MLA Quick Citation Guide

Quick Citation Guide: MLA Style

Journal Articles

Last-name, First-name. “Article Title: Subtitle.” Journal Title, vol. Volume#, no. Issue#, Date of Publication, pp. Page Range. Database, www.doi.org/xx.xxxxxxxxxxxx

Last-name, First-name, and First-name Last-name. “Article Title: Subtitle.” Journal Title, vol. Volume#, no. Issue#, Date of Publication, pp. Page Range. Database, www.doi.org/xx.xxxxxxxxxxxx 

Last-name, First-name, et al. “Article Title: Subtitle.” Journal Title, vol. Volume#, no. Issue#, Date of Publication, pp. Page Range. Database, www.doi.org/xx.xxxxxxxxxxxx 

Examples

Smith, John. “Bridging the Gap: Teaching Citations to College Students.” Journal of Higher Education, vol. 34, no. 5, 2020, pp.67-89. Academic Search Premier, www.doi.org/10.1234/5678-9012.34.5.67 

Miller, Allison Rose, and Francis Baker. “Writing with Students: Using Collaboration to Teach Creative Writing.” American Journal of Educators, vol. 12, no. 1, 2016, pp. 13-27. Teacher Reference Center, www.doi.org/10.8274/9897-2421.12.1.13 

Poole, Alan, et al. “Citing Sources: Working Together to Share Knowledge.” Journal of Knowledge, vol. 7, no. 3, 2020, pp. 79-92. ERIC, www.doi.org/10.1777/4321-8765.7.3.79 

Books

Last-name, First-name. Book Title: Subtitle. Edition, Publisher, Year.

Examples

Potter, Archie. Finding Information: A Guide. 4th ed., Hawk Press, 2019.

Book Chapters

Last-name, First-name. “Title of Chapter, Essay, Short Story, etc.” Book Title: Subtitle, edited by First-name Last-name and First-name Last-name, Edition, Publisher, Year, Page Range.

Examples

Christie, Agatha. “Solving Crime: Methods and Procedures.” How to Solve Mysteries: The Complete Guide, edited by Sherlock Holmes and James Watson, Johnson & Co., 2013, pp. 112-145.

Websites

Last-name, First-name. “Title of Page/Article.” Title of Website, Date of Copyright/Date Last Modified or Updated, URL. Accessed Day Mon. Year.

Title of Website, Name of Organization/Publisher, Date of Copyright/Date Last Modified or Updated, URL. Accessed Day Mon. Year.

Examples

Green, Barbara. “Training Cats as Service Animals.” Medium, 28 Nov. 2014, www.medium.com/trainingcats. Accessed 22 Sept 2021.

Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, 1971. www.gutenberg.org. Accessed 17 May 2007.

In-Text

(Last-name Page#)

(Last-name and Last-name Page#)

(Last-name et al. Page#)

(“Title”)

Examples

(Smith 80)

(Miller and Baker 30)

(Poole et al. 90)

(“About Project Gutenberg”)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a DOI?

DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a unique string of characters used to identify a specific object (such as a journal article). It works like a barcode or URL.

I can’t find a DOI. What should I use instead? 

If your journal article does not have a DOI, use the URL.

For in-text citations, do I need to list the author and page number every time? 

Use (Name Page Number) for your first in-text citation. Use just (Page Number) for citing additional quotes/paraphrasing in that paragraph UNTIL you cite another source.

My website (or page on a website) doesn’t have an author. What should I do? 

When there is no author, write your citation without the author. For in-text citations, use the title of the webpage (or an abbreviated title, for pages with long titles).

Need more help? Check out these guides: 

bit.ly/csm-mla

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