MLA LIST OF WORKS CITED
A list of works cited, which appears at the end of your research paper, gives
publishing information for each of the sources you have cited in the paper. Start on a new
page and title your list "Works Cited." Then list in alphabetical order all the
sources that you have cited in the paper. Unless your instructor asks for them, do not
give sources you have not actually cited in the paper, even if you read them.
Alphabetize the list by the last names of the authors (or editors); if a work has no
author or editor, alphabetize by the first word of the title other than A, An,
or The.
Do not indent the first line of each bibliography entry, but indent any additional
lines five spaces (or one-half inch). This technique highlights the names by which the
list has been alphabetized (see, for example, the sample list of
works cited).
The following models illustrate the form that the Modern Language Association (MLA)
recommends for bibliographic entries.
Directory to MLA list of works cited
BOOKS
1. Basic format for a book
2. Two or three authors
3. Four or more authors
4. Editors
5. Author with an editor
6. Translation
7. Corporate author
8. Unknown author
9. Two or more works by the same author
10. Edition other than the first
11. Multivolume work
12. Encyclopedia or dictionary
13. Work in an anthology
14. Two or more works from the same anthology
15. Foreword, introduction, preface, or afterword
16. Book with a title within its title
17. Book in a series
18. Republished book
19. Publisher's imprint
ARTICLES IN
PERIODICALS
20. Article in a monthly magazine
21. Article in a weekly magazine
22. Article in a journal paginated by volume
23. Article in a journal paginated by issue
24. Article in a daily newspaper
25. Unsigned article in a newspaper or magazine
26. Editorial in a newspaper
27. Letter to the editor
28. Book or film review
CD-ROMS AND ONLINE
DATABASES
29. CD-ROM issued periodically
30. CD-ROM issued in a single edition
31. Online material from a computer service
32. Online material from a computer network
OTHER SOURCES
33. Government publication
34. Pamphlet
35. Published dissertation
36. Unpublished dissertation
37. Abstract of a dissertation
38. Published proceedings of a conference
39. Work of art
40. Musical composition
41. Personal letter or e-mail
42. Online posting to a newsgroup
43. Lecture or public address
44. Personal interview
45. Published interview
46. Radio or television interview
47. Film or videotape
48. Radio or television program
49. Live performance of a play
50. Sound recording
51. Cartoon
52. Map or chart
NOTE: For sample pages from a paper documented with the
MLA system, click here.
Books
1. BASIC FORMAT FOR A BOOK For most
books, arrange the information into three units, each followed by a period and one space
(unless your instructor prefers two spaces): (1) the author's name, last name first; (2)
the title and subtitle, underlined; and (3) the place of publication, the publisher, and
the date.
Tompkins, Jane. West of Everything: The Inner Life
of Westerns. New York: Oxford UP, 1992.
The information is taken from the title page of the book and from the reverse side of
the title page (the copyright page), not from the outside cover. The complete name of the
publisher (in this case Oxford University Press) need not be given. You may use a short
form as long as it is easily identifiable; omit terms such as Press, Inc.,
and Co. except when naming university presses (Harvard UP, for example). The date
to use in your bibliographic entry is the most recent copyright date.
2. TWO OR THREE AUTHORS Name the
authors in the order in which they are presented on the title page; reverse the name of
only the first author.
Rico, Barbara, and Sandra Mano. American Mosaic:
Multicultural Readings in Context. Boston:
Houghton, 1991.
The names of three authors are separated by commas.
Kagan, Donald, Steven Ozment, and Frank M. Turner.
The Western Heritage since 1300. New York:
Macmillan, 1987.
3. FOUR OR MORE AUTHORS Cite only the
first author, name reversed, followed by "et al." (Latin for "and
others").
Medhurst, Martin J., et al. Cold War Rhetoric:
Strategy, Metaphor, and Ideology. New York:
Greenwood, 1990.
4. EDITORS An entry for a book with
an editor is similar to that for an author except that the name is followed by a comma and
the abbreviation "ed." for "editor." If there is more than one editor,
use the abbreviation "eds." for "editors."
Anaya, Rodolfo, and Francisco Lomeli, eds.
Aztlán: Essays on the Chicano Homeland.
Albuquerque: Academia-El Norte, 1989.
5. AUTHOR WITH AN EDITOR Begin with
the author and title, followed by the name of the editor. In this case the abbreviation
"Ed." means "Edited by," so it is the same for one or multiple
editors.
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of
Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Ed.
David W. Blight. Boston: Bedford, 1993.
6. TRANSLATION List the entry under
the name of the author, not the translator. After the title, write "Trans." (for
"Translated by") and the name of the translator.
Eco, Umberto. Foucault's Pendulum. Trans.
William Weaver. San Diego: Harcourt, 1989.
7. CORPORATE AUTHOR List the entry
under the name of the corporate author, even if it is also the name of the publisher.
Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Brokerage Services
Handbook. Boston: Fidelity Investments, 1993.
8. UNKNOWN AUTHOR Begin with the
title. Alphabetize the entry by the first word of the title other than A, An,
or The.
The Times Atlas of the World. 9th ed. New York:
New York Times, 1992.
9. 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 subsequent entries use three hyphens followed
by a period. The three hyphens must stand for exactly the same name or names as in the
preceding entry. List the titles in alphabetical order.
Brown, Rita Mae. Riding Shotgun. New York:
Bantam, 1996.
---. Rubyfruit Jungle. New York: Bantam, 1988.
10. EDITION OTHER THAN THE FIRST If
you are citing an edition other than the first, include the number of the edition after
the title: 2nd ed., 3rd ed., and so on.
Wilson, Edwin, and Alvin Goldfarb. Living Theater:
A History. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw, 1994.
11. MULTIVOLUME WORK Include the
number of volumes before the city and publisher, using the abbreviation "vols."
Mark Twain: Collected Tales, Sketches, Speeches,
and Essays. 2 vols. New York: Library of
America, 1992.
If your paper cites only one of the volumes, write the volume number before the city
and publisher and write the total number of volumes in the work after the date.
Mark Twain: Collected Tales, Sketches, Speeches,
and Essays. Vol. 2. New York: Library of
America, 1992. 2 vols.
12. ENCYCLOPEDIA OR DICTIONARY For
an article in a well-known dictionary or encyclopedia, simply list the author of the
article (if there is one), the title of the article, the title of the reference work, the
edition number, if any, and the date of the edition.
"Croatia." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica:
Micropaedia. 1991.
Volume and page numbers are not necessary if the entries in the work are arranged
alphabetically because they are easy to locate.
If a reference work is not well known, provide full publication information as well.
13. WORK IN AN ANTHOLOGY Present the
information in this order, with each item followed by a period: author of the selection;
title of the selection; title of the anthology; editor of the anthology, preceded by
"Ed."; city, publisher, and date; page numbers on which the selection appears.
Truong, Bao-Tran. "Stepping Stones in America."
Where Coyotes Howl and Wind Blows Free: Growing
Up in the West. Ed. Alexandra R. Haslam and Gerald
W. Haslam. Reno: U of Nevada P, 1995. 152-56.
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"), the title, editor, and publication information
for the anthology, and the page numbers in the anthology on which the selection appears.
Rodriguez, Richard. "Late Victorians." Harper's
Oct. 1990: 57-66. Rpt. in The Best American
Essays 1991. Ed. Joyce Carol Oates. New York:
Ticknor, 1991. 119-34.
14. TWO OR MORE WORKS FROM THE SAME ANTHOLOGY
If you wish, you may cross-reference two or more works from the same anthology. Provide a
separate entry for the anthology with complete publication information.
Kinsella, Thomas, ed. The New Oxford Book of Irish
Verse. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1986.
Then list an entry for each selection from the anthology by author and title of the
selection with a cross-reference to the anthology. The cross-reference should include the
last name of the editor of the anthology and the page numbers in the anthology on which
the selection appears.
Colum, Padraic. "An Old Woman of the Roads."
Kinsella 321-22.
Synge, J. M. "On an Anniversary." Kinsella 318.
15. FOREWARD, INTRODUCTION, PREFACE, OR
AFTERWARD If in your paper you quote from one of these elements, begin with the
name of the writer of that element. Then identify the element being cited, neither
underlined nor in quotation marks, followed by the title of the complete book, the book's
author, and the book's editor, if any. After the publication information, give the page
numbers on which the foreword, introduction, preface, or afterword appears.
Murray, Charles. Foreword. Unfinished Business:
A Civil Rights Strategy for America's Third
Century. By Clint Bolick. San Francisco: Pacific
Research Inst. for Public Policy, 1990. ix-xiii.
16. BOOK WITH A TITLE IN ITS TITLE If
the book title contains a title normally underlined, neither underline the internal title
nor place it in quotation marks.
Abbott, Keith. Downstream from Trout Fishing in
America: A Memoir of Richard Brautigan. Santa
Barbara: Capra, 1989.
If the title within the title is normally enclosed within quotation marks, retain the
quotation marks and underline the entire title.
Faulkner, Dewey R. Twentieth Century Interpretations
of "The Pardoner's Tale." Englewood Cliffs:
Spectrum-Prentice, 1973.
17. BOOK IN A SERIES Before the
publication information, cite the series name as it appears on the title page followed by
the series number, if any.
Laughlin, Robert M. Of Cabbages and Kings: Tales
from Zinacantán. Smithsonian Contributions to
Anthropology 23. Washington: Smithsonian, 1977.
18. REPUBLISHED BOOK After the title
of the book, cite the original publication date followed by the current publication
information. If the republished book contains new material, such as an introduction or
afterword, include that information after the original date.
McClintock, Walter. Old Indian Trails. 1926.
Foreword William Least Heat Moon. Boston:
fromHoughton, 1992.
19. PUBLISHER'S IMPRINT If a book
was published by an imprint of a publishing company, cite the name of the imprint followed
by a hyphen and the publisher's name. An imprint name usually precedes the publisher's
name on the title page.
Oates, Joyce Carol. (Woman) Writer: Occasions and
Opportunities. New York: Abrahams-Dutton, 1988.
Articles in periodicals
20. ARTICLE IN A MONTHLY MAGAZINE In
addition to the author, the title of the article, and the title of the magazine, list the
month and year and the page numbers on which the article appears. Abbreviate the names of
months except May, June, and July.
Harrison, Barbara Grizzuti. "Collecting the Stuff
of Life." Harper's May 1996: 15-19.
If the article had appeared not on consecutive pages but on, say, pages 39-41 and
91-96, you would write "39+" (not "39-96").
21. ARTICLE IN A WEEKLY MAGAZINE Handle
articles in weekly (or biweekly) magazines as you do those for monthly magazines, but give
the exact date of the issue, not just the month and year.
Schiff, Stephen. "Muriel Spark between the Lines."
New Yorker 24 May 1993: 36-43.
22. ARTICLE IN A JOURNAL PAGINATED BY VOLUME Many
professional journals continue page numbers throughout the year instead of beginning each
issue on page 1; at the end of the year, all of the issues are collected in a volume.
Interested readers need only the volume number, the year, and the page numbers to find an
article.
Segal, Gabriel. "Seeing What Is Not There."
Philosophical Review 98 (1989): 189-214.
23. ARTICLE IN A JOURNAL PAGINATED BY ISSUE If
each issue of the journal begins with page 1, you need to indicate the number of the
issue. Simply place a period after the number of the volume, followed by the number of the
issue.
Johnson, G. J. "A Distinctiveness Model of Serial
Learning." Psychological Review 98.2 (1991):
204-17.
24. ARTICLE IN A DAILY NEWSPAPER Begin
with the author, if there is one, followed by the title of the article. Next give the name
of the newspaper, the date, and the page number (including the section letter).
Browne, Malcolm W. "Math Experts Say Asteroid May Hit
Earth in Million Years." New York Times 25 Apr.
1996: B10.
If the section is marked with a number rather than a letter, handle the entry as
follows:
Greenhouse, Linda. "Justices Plan to Delve Anew into
Race and Voting Rights." New York Times 11 July
1993, sec. 1: 1+.
If 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.
25. UNSIGNED ARTICLE IN A NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE
Use the same form you would use for an article in a newspaper or a weekly or
monthly magazine, but begin with the title of the article.
"Covert Operation." National Times Apr. 1996: 51.
26. EDITORIAL IN A NEWSPAPER Cite an
editorial as you would an unsigned article, adding the word "Editorial" after
the title.
"Gays and the Military." Editorial. Boston Globe
13 July 1993: 14.
27. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Cite the
writer's name, followed by the word "Letter" and the publication information for
the newspaper or magazine in which the letter appears.
Benston, Graham. Letter. Opera Now May 1993: 12.
28. BOOK OR FILM REVIEW Cite first
the reviewer's name and the title of the review, if any, followed by the words "Rev.
of" and the title and author or director of the work reviewed. Add the publication
information for the publication in which the review appears.
Kermode, Frank. "Criticism without Machinery."
Rev. of Literary Reflections, by R. W. B. Lewis.
New York Times Book Review 11 July 1993: 16.
Holden, Stephen. "A Union of Convenience across a
Cultural Divide." Rev. of The Wedding Banquet,
dir. Ang Lee. New York Times
4 Aug. 1993: C18.
CD-ROMs and online databases
Research material is available in electronic form on CD-ROM from vendors such as
SilverPlatter and UMI-Proquest and online from computer services or networks such as
Dialog, Nexis, and the Internet. In citations for electronic sources, you give the same
publication information as for other sources and in addition give pertinent information
about the electronic source. You may find that some of the information about an electronic
source, such as the name of the vendor, is not available. If so, you may omit this
information.
29. CD-ROM ISSUED PERIODICALLY
CD-ROM databases that are produced periodically (monthly or quarterly, for example) may
contain previously published material, such as journal or newspaper articles, or material
that has not been previously published, such as reports. In either case, cite such
material as you would a printed source, followed by the title of the database
(underlined), the medium ("CD-ROM"), the name of the company producing the
CD-ROM, and the date of electronic publication.
Sawyer, Kathy. "Oceanography: Rising Tide Lifts
Warming Case." Washington Post 12 Dec. 1994:
A2. InfoTrac: National Newspaper Index. CD-ROM.
Information Access. Jan. 1995.
Gauch, Patricia Lee. "A Quest for the Heart
of Fantasy." New Advocate 7.3 (1994): 159-67.
ERIC. CD-ROM. SilverPlatter. Dec. 1994.
30. CD-ROM ISSUED IN A SINGLE EDITION
Some works on CD-ROM, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias, are released in single
editions that are not updated periodically. Treat such a source as you would a book, but
give the medium ("CD-ROM") before the publication information.
The Oxford English Dictionary. CD-ROM. Oxford:
Oxford UP, 1987.
"O'Keeffe, Georgia." The 1995 Grolier Multimedia
Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. Danbury: Grolier, 1995.
31. ONLINE MATERIAL FROM A COMPUTER SERVICE Computer
services such as Dialog, CompuServe, America Online, and Nexis provide a variety of
databases that may be revised continually or periodically. For material from such a
source, cite the publication information given in the source, the title of the database
(underlined), the medium ("Online"), and the name of the computer service. In
addition, because it is often not possible to determine when material has been entered or
updated in the service's database, give the date on which you accessed the material.
Bass, Alison. "Women Just as Spatial as Men."
Boston Globe 22 Feb. 1993, 3rd ed.: 25. Boston
Globe-File 631. Online. Dialog. 6 Feb. 1995.
Mann, Charles C., and Mark L. Plummer. "Empowering
Species." Atlantic Monthly Feb. 1995. Atlantic
Monthly Online. Online. America Online. 16 Feb.
1995.
32. ONLINE MATERIAL FROM A COMPUTER NETWORK A
computer network such as the Internet provides access to journal articles, newsletters,
and even entire books. For such material, cite whatever publication information is given
in the electronic source, using the format for citing a journal article or book. Give the
number of pages or paragraphs, followed by "p." (or "pp.") or
"par." (or "pars."); if neither is specified, use "n. pag."
for "no pagination." In addition, give the medium ("Online"), the
computer network ("Internet"), and the date you accessed the material. If your
instructor wants you to specify the electronic address of the source, place it after the
word "Available" at the end of your citation.
Page, Barbara. "Women Writers and the Restive Text:
Feminism, Experimental Writing, and Hypertext."
Postmodern Culture 6.2 (1996): n. pag. Online.
Internet. 3 Apr. 1996. Available gopher://jefferson.
village.virginia.edu: 70/00/pubs/pmc/issue.196/
page.196.
Wells, H. G. The War of the Worlds. 1898.
Online. U of Minnesota Lib. Internet. 5 Feb. 1995.
Available gopher.micro.umn.edu.
Other sources
33. 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. Endowment for the Humanities.
Study Grants for College and University Teachers.
Washington: GPO, 1993.
34. PAMPHLET Cite a pamphlet as you
would a book.
United States. Dept. of the Interior. Natl. Park
Service. Ford's Theatre and the House Where
Lincoln Died. Washington: GPO, 1989.
35. PUBLISHED DISSERTATION Cite the
published dissertation as you would a book, underlining the title and giving the place of
publication, the publisher, and the year of publication. After the title, add the word
"Diss.," the institution name, and the year the dissertation was written.
Healey, Robert F. Eleusinian Sacrifices in the
Athenian Law Code. Diss. Harvard U, 1961. New York:
Garland, 1990.
36. UNPUBLISHED DISSERTATION Begin
with the author's name, followed by the dissertation title in quotation marks, the word
"Diss.," the name of the institution, and the year the dissertation was written.
Fedorko, Kathy Anne. "Edith Wharton's Haunted House:
The Gothic in Her Fiction." Diss. Rutgers U, 1987.
37. ABSTRACT OF A DISSERTATION Cite
as you would an unpublished dissertation. After the dissertation date, give the
abbreviation DA or DAI (for Dissertation Abstracts or Dissertation
Abstracts International), followed by the volume number, the date of publication, and
the page number.
Berkman, Anne Elizabeth. "The Quest for Authenticity:
The Novels of Toni Morrison." Diss. Columbia U,
1988. DAI 48 (1988): 2059A.
38. PUBLISHED PROCEEDINGS OF A CONFERENCE Cite
published conference proceedings as you would a book, adding information about the
conference after the title.
Howell, Benita J., ed. Cultural Heritage Conservation
in the American South. Proc. of Southern
Anthropological Soc. Tampa, 1988. Athens: U of
Georgia P, 1990.
39. WORK OF ART Cite the artist's
name, followed by the title of the artwork, usually underlined, and the institution and
city in which the artwork can be found.
Constable, John. Dedham Vale. Victoria and
Albert Museum, London.
40. 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.
Copland, Aaron. Appalachian Spring.
Shostakovich, Dmitri. Quartet no. 1 in C, op. 49.
41. PERSONAL LETTER OR E-MAIL To
cite a letter you have received, begin with the writer's name and add the phrase
"Letter to the author," followed by the date. For a letter received via
electronic mail, use the designation "E-mail."
Cipriani, Karen. Letter to the author. 25 Apr. 1993.
Gray, William A. E-mail to the author. 26 Jan. 1996.
42. ONLINE POSTING TO A NEWSGROUP Include
the author and the title of the posting, followed by the date of posting and the words
"Online posting." Conclude with the newsgroup name, the network, and the date of
access.
Ventresca, Lucy. "Winemaking." 20 Jan. 1996. Online
posting. Newsgroup soc.culture.italian.Usenet.
1 Feb. 1996.
43. LECTUR OR PUBLIC ADDRESS Cite
the speaker's name, followed by the title of the lecture (if any) in quotation marks, the
organization sponsoring the lecture, the location, and the date.
Quinn, Karen. "John Singleton Copley's Watson and
the Shark." Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
1 July 1993.
44. PERSONAL INTERVIEW To cite an
interview that you conducted, begin with the name of the person interviewed. Then write
"Personal interview," followed by the date of the interview.
Harrison, Patricia. Personal interview. 19 Feb. 1993.
45. PUBLISHED INTERVIEW Name the
person interviewed, followed by the word "Interview" and the publication in
which the interview was printed. If the interview has a title, put it in quotation marks
after the interviewee's name and do not use the word "Interview."
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Interview. The Progressive.
Feb. 1995: 34-38.
46. RADIO OR TELEVISION INTERVIEW
Name the person interviewed, followed by the word "Interview." Then give the
title of the program, underlined, and identifying information about the broadcast.
Holm, Celeste. Interview. Fresh Air. Natl. Public
Radio. WBUR, Boston. 28 June 1990.
FileMaker Pro. Computer software. Claris, 1994-1995.
Intel compatible PC running Windows 95, CD-ROM.
47. FILM OR VIDEOTAPE Begin with the
title. For a film, cite the director and the lead actor or narrator (Perf. or Narr.),
followed by the distributor and year. For a videotape, add the word
"Videocassette" before the distributor.
Much Ado about Nothing. Dir. Kenneth Branagh. Perf.
Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, Denzel Washington,
Michael Keaton, and Keanu Reeves. Goldwyn, 1993.
Through the Wire. Dir. Nina Rosenblum. Narr. Susan
Sarandon. Videocassette. Fox/Lorber Home Video,
1990.
48. RADIO OR TELEVISION PROGRAM List
the information about the program in this order: the title of the program, underlined; the
writer ("By"), director ("Dir."), narrator ("Narr."),
producer ("Prod."), or main actors ("Perf."), if relevant; the series,
niether underlined nor in quotation marks; the network; the local station on which you
heard or saw the program and the city; and the date the program was broadcast.
If a television episode or radio segment has a title, place that title, in quotation
marks, before the program title.
Coraçăo Brasileiro. WMBR, Boston.
1 Aug. 1993.
This Old Pyramid. Narr. Mark Lehner and Roger Hopkins.
Nova. PBS. WGBH, Boston. 4 Aug. 1993.
49. LIVE PERFORMANCE OF A PLAY Begin
with the title of the play, followed by the author ("By"). Then include specific
information about the live performance: the director ("Dir."); the major actors
("Perf."); the theater company; the theater, and its location; and the date of
the performance.
The Sisters Rosensweig. By Wendy Wasserstein. Dir.
Daniel Sullivan. Perf. Jane Alexander, Christine
Estabrook, and Madeline Kahn. Barrymore, New York.
11 July 1993.
50. SOUND RECORDING Begin with the
composer (or author, if the recording is spoken), followed by the title of the piece. Next
list pertinent artists (such as performers, readers, and musicians) and the orchestra and
conductor. End with the manufacturer and the date. If the recording is not on a CD,
indicate the medium (such as "Audiocassette").
Verdi, Giuseppe. Falstaff. Perf. Tito Gobbi,
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Nan Merriman, and Fedora
Barbieri.. Philharmonia Orch. and Chorus. Cond.
Herbert von Karajan. EMI, 1988.
51. CARTOON Begin with the
cartoonist's name, the title of the cartoon (if it has one) in quotation marks, the word
"Cartoon," and the publication information for the publication in which the
cartoon appears.
Chast, Roz. "Are You All Right?" Cartoon. New Yorker
5 July 1993: 65.
52. MAP OR CHART Cite a map or chart
as you would cite a book with an unknown author. Underline the title of the map or chart
and add the word "Map" or "Chart" following the title.
Spain/Portugal. Map. Paris: Michelin, 1992.
|