members on the title page.

List the names of corporate authors in the place where an author’s name typically appears at the beginning of the entry.

American Allergy Association. Allergies in Children . Random House, 1998.

When the author and publisher are the same, skip the author, and list the title first. Then, list the corporate author only as the publisher.

Fair Housing—Fair Lending. Aspen Law & Business, 1985.

Book with No Author

List by title of the book. Incorporate these entries alphabetically just as you would with works that include an author name. For example, the following entry might appear between entries of works written by Dean, Shaun and Forsythe, Jonathan.

Encyclopedia of Indiana . Somerset, 1993.

Remember that for an in-text (parenthetical) citation of a book with no author, you should provide the name of the work in the signal phrase and the page number in parentheses. You may also use a shortened version of the title of the book accompanied by the page number. For more information see the In-text Citations for Print Sources with No Known Author section of In-text Citations: The Basics .

A Translated Book

If you want to emphasize the work rather than the translator, cite as you would any other book. Add “translated by” and follow with the name(s) of the translator(s).

Foucault, Michel. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason . Translated by Richard Howard, Vintage-Random House, 1988.

If you want to focus on the translation, list the translator as the author. In place of the author’s name, the translator’s name appears. His or her name is followed by the label, “translator.” If the author of the book does not appear in the title of the book, include the name, with a “By” after the title of the book and before the publisher. Note that this type of citation is less common and should only be used for papers or writing in which translation plays a central role.

Howard, Richard, translator. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason . By Michel Foucault, Vintage-Random House, 1988.

Republished Book

Books may be republished due to popularity without becoming a new edition. New editions are typically revisions of the original work. For books that originally appeared at an earlier date and that have been republished at a later one, insert the original publication date before the publication information.

For books that are new editions (i.e. different from the first or other editions of the book), see An Edition of a Book below.

Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble . 1990. Routledge, 1999.

Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine . 1984. Perennial-Harper, 1993.

An Edition of a Book

There are two types of editions in book publishing: a book that has been published more than once in different editions and a book that is prepared by someone other than the author (typically an editor).

A Subsequent Edition

Cite the book as you normally would, but add the number of the edition after the title.

Crowley, Sharon, and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students . 3rd ed., Pearson, 2004.

A Work Prepared by an Editor

Cite the book as you normally would, but add the editor after the title with the label "edited by."

Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre,  edited by Margaret Smith, Oxford UP, 1998.

Note that the format for citing sources with important contributors with editor-like roles follows the same basic template:

...adapted by John Doe...

Finally, in the event that the source features a contributor that cannot be described with a past-tense verb and the word "by" (e.g., "edited by"), you may instead use a noun followed by a comma, like so:

...guest editor, Jane Smith...

Anthology or Collection (e.g. Collection of Essays)

To cite the entire anthology or collection, list by editor(s) followed by a comma and "editor" or, for multiple editors, "editors." This sort of entry is somewhat rare. If you are citing a particular piece within an anthology or collection (more common), see A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection below.

Hill, Charles A., and Marguerite Helmers, editors. Defining Visual Rhetorics . Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004.

Peterson, Nancy J., editor. Toni Morrison: Critical and Theoretical Approaches . Johns Hopkins UP, 1997.

A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection

Works may include an essay in an edited collection or anthology, or a chapter of a book. The basic form is for this sort of citation is as follows:

Last name, First name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection , edited by Editor's Name(s), Publisher, Year, Page range of entry.

Some examples:

Harris, Muriel. "Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers." A Tutor's Guide: Helping Writers One to One , edited by Ben Rafoth, Heinemann, 2000, pp. 24-34.

Swanson, Gunnar. "Graphic Design Education as a Liberal Art: Design and Knowledge in the University and The 'Real World.'" The Education of a Graphic Designer , edited by Steven Heller, Allworth Press, 1998, pp. 13-24.

Note on Cross-referencing Several Items from One Anthology: If you cite more than one essay from the same edited collection, MLA indicates you may cross-reference within your works cited list in order to avoid writing out the publishing information for each separate essay. You should consider this option if you have several references from a single text. To do so, include a separate entry for the entire collection listed by the editor's name as below:

Rose, Shirley K, and Irwin Weiser, editors. The Writing Program Administrator as Researcher . Heinemann, 1999.

Then, for each individual essay from the collection, list the author's name in last name, first name format, the title of the essay, the editor's last name, and the page range:

L'Eplattenier, Barbara. "Finding Ourselves in the Past: An Argument for Historical Work on WPAs." Rose and Weiser, pp. 131-40.

Peeples, Tim. "'Seeing' the WPA With/Through Postmodern Mapping." Rose and Weiser, pp. 153-67.

Please note: When cross-referencing items in the works cited list, alphabetical order should be maintained for the entire list.

Poem or Short Story Examples :

Burns, Robert. "Red, Red Rose." 100 Best-Loved Poems, edited by Philip Smith, Dover, 1995, p. 26.

Kincaid, Jamaica. "Girl." The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories , edited by Tobias Wolff, Vintage, 1994, pp. 306-07.

If the specific literary work is part of the author's own collection (all of the works have the same author), then there will be no editor to reference:

Whitman, Walt. "I Sing the Body Electric." Selected Poems, Dover, 1991, pp. 12-19.

Carter, Angela. "The Tiger's Bride." Burning Your Boats: The Collected Stories, Penguin, 1995, pp. 154-69.

Article in a Reference Book (e.g. Encyclopedias, Dictionaries)

For entries in encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works, cite the entry name as you would any other work in a collection but do not include the publisher information. Also, if the reference book is organized alphabetically, as most are, do not list the volume or the page number of the article or item.

"Ideology." The American Heritage Dictionary.  3rd ed. 1997. 

A Multivolume Work

When citing only one volume of a multivolume work, include the volume number after the work's title, or after the work's editor or translator.

Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria . Translated by H. E. Butler, vol. 2, Loeb-Harvard UP, 1980.

When citing more than one volume of a multivolume work, cite the total number of volumes in the work. Also, be sure in your in-text citation to provide both the volume number and page number(s) ( see "Citing Multivolume Works" on our in-text citations resource .)

Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria . Translated by H. E. Butler, Loeb-Harvard UP, 1980. 4 vols.

If the volume you are using has its own title, cite the book without referring to the other volumes as if it were an independent publication.

Churchill, Winston S. The Age of Revolution . Dodd, 1957.

An Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterword

When citing an introduction, a preface, a foreword, or an afterword, write the name of the author(s) of the piece you are citing. Then give the name of the part being cited, which should not be italicized or enclosed in quotation marks; in italics, provide the name of the work and the name of the author of the introduction/preface/foreword/afterword. Finish the citation with the details of publication and page range.

Farrell, Thomas B. Introduction. Norms of Rhetorical Culture , by Farrell, Yale UP, 1993, pp. 1-13.

If the writer of the piece is different from the author of the complete work , then write the full name of the principal work's author after the word "By." For example, if you were to cite Hugh Dalziel Duncan’s introduction of Kenneth Burke’s book Permanence and Change, you would write the entry as follows:

Duncan, Hugh Dalziel. Introduction. Permanence and Change: An Anatomy of Purpose, by Kenneth Burke, 1935, 3rd ed., U of California P, 1984, pp. xiii-xliv.

Book Published Before 1900

Original copies of books published before 1900 are usually defined by their place of publication rather than the publisher. Unless you are using a newer edition, cite the city of publication where you would normally cite the publisher.

Thoreau, Henry David. Excursions . Boston, 1863.

Italicize “The Bible” and follow it with the version you are using. Remember that your in-text (parenthetical citation) should include the name of the specific edition of the Bible, followed by an abbreviation of the book, the chapter and verse(s). (See Citing the Bible at In-Text Citations: The Basics .)

The Bible. Authorized King James Version , Oxford UP, 1998.

The Bible. The New Oxford Annotated Version , 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2001.

The New Jerusalem Bible. Edited by Susan Jones, Doubleday, 1985.

A Government Publication

Cite the author of the publication if the author is identified. Otherwise, start with the name of the national government, followed by the agency (including any subdivisions or agencies) that serves as the organizational author. For congressional documents, be sure to include the number of the Congress and the session when the hearing was held or resolution passed as well as the report number. US government documents are typically published by the Government Printing Office.

United States, Congress, Senate, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearing on the Geopolitics of Oil . Government Printing Office, 2007. 110th Congress, 1st session, Senate Report 111-8.

United States, Government Accountability Office. Climate Change: EPA and DOE Should Do More to Encourage Progress Under Two Voluntary Programs . Government Printing Office, 2006.

Cite the title and publication information for the pamphlet just as you would a book without an author. Pamphlets and promotional materials commonly feature corporate authors (commissions, committees, or other groups that does not provide individual group member names). If the pamphlet you are citing has no author, cite as directed below. If your pamphlet has an author or a corporate author, put the name of the author (last name, first name format) or corporate author in the place where the author name typically appears at the beginning of the entry. (See also Books by a Corporate Author or Organization above.)

Women's Health: Problems of the Digestive System . American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2006.

Your Rights Under California Welfare Programs . California Department of Social Services, 2007.

Dissertations and Master's Theses

Dissertations and master's theses may be used as sources whether published or not. Unlike previous editions, MLA 8 specifies no difference in style for published/unpublished works.

The main elements of a dissertation citation are the same as those for a book: author name(s), title (italicized) , and publication date. Conclude with an indication of the document type (e.g., "PhD dissertation"). The degree-granting institution may be included before the document type (though this is not required). If the dissertation was accessed through an online repository, include it as the second container after all the other elements.

Bishop, Karen Lynn. Documenting Institutional Identity: Strategic Writing in the IUPUI Comprehensive Campaign . 2002. Purdue University, PhD dissertation.

Bile, Jeffrey. Ecology, Feminism, and a Revised Critical Rhetoric: Toward a Dialectical Partnership . 2005. Ohio University, PhD dissertation.

Mitchell, Mark. The Impact of Product Quality Reducing Events on the Value of Brand-Name Capital: Evidence from Airline Crashes and the 1982 Tylenol Poisonings.  1987. PhD dissertation.  ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.

List the names of corporate authors in the place where an author’s name typically appears at the beginning of the entry if the author and publisher are not the same.

Fair Housing—Fair Lending. Aspen Law & Business, 1985.