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Citing Print Resources Using MLA Style

The following Works Cited/Bibliography examples are only guidelines

Not all of your sources will fit the following; therefore, you may need to consult the MLA Handbook available at the Cornerstone Area beside the Reference Desk. If you have questions about how to cite sources, feel free to ask a Reference Librarian or your instructor.

Where will I cite my sources in my paper?

You will need to cite your sources in two places—within your paper as an in-text or parenthetical citation and at the end of your paper in a Bibliography or Works Cited list.

In-text Citation Examples:

Typically, in-text citations will include an author(s) last name and a page number (Smith 21)

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Examples of Common Citations

Books

Articles in Newspapers and Journals

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Books

What you Need:

  1. Author(s)
  2. Title
  3. Publication Information (city of publication, publisher, and date)

Things to Remember:

  1. There are two spaces between the authors name and the title, and again between the title and the place of publication.
  2. Often-used words, such as "University" and "Press" use only initials, i.e. UP means "University Press"
  3. All lines after the first are indented five spaces.
Books by a Single Author:

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

 Light, Paul C.   Forging Legislation.  New York: Norton, 1992.

An Anthology:

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

 Allen, Robert C., ed.  Channels of Discourse: Television and Contemporary Criticism.  Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina P, 1987.

A Book by Two or More Persons:

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

 Berry, Jason, Jonathan Foose, and Tad Jones.  Up from the Cradle of Jazz: New Orleans Music since World War II.  Athens: U of Georgia P, 1986.

*note* - In the case of multiple authors, the first authors name is inverted while the rest are listed normally.

An Anonymous Book:

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

 Encyclopedia of Photography.  New York: Crown, 1984.

A Work in an Anthology:

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

 Hansberry, Lorraine.   A Raisin in the Sun. Black Theater: A 20th Century Collection of the Work of its Best Playwrights. Ed. Lindsay Patterson.  New York: Dodd, 1971. 221-76.

 Lazard, Naomi.   "In Answer to Your Query."   The Norton Book of Light Verse..  Ed. Russell Baker.   New York: Norton, 1986. 52-53.

*note* - Why is Raisin in the Sun italicized, while "In Answer to Your Query" is in quotes? If the item in the anthology has been previously published independently (like a play or perhaps a short novel) it is italicized.

*note* - Don't forget to include page numbers when citing a work in an anthology

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Articles in Newspapers and Journals:

What you need:

  1. Author(s)
  2. Title
  3. Publication Information (city of publication, publisher, and date)
Newspaper Article:

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

 Wheeler, David L.  "Artifical-Intelligence Researchers Develop Electronic 'Tutors' to Aid Learning Process."  Chronicle of Higher Education 20 May 1987: 6-8.

*note* - If the article is not printed on consecutive pages you cite the page numbers as 6+ or F1+ (if pages have letters instead of numbers)

Magazine Articles:

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

 Frazer, Lance.  "Yours, Mine, or Ours: Who Owns the Moon?"  Space World  Nov. 1986: 24-26.

 Prince, Dinah.  "Marriage in the '80s."  New York  1 June 1987: 30-38.

*note* - Never put volume/issue numbers in magazine citations

Scholarly Journal Articles:

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

 Barthelme, Frederick.  "Architecture."  Kansas Quarterly 13.3 (1981): 77-80.

*note* - 13.3 indicated Volume 13, Issue 3.

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This page is adapted from a guide by the Writing Tutorial Services Center at Indiana University.

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Need More Help?

If you have questions or need additional assistance, Ask a Librarian, call the Reference Department at (407) 823-2562, or e-mail the Department at askalibrarian@mail.ucf.edu.

 The University Writing Center is another available resource for help with proper citation as well as any other writing related questions.

 Also, feel free to schedule a Research Consultation for a one-on-one meeting with a librarian for additional help with your research needs.

 

Last Updated: January 30, 2008