How to Use Proper MLA Form to Cite Online Encyclopedias

With the vast amount of information on the web, students need to know how to properly cite online sources.

MLA, or Modern Language Association, is a style which is used often in humanities, language and literature courses. College students who have taken any classes that fall under one of these categories are familiar with the MLA citations required for properly citing their sources. Before a professor can pass a student on to the next course, he or she needs to be certain that all students have a firm grasp of MLA citations. As MLA guidelines are constantly changing, one may find it difficult to keep up with the current formatting. Online citations are becoming more and more common with the wide range of information available on the web; MLA has specific formatting for citing online sources.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Internet access
• Word or other word processing program

Instructions

1. Open a word document as well as the page of the online encyclopedia you wish to cite in MLA.

2. Locate the title of the name of the encyclopedia article. For instance, if you are researching evolution, the title of the page may be "evolution." On your works cited page, put the title in quotation marks. Include a period inside the quotation marks.

3. Type the name of the encyclopedia name. For example, if you are referencing Encyclopedia Britannica, type 'Encyclopedia Britannica Online'. The name should either be underlined or in italics, followed by a period.

4. Look for the version of the encyclopedia which may be labeled on the website as the version, volume or edition number. If the volume number is 27, type 'Vol. 27', followed by a period. You will also need to include the date the website was last updated. If it was in June of 2009, type 'June 2009', followed by a period.

5. Locate the publisher of the encyclopedia. This is most likely the name of the encyclopedia. In the Encyclopedia Britannica example, you would simply type 'Encyclopedia Britannica', followed by a period. Include page numbers if available.

6. Include the date of access, which is the date you viewed the page. You should include day, month and year. If you viewed the page on March 21, 2010, type '21, Mar. 2010', followed by a period.

7. Check with your instructor as to whether they require the URL for the online encyclopedia. New MLA guidelines do not require it; however, many instructors do. If your instructor requires it, copy and paste the entire URL in between the < and > symbols.

Tips & Warnings

• The first line of an MLA citation is not indented. However, each subsequent line of the entry needs to be tabbed over once.

• "Works Cited" pages should be double-spaced.

References

• StudyGuide.org: MLA Format -- MLA Works Cited
• Purdue Online Writing Lab: MLA Works Cited -- Electronic Sources