GENERAL MLA GUIDELINES FOR INCORPORATING AND CITING SOURCES
 
        How to incorporate a source
        How to put together citations for a Works Cited page
TYPES & NUMBERS OF AUTHORS
        1.  single human author
        2.  multiple human authors
        3.  corporate/governmental author
        4.  unknown author
        5.  Two or more works by the same author
BOOKS
        6.  basic format for a book
        7.  a book with an editor(s)
        8.  author with an editor
        9.  author with a translator
        10.  edition other than the first
        11.  multivolume work
        12.  encyclopedia or dictionary entry
        13.  sacred text
        14.  work in an anthology/collection
        15.  foreword, introduction, preface, or afterword
        16.  book in a series
ARTICLES IN PERIODICALS
        17.  in a magazine
        18.  in a journal paginated by volume
        19.  in a journal paginated by issue
        20.  in a daily newspaper
        21.  editorial in a newspaper
        22.  letter to the editor
        23.  book/film review
ELECTRONIC SOURCES
        24.  an entire website
        25.  short work from a website
        26.  online book
        27.  work within a scholarly project
        28.  work from a subscription service
        29.  article in an online periodical
        30.  cd-rom
        31.  email
        32.  online posting
        33.  real-time communication
MULTIMEDIA SOURCES
        34.  work of art
        35.  cartoon
        36.  advertisement
        37.  map or chart
        38.  musical composition
        39.  sound recording
        40.  film or video
        41.  radio or television program
        42.  radio or television interview
        43.  live performance of a play
        44.  lecture or public address
        45.  personal interview
OTHER SOURCES
        46.  governmental publication
        47.  legal source
        48.  pamphlet
        49.  dissertation
        50.  abstract of a dissertation
        51.  published proceedings of a conference
        52.  published interview
        53.  personal letter
How to incorporate a source
 
            There is no limit to the possible ways that a source can be introduced or incorporated, but here are just a couple possible ways to bring a source into your essay.  A general idea you'll want to keep in mind is that a paraphrase is, more often than not, more useful than a direct quote.  Direct quotes should be used sparingly, only when the specific terminology is important to your main point.  Both examples below are leading into paraphrases.  For further comment on incorporating sources, see the Bedford Handbook, 6th ed., pp. 580+.  And always remember to talk with your teacher for further suggestions.
 
According to Mary Jones, . . .
OR . . .
In his essay, “I’m Telling You What I Think,” Bob White (argues?) (claims?) (says?) (states?) that . . .
 
Pay attention to how the punctuation is ordered in these examples.

How to put together citations for a Works Cited page

TYPES & NUMBERS OF AUTHORS
 
1. Single human author
            For a work with one author, begin the entry with the author’s last name, followed by a comma; then give the author’s first name, followed by a period.  
 
Tannen, Deborah.
 
2. Multiple human authors
            For works with two or three authors, name the authors in the order in which they are listed in the source. Reverse the name of only the first author.  
 
Walker, Janice R., and Todd Taylor.
Or:
Wilmut, Ian, Keith Campbell, and Colin Tudge.
 
            For a work with four or more authors, either name all of the authors or name the first author, followed by “et al.” (Latin for “and others”).  
 
Sloan, Frank A., Emily M. Stout, Kathryn Whetten-Goldstein, and Lan Liang.
Or:
Sloan, Frank A., et al.
 
3. Corporate/Governmental author
            When the author of a print document or Web site is a corporation, a government agency, or some other organization, begin your entry with the name of the group.
 
Bank of Boston.
United States. Bureau of the Census.
American Automobile Association.
NOTE: Make sure that your in-text citation also treats the organization as the author.
 
4. Unknown author
            When the author of a work is unknown, begin with the work’s title.
 
Article
“Cell Phone Use Increases Risk of Accidents, but Users Willing to Take the Risk.”
Book
Atlas of the World.
Website
Caracol: The Official Website of the Caracol Archaeological Project. 
 
Before concluding that the author of a work such as a Web source is unknown, check carefully.  Also remember that an organization may be the author.
 
5. Two or more works by the same author
            If your list of works cited includes two or more works by the same author, use the author’s name only for the first entry. For other entries use three hyphens followed by a period. The three hyphens must stand for exactly the same name or names as in the first entry. List the titles in alphabetical order.  
 
Atwood, Margaret. Alias Grace: A Novel. New York: Doubleday, 1996.
---. The Robber Bride. New York: Doubleday, 1993. 
 
Books
Items 6-19 apply to print books.
6. Basic format for a book
 
Tan, Amy. The Bonesetter’s Daughter. New York: Putnam, 2001. 
 
7. A book with an editor(s)
 
Powell, Kevin, ed. Step into a World: A Global Anthology of the New Black Literature.
            New York: Wiley, 2000.
 
8. Author with an editor
 
Plath, Sylvia. The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath. Ed. Karen V. Kukil. New York:
            Anchor-Doubleday, 2000.
 
9. Author with a translator 
 
Allende, Isabel. Daughter of Fortune. Trans. Margaret Sayers Peden.  New York:
            Harper, 2000.
 
10. Edition other than the first
 
Boyce, David George. The Irish Question and British Politics, 1868-1996. 2nd ed.
            New York: St. Martin’s, 1996.
 
11. Multivolume work
 
12. Encyclopedia or dictionary entry
 
Brakeley, Theresa C.  "Mourning Songs."  Funk and Wagnall's Standard Dictionary of
            Folklore, Mythology, and Legend.  Ed. Maria Leach and Jerome Fried.  2 vols.
            New York:  Crowell, 1950.
Or:
“Sonata.” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.  4th ed.
            2000. 
 
13. Sacred text
 
Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Wheaton: Tyndale, 1996. 
 
14. Work in an anthology (an “anthology” is a collection of essays or stories)
 
Odell, Noell. “Mallory and Irvine’s Attempt.” Points Unknown: A Century of Great
            Exploration. Ed. David Roberts. New York:  Norton, 2000. 161-72.
 
            If an anthology gives the original publication information for a selection and if your instructor prefers that you use it, cite that information first. Follow with “Rpt. in” (for “Reprinted in”) and the title of the anthology, along with the other information about the anthology as in the model just given.  
 
Alvarez, Julia. “Picky Eater.” Something to Declare. Chapel Hill:  Algonquin, 1998.
            75-86. Rpt. in The Norton Book of American Autobiography. Ed. Jay Parini.
            New York: Norton, 1999.  619-26.
 
15. Foreword, introduction, preface, or afterword
 
Pipher, Mary. Foreword. Can’t Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We
            Think and Feel. By Jean Kilbourne. New York:  Touchstone-Simon, 1999.
            11-13.
 
16. Book in a series 
 
Malena, Anne. The Dynamics of Identity in Francophone Caribbean Narrative.
            Francophone Cultures and Lits. Ser. 24. New York: Lang, 1998.
 
Articles in periodicals
            This section shows how to prepare works cited entries for articles in magazines, scholarly journals, and newspapers. In addition to consulting the models in this section, you will at times need to turn to other models as well.
 
17. Article in a magazine

List, in the following order, separated by periods:
 
Kaplan, Robert D. “History Moving North.” Atlantic Monthly Feb. 1997:  21+.
 
for magazine issued weekly or biweekly, give the exact date.  
 
Lord, Lewis. “There’s Something about Mary Todd.” U.S. News and World Report 19
            Feb. 2001: 53. 
 
18. Article in a journal paginated by volume
            These sources don’t restart page numbers at 1 for each issue.  For instance, the January issue will take up pages 1-50, and the February issue will begin on page 51, and so on. Many scholarly journals continue page numbers throughout the year instead of beginning each issue with page 1.  To find an article, readers need only the volume number, the year, and the page numbers.
 
Ryan, Katy. “Revolutionary Suicide in Toni Morrison’s Fiction.” African American
            Review  34 (2000): 389-412.
 
19. Article in a journal paginated by issue
 
Wood, Michael. “Broken Dates: Fiction and the Century.” Kenyon Review  22.3 (2000):
            50-64.
 
20. Article in a daily newspaper
 
Murphy, Sean P. “Decisions on Status of Tribes Draw Fire.” Boston Globe 27 Mar. 2001:
            A2.
 
If the section is marked with a number rather than a letter, handle the entry as follows:  
 
Wilford, John Noble. “In a Golden Age of Discovery, Faraway Worlds Beckon.” New
            York Times 9 Feb. 1997, late ed., sec. 1: 1+. 
 
            When an edition of the newspaper is specified on the masthead, name the edition after the date and before the page reference (eastern ed., late ed., natl. ed., and so on), as in the example just given.
 
21. Editorial in a newspaper
 
“All Wet.” Editorial. Boston Globe 12 Feb. 2001: 14.
 
22. Letter to the editor
 
Shrewsbury, Toni. Letter. Atlanta Journal-Constitution 17 Feb. 2001:  A13.
 
23. Book review or film review
Book review
Gleick, Elizabeth. “The Burdens of Genius.” Rev. of The Last Samurai, by Helen DeWitt.
            Time 4 Dec. 2000: 171.
Movie review
Denby, David. “On the Battlefield.” Rev. of The Hurricane, dir. Norman Jewison. New
            Yorker 10 Jan. 2000: 90-92. 
 
Electronic sources
            There is still a considerable lack of agreement on how to address many of the confusions that arise while trying to figure out how to cite on-line materials.  Always (ALWAYS) make sure you understand how your instructor wants you to cite your materials.  The following entries represent the current conventions regarding how to cite some on-line materials. 
 
24. An entire Web site
            In order to site a web site (NOT a particular page within a cite), follow the order of the information listed below.  In many cases, some of the information will not be available.  If a bit of information is not available, simply skip it and move to the next.
 
author known
Peterson, Susan Lynn. The Life of Martin Luther. 1999. 9 Mar. 2001
            <http://pweb.netcom.com/~supeters/luther.htm>. 
governmental author
United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Values and Functions of Wetlands. 25
            May 1999. 24 Mar. 2001 <http://www.epa.gov-owow/wetlands/facts/fact2.html>.
sponsoring group
Margaret Sanger Papers Project. 18 Oct. 2000. History Dept., New York U. 3 Apr.
            2001 <http://www.nyu.edu/projects/sanger/>.
Site with an editor
Exploring Ancient World Cultures. Ed. Anthony F. Beavers. 1997. U of Evansville. 12
            Mar. 2001 <http://eawc.evansville.edu/index.htm>.
 
            If the site has no title, substitute a description, such as “Home page,” for the title. Do not underline the words or put them in quotation marks.
 
Block, Marylaine. Home page. 5 Mar. 2001. 12 Apr. 2001
            <http://www.marylaine.com>. 
 
25. Short work from a Web site
            “Short” works are those that appear in quotation marks in MLA style: articles, poems, and other documents that are not book length. For a short work from a Web site, include as many of the following elements as apply and as are available:  
 
author known
Shiva, Vandana. “Bioethics: A Third World Issue.”  NativeWeb. 24 Feb. 2001
            <http://www.nativeweb.org/pages/legal/shiva.html>. 
author unknown
“Media Giants.” The Merchants of Cool. 2001. PBS Online. 7 Mar. 2001
            <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/giants>.
 
26. Online book
            When a book or a book-length work such as a play or a long poem is posted on the Web as its own site, give as much publication information as is available, followed by your date of access and the URL.
 
Rawlins, Gregory J. E. Moths to the Flame. Cambridge: MIT P, 1996.  3 Apr. 2001
            <http://mitpress.mit.edu/e-books/Moths/contents.html>.
 
27. Work within a scholarly project
            For a work within a Web-based scholarly project, you may need to include more information than is necessary for an ordinary Web site or document. For example, the project may contain information about the authors, translators, and editors (along with dates, if available) for both the source you are citing and for the entire scholarly project.
 
short work within a scholarly project
Swift, Jonathan. “A Modest Proposal.” 1729. Eighteenth-Century Studies. Ed. Geoffrey
            Sauer. The English Server. U of Washington. 7 Mar. 2001
            <http://eserver.org/18th/swiftmodest.txt>. 
book within a scholarly project
Jacobs, Harriet Ann. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Boston, 1861. Documenting
            the American South: The Southern Experience in Nineteenth-Century
            America. Ed. Ji-Hae Yoon and Natalia Smith.  1998. Academic Affairs Lib., U of
            North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  14 Mar. 2001
            <http://docsouth.unc.edu/jacobs/jacobs.html>. 
 
28. Work from a subscription service
            Libraries pay for access to databases through subscription services such as Lexis-Nexis and ProQuest Direct. Below is the format for a citing a source from ProQuest, Infotrac, and CQ Researcher. 
 
Fitzgerald, Jill. “How Will Bilingual/ESL Programs in Literacy Change in the Next
            Millennium?” Reading Research Quarterly 35.4 (2000). Expanded Academic
            ASAP. InfoTrac. Salem State Coll. Lib., Salem, MA. 16 Feb. 2001.
 
            If you know the URL of the subscription service, add it at the end of the entry.
When you access a work through a personal subscription service such as America Online, 
give the information about the source, followed by the name of the service, the date of access, and the keyword used to retrieve the source.
 
Conniff, Richard. “The House That John Built.” Smithsonian Feb. 2001.  America Online.
            11 Mar. 2001. Keyword: Smithsonian Magazine.
 
29. Article in an online periodical
            When citing online articles, follow the guidelines for printed articles, giving whatever information is available in the online source. End the citation with your date of access and the URL.  In some online articles, paragraphs are numbered. For such articles, include the total number of paragraphs in your citation, as in the next example.
 
from an on-line scholarly journal
Belau, Linda. “Trauma and the Material Signifier.” Postmodern Culture 11.2 (2001): 37.
            30 Mar. 2000<http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu
from an on-line magazine 
Morgan, Fiona. “Banning the Bullies.” Salon.com 15 Mar. 2001. 2 Apr. 2001
            <http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2001/03/15/html>. 
from an on-line newspaper
Barabak, Mark Z. “Californians Endorse New Power Plants, Environmental Rules.” Los
            Angeles Times 17 Feb. 2001. 18 Feb. 2001
            <http://www.latimes.com/news/timespoll/state/lat_poll0010217.htm.
 
30. CD-ROM
            Treat a CD-ROM as you would any other source, but name the medium before the 
publication information.  
 
“Pimpernel.” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.  4th ed.
            CD-ROM. Boston: Houghton, 2000.
Or:
Wattenberg, Ruth. “Helping Students in the Middle.” American Educator 19.4 (1996):
            2-18. ERIC. CD ROM. SilverPlatter. Sept. 1996.
 
31. E-mail
            To cite an e-mail, begin with the writer’s name and the subject line. Then write “E-mail to” followed by the name of the recipient. End with the date of the message.  
 
O’Donnell, Patricia. “Re: Interview questions.” E-mail to the author.  15 Mar. 2001.
 
32. Online posting 
            For an online posting, begin with the author’s name, followed by the title or subject line (in quotation marks), the words “Online posting,” the date of posting, the list or group name, the date of access, and the URL.
 
Keirn, Kellie. “Evaluation Criteria.” Online posting. 6 Feb. 2001.  Speakeasy Café. 7 Feb.
            2001 <http://morrison.wsu.edu/ExchangeDetail.asp?i+274925>. 
 
33. Real-time communication  
            To cite a real-time communication, include the writer’s name (if relevant), a description and date of the event, the title of the forum, the date of access, and the URL.  
 
Steve England. “A Brief History of Cobbling.” 27 April 2003. Composition 102-AF. 27
            April 2003 <telnet://connections.ooh.ahh.org:3333>.
 
Multimedia sources
            Multimedia sources include visuals (such as works of art), audio works (such as sound recordings), audiovisuals (such as films), and live events (such as the performance of a play).  When citing online multimedia sources, consult the appropriate model in this section and give whatever information is available for the online source; then end the citation with your date of access and the URL.
 
34. Work of art 
 
Constable, John. Dedham Vale. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. van Gogh,
            Vincent. Starry Night. June 1889. Museum of Mod. Art, New York. 27 Feb.
            2001 <http://www.moma.org/docs/collection/paintsculpt/c58.htm>.
 
35. Cartoon
 
Rall, Ted. “Search and Destroy.” Cartoon. Village Voice 23 Jan. 2001:  6.
 
36. Advertisement
            Name the product or company being advertised, followed by the word “Advertisement.” Give publication information for the source in which the advertisement appears.  
 
Truth by Calvin Klein. Advertisement. Vogue Dec. 2000: 95-98.
 
37. Map or chart
            Cite a map or chart as you would a book or a short work within a longer work. Add the word “Map” or “Chart” following the title.
Map
New Jersey. Map. Chicago: Rand, 2000.
Chart
Joseph, Lori, and Bob Laird. “Driving While Phoning Is Dangerous.”  Chart. USA Today
            16 Feb. 2001: 1A.
 
38. Musical composition  
            Cite the composer’s name, followed by the title of the work. Underline the title of an opera, a ballet, or a composition identified by name, but do not underline or use quotation marks around a composition identified by number or form.  
 
Ellington, Duke. Conga Brava.
Haydn, Franz Joseph. Symphony no. 88 in G. 
 
39. Sound recording 
 
Bizet, Georges. Carmen. Perf. Jennifer Laramore, Thomas Moser, Angela Gheorghiu, and
            Samuel Ramey. Bavarian State Orch. and Chorus.  Cond. Giuseppe Sinopoli.
            Warner, 1996.
For a song, put the title in quotation marks. If you include the name of the album, underline it.  
 
Chapman, Tracy. “Paper and Ink.” Telling Stories. Elektra, 2000.
 
40. Film or video
            Begin with the title, underlined (or italicized). For a film, cite the director and the lead actors or narrator (“Perf.” or “Narr.”), followed by the name of the distributor and the year of the film’s release. For a videotape or DVD, add “Videocassette” or “DVD” before the name of the distributor.  
 
Chocolat. Dir. Lasse Hallström. Perf. Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Lena
            Olin, and Johnny Depp. Miramax, 2001.
 
High Fidelity. Dir. Stephen Frears. Perf. John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Jack Black, and Todd
            Louiso. 2000. Videocassette. Walt Disney Video, 2001.
 
41. Radio or television program 
            Begin with the title of the radio segment or television episode (if there is one) in 
quotation marks, followed by the title of the program, underlined (or italicized). Next give relevant information about the program’s writer (“By”), director (“Dir.”), performers (“Perf.”), or host (“Host”). Then name the network, the local station (if any), and the date the program was broadcast.  
 
“Super Heroes.” This American Life. Host Ira Glass. Public Radio Intl. WBEZ, Chicago.
            9 Feb. 2001. 
 
            If there is a series title, include it after the title of the program, neither underlined nor in quotation marks.  
 
Mysteries of the Pyramids. On the Inside. Discovery Channel. 7 Feb. 2001.
 
42. Radio or television interview 
 
McGovern, George. Interview. Charlie Rose. PBS. WNET, New York. 1 Feb 2001.
 
43. Live performance of a play 
 
Mother Courage. By Bertolt Brecht. Dir. János Szász. Perf. Karen McDonald,
            Mirjana Jokovic, Jonathon Roberts, Tim Kang, and Amos
            Lichtman. Amer. Repertory Theatre, Cambridge. 18 Mar.
            2001.
 
44. Lecture or public address 
 
Cohran, Kelan. “Slavery and Astronomy.” Adler Planetarium, Chicago. 21 Feb. 2001.
 
45. Personal interview
To cite an interview that you conducted, 
 
Shaikh, Michael. Personal interview. 22 Mar. 2001.
 
Other sources
        This section includes a variety of traditional print sources not covered elsewhere. For sources obtained on the Web, consult the appropriate model in this section and give whatever information is available for the online source; then end the citation with the date on which you accessed the source and the URL.
 
46. Government publication  
            Treat the government agency as the author, giving the name of the government followed by the name of the agency.  
 
United States. Natl. Council on Disability. Promises to Keep: A Decade of Federal
            Enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Washington: GPO, 2000.
 
            For government documents published online, give as much publication information as is available and end your citation with the date of access and the URL.  
 
United States. Dept. of Transportation. Natl. Highway Traffic Safety Administration. An