How to Follow MLA Guidelines for References
MLA guidelines for research and academic papers require in-text recognition of quoted or paraphrased sources. Enough information is provided to locate complete reference information in the list of works cited at the end of the paper. Lists of works cited are generated alphabetically. Titles words are capitalized except for articles (the, a), conjunctions (if, and, but), and prepositions (to, from). Periodical and web article titles are enclosed in quotation marks, whereas book titles and website names are italicized. Entries include the reference medium (eg. Print, Web, Radio/TV), capitalized at the end of the entry.
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Instructions
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In-text, or parenthetical, citations briefly list the resource enclosed in parenthesis, at the end of the sentence or paraphrased that is being quoted or paraphrased, preceding the punctuation mark (comma or period). Parenthetical citations include the last name of the author (editor, translator, corporate name) and the page number or paragraph number, if provided. In case of entries with no author, but only a title or website, list the title in full (short titles) or shortened (keywords of long titles).
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Write journal, newspaper and magazine listings to include author's name (last name first), "article title," journal title, volume and issue numbers, date of publication, and article page numbers, and medium, all separated by periods. For online articles, include website address and date the article was accessed.
Example 1: Blue, Carroll Parrott. "The Dawn at My Back". Houston History. Volume 8, Number 1. Fall 2010. Print.
Example 2: Allen, Leslie. "Ocean Noises". National Geographic. January 2011. Web.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/table-of-contents
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Start book entries with the author's last name, followed by a comma and the first name. Include additional authors by writing first then last names, separating authors with commas, and ending with a period. Include title of book (italicized) followed by a period, city of publication with a colon, publisher information with a comma, year of publication ending with a period, and the word Print followed by a period.
Example: Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Fifth Edition. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 1999. Print
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Format letter citations by writing author's name, "Letter to" recipient, date letter was written, name of the collection and or depository it belongs to, and depository's location.
Example: Williams, Connie. Letter to Joan Whetzel. April 2002. Joan Whetzel Collection. Katy, Texas.
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Construct interview entries by listing interviewee's name, interviewer's name, interview date, names of collection and depository, depository location and medium.
Example: Tiemann, Robert. Interview with Joan Whetzel. World War II Anti-German Propaganda in the US. Joan Whetzel Collection. October 2008.Audiocassette
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Cite government documents by listing the agency it was issued by, document title, congressional number, congressional session, publication location and date, and the document number. Add the word Print.
Example: United States. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Registration and Protection of Trademarks. Hearings before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights. Eighty-Seventh Congress, first session. June 20, 21, 1961. Washington : U.S. G.P.O., 1961.
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References
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