MLA 8th edition- citation styles

MLA Handbook, 8th edition has made a significant shift from a fixed set of rules to a system based on general principles. These new principles can be used with any type source and they allow writers to create streamlined and more useful citations. The Handbook still includes citation examples, but the examples are organized by the elements of this template:

1. Author
2. Title of source
3. Title of container
4. Other contributors
5. Version
6. Number
7. Publisher
8. Publication date
9. Location

Changes from MLA 7th ed.

Here are a few of the notable changes in the works-cited-list entries from the seventh edition:

1. The recommended list of abbreviations is much shorter (96-97); words such as editor, edited by, translator, and review of are not abbreviated.

2. If a source has three or more authors, only the first is listed, followed by et al. (22). The term "author" is used broadly and the writer has the flexibility to deciding if a translator, performer, etc. should be emphasized and used in the "author" position with the actual author being listed as an "other contributor." Use the form of the author's name given on the source.

3. Pages are listed as p. or pp., but not in-text citations (46).

4. City of publication is no longer listed unless there is a special situation (51).

5. Periodicals are now identified with "vol. 35, no. 3" instead of "35.3." (39-40).

6. Include the full date information (month, day, or season) along with the year (45).

7. URLs are included without http:// or https:// and no angle brackets are used (48, 110).

8. The use of DOIs are encouraged (110).

9. Citing the date a website was accessed is now optional (53).

10. Placeholders such as n.d. (no date) are no longer used. If facts are missing and reliable information can be found, include it in brackets (2.6.1).

11. Publishers' names are no longer shortened, except words like "Company" are dropped. University Press is still abbreviated UP (97).

12. If there are two distinct publishers (not subsidiaries of another listed), separate the names with a forward slash (/) (108). 

13. Publisher's names may be omitted for a variety of publication types (42).

14. If an organization is the author and publisher of a work, the organization's name is given only once, usually as the publisher (25). The author's name is not included.

15. The works-cited list should use hanging indents with the second and subsequent lines of each entry having an indention of half and inch from the left margin. If creating a hanging indent is difficult (such as when creating web pages), leave extra space between entries to serve the same purpose (2.7).

16. Capitalize every important word in the title as described in section 1.2.1.

Sample Citations - Books

Book by a Single Author or Editor

Single Author

E-book with Single Editor - Read Online or on Library Database

If you are citing an entire edited book, place the editor's name in the author position followed by "editor." 

E-book on a Device (Kindle, EPUB)

If the type of e-book is not known, use the word "e-book" as a version.

Conroy, Pat. The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son. Kindle ed., Doubleday, 2013. 

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Book by Multiple Authors or Editors

Two authors

List the authors in the order they appear on the title page. List the first author with the last name first; second authors are listed with the first name followed by the last name. Use the form of the name given on the title page.

  

Three or more authors or editors

When there are three or more authors or editors, use the first name listed on the title page and list using the last name first followed by a comma and et al. (which means "and others").

Translator

If the focus is the translation of a work, treat the translator as the author.

Example:

Bartlett, Rosamund, translator. Anna Karenina. By Leo Tolstoy, Oxford UP, 2014. 

If the focus is the work itself, include the translator because their contribution is considered significant.

Example:

Tolstoy, Leo. Anna Karenina. Translated by Rosamund Bartlett, Oxford UP, 2014.

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Book by a Corporate Author 

If the author is the same organization as the publisher, skip the author's name and include the publisher's name. If the corporate author is different from the publisher, include the name and drop the word "The" at the beginning of corporate names.

Example 1:

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 6th ed., American Psychological Association,  2010.

Example 2: 

American Civil Liberties Union. Why President Richard Nixon Should be Impeached. Public Affairs Press, [1973?].

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Book in a Series

If your book is part of a series and if it would help your reader to know that it is part of a series, the series name and number (if any) should be given after the date of publication. Do not italicize or put in quotes. 

Example:

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Chapter, Section, or Essay in an Edited Book

Begin the citation with the author of the work, not the editor of the book. If no author is listed, begin with the title of the article or section.

Example 1 (Source from an Anthology):

Example 2 (Source from a Reference Resource):

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Edition Other than the First, More than One Publishing Company

Include edition statements for versions other than the first edition. Abbreviate edition (ed.) and revised (rev.), but write out other editions in lower case unless an initial letter is preceded by a period. If two different publishers are listed, separate with a slash (do not list both if one is a division of a larger publishing company). 

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Multivolume Work

Include the volume number after the editor's name. (If there is no editor, the volume number will appear after the title.)

Example (one article):

Example (entire set, but the number of total volumes is optional):

Sample Citations - Art, Photography, Music

Art

Artwork in a book

Physical object experienced in person

Art or an artifact from a museum or archive experienced in person should include the name place and the city (omit the name of the city if it is part of the place's name).

Rodin, Auguste. The Thinker. 1880, National Gallery of Art, Washington. 

Untitled work of art

In place of titles for untitled sources, give a generic description of the object with no italics or quotation marks.

Wright, Frank Lloyd. Leaded glass skylight. 1908, Meyer May House, Grand Rapids.

Photography

Titled Photograph

Smith, Susan. Sunflower Field. 21 July 2016, Flicker, www.flickr.com/photos/51532760@N00/28458626695.

Music

Audio Recording

Taylor, James. "Carolina in My Mind." Greatest Hits, Rhino, 2004. 

Live Performance

Paisley, Brad. Country Nation College Tour, 10 Oct. 2015, Wake Forest U, Winston-Salem. Concert. 

Musical Score

Vivaldi, Antonio. Concerto in D. Adapted for guitar solo by Charlie Byrd. Columbia Music, 1970.

Sample Citations- Business Resources

Analyst Reports

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Business Press Article

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Company Reports

Example 1:

If the author and publisher are the same organization, skip the author’s name and include the publisher’s name. 

Example 2:

This company report was taken from the Marketline Advantage database who also published the report. There is no need to give the name of the database twice. 

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Financial Statements

Example 1: SEC.gov

Example 2: Company Web Site

Example 3: Annual Report

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Industry Ratios

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Industry Reports

Sample Citation - Dissertations

Dissertations

The institution granting the degree and description of the work are optional. If you accessed the work online, include that information. 

Sample Citations - Magazine Articles

Email

Use standardized capitalization for email citations.

Example:

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Twitter

If messages are short and untitled, reproduce the full text (using quotation marks) in place of a title. Include a time posted with the date if it is listed. 

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Facebook

If messages are short and untitled, reproduce the full text (using quotation marks) in place of a title.

 

Film or DVD

Film 

If you are focusing on the contributions of a particular person, begin the citation with that person's name, followed by a descriptive label. 

Example 1:

Darabont, Frank, director. The Shawshank Redemption. Castle Rock Entertainment, 1994. 

If you are not focusing on an individual's contribution, begin with the title. You may include information about the director and other participants in the position of other contributors.

Example 2:

Television 

Example 1:

Example 2:

If you are focusing on a series and are not focusing on an individual's contributions, or a specific episode, begin with the title.

Grey’s Anatomy. Created by Shondra Rhimes, performance by Ellen Pompeo, Shondaland, 2005-2016.

Video 

Government Documents

Government Publication Online

If the name of the author is different from the publisher, begin with the author's name.

Government Agency as the Publisher 

Government Agency as the Author and Publisher on a Government  Web Site

If the name of the Web site is the same as the name of the publisher, the name of the publisher may be omitted.

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Congressional Document 

When a citation begins with a government agency as the author, start with the name of the government, followed by the name of the agency units and then the name of the agency, moving from largest to smallest entities. Congressional document citations may optionally include the number and session of Congress, the chamber, and the type and number of publication.

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Document from the Congressional Record

Refer to The Chicago Manual of Style for documenting many congressional publications. Please note that for congressional materials, The Chicago Manual of Style follows Bluebook style. Italics are not used, the page number preceded by "H" or "S" for "House" or "Senate," the date in parentheses, identity of speaker in parentheses.

Sample Citations - Interviews

Published Interview

Unpublished interview

Pyatt, Tim. Interview. By Rosalind Tedford. 15 Aug. 2016.

Sample Citations - Scholarly Articles

Scholarly Journal Article 

Example 1:

Example 2:

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Newspaper Article 

If a news agency such as Associated Press is listed as the author of an article, skip the author and begin the citation with the title of the article. 

Example 1:

Example 2:

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Magazine Article 

Example 1:

Example 2:

Government Documents

Supreme Court Decision

To cite legal documents,  MLA say to consult The Chicago Manual of Style which refers to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (Harvard Law Review Association). Names of cases are italicized in the text, but not in bibliographic references.

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Public Law

Refer to The Chicago Manual of Style for guidelines to cite legal materials and laws. Public laws are collected in the annual publication of the United States Statutes at Large (Stat.). 

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United States Code

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Congressional Reports and Documents

The following examples follow the format given in The Chicago Manual of Style:

However, MLA Handbook, 8th edition (105) suggests this format. Either format is correct.

Examples

In-text citations are brief and point your reader to the sources used from your works-cited list. Author (defined broadly) and page number are the two basic elements of MLA parenthetical citations. In cases where there is no named author, the title (often shortened) of the work is used. 

Citations should be placed within the text as close as possible to the end of the quote or idea. If the author's name or title of the work is mentioned in the text, put only the page number in parentheses.  

Single author (MLA Handbook 54-55)

Example 1:
It is thought that "Courtier had a profound influence on Elizabethan England and its cultural development" (Vitale iv).

Example 2:
According to Vitale, it is thought that "Courtier had a profound influence on Elizabethan England and its cultural development" (iv). 

 When more than one work by the same author is included in the list of works cited, include a short form of the source's title:
Example 3:"Courtier had a profound influence on Elizabethan England and its cultural development" (Vitale, A Courtier's Legacy  iv).

 If the same last name is shared by more than one author, include the author's first initial (or, first name if the initial does not distinguish the author's name). 
Example 4:"Courtier had a profound influence on Elizabethan England and its cultural development" (M. Vitale iv).

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Two authors (MLA Handbook 116)

List the authors' last names and page number of the quote or idea.

Example: College health providers should work to "dispel the myth of the 'Freshman 15'" (Vella-Zarb and Elgar 165).

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Three or more authors (MLA Handbook 116)

If the work has three or more authors, use the first author’s last name followed by et al. 

Example: (Watstein et al. 483)

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Corporate author (MLA Handbook 117)

If a works-cited citation begins with the names of administrative units, give all the names in the in-text citation. 

Example: (United States, Congress, House, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 7)

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Title of the work begins the entry in the works-cited list (MLA Handbook 55-56)

If the author of the work is anonymous or if the work is written by the same organization that published it, the in-text citation will contain the title or a shortened form of the title used. 

Examples:

Natalia Makarova is known as one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century  ("Here's Looking" 40).

"Research is complete only when the results are shared with the scientific community" (Publication 9). 

Works cited:

"Here's Looking at You, Natasha." Dance Magazine, vol. 84, no. 5, May 2010, pp. 40-44.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 6th ed., American Psychological Association,  2010.

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Film (MLA Handbook 57)

For time-based media such as film, video recordings, and audio recordings, include the related time or time range, separating the hours, minutes, and seconds with colons.

Example: ("Self Help" 00:34:30-34)

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Indirect source (What if my author quotes another author?) (MLA Handbook 124)

Whenever you can, take material from the original source, not a secondhand one. Sometimes, however, only an indirect source is available. In this case, identify the quoted author in your text and say “qtd. in” in your citation. 

Example: Chrysostom spoke of the original apostles by saying, "They did not stop there, but went even further,

and not satisfied with the world known to us they went out as far as the Ocean itself and enclosed in their own nets

the countries of the barbarians and the British Isles" (qtd. in Hanson 29).

Works Cited:

Hanson, R. P. C. Saint Patrick: His Origins and Career. Oxford UP, 1968.

 

Sample Citations - Books

Speech Found on a Website

Format: Transcript (a printed copy of the speech)

The original date of the speech is not required, but it may be included if the date is certain and considered helpful for your reader. The type of source (in this case, “Transcript”) is also optional, and may be included if the format is unexpected.

  
Format: Audio Recording and Transcript

In this case, Martin Luther King, Jr. is considered the author since this is primarily his speech. The date of the speech and the name of the host are optional elements. The date the show aired should be included since it is clearly stated in the article. The type of source (“Audio” and “Transcript”) are optional, but may be included if this is considered helpful information for your reader.

Format: Video Recording

Example 1:

Since this is a YouTube URL, it is assumed that the format is a video, and the source type (“Video”) has been omitted.

 Example 2:

In this case, “May 2015” refers to when the lecture was posted to the website, not the date of the actual lecture. Therefore, the date comes after the name of the site, pointing back to the element closest to the date.

 

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Speech Found in a Book

When speeches are republished in an anthology or book, the original date of the speech is not required, but may be included if it is considered helpful for your reader. The page range is also optional. If the speech is found in an eBook, the name of the database and the URL should be included.

 

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Speech Found in a Library Database

In this case, the date that the speech was given is included in the title, so there is no need to repeat the date.

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Speech Heard in Person

The terms “Lecture” or “Address” are optional and may be used to indicate that the speech was heard in person.

 

Sample Citations - Web Sites

Blog

Example 1:

Example 2 (Blog Network):

Example 3 (Comment on Blog):

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Book Accessed on the Web

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Corporate Authors for Web Sites

A corporate author may be a government agency, an institution, an association, or other organization.

Example 1:

If an organization is the author and publisher, begin the citation with the title of the work and list the organization only as the publisher. 

Example 2:

If the title of the web site is the same as the name of the publisher, there is no need to include additional publisher information. 

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Journal Articles Accessed on the Web

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News Organization

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