Use the Modern Language Association (MLA) citation style for English and Humanities disciplines.
Basic Structure
Last Name, First Name. Title of Resource. Publication Info, Year.
Library Support
- Librarians in-person and virtual.
- Full manual available LB 2369 .M52 2021
- Print Handout: MLA Handout [PDF]
In-Text References
Authors, dates, and page numbers can be cited in-text in several different ways.
Example 1: James Fenmore Cooper writes, “It was in the scene of strife and bloodshed that the incidents we shall attempt to relate occurred” (11).
Example 2: “It was in the scene of strife and bloodshed that the incidents we shall attempt to relate occurred” (Cooper 11).
Example 3: Walker (2000) compared reaction times favorably to his predecessor.
Works Cited section
- Use the title Works Cited centered at the top of the page
- Alphabetize by author last name, use a hanging indent, and double space
Examples of Specific Types of Resources
Books and eBooks
Formula:
Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.
Examples:
Burkhardt, Joanna M. Teaching Information Literacy Reframed 50+ Framework-Based Exercises for Creating Information-Literate Learners. Neal-Schuman, 2016.
Chapter in an anthology or edited book
Formula
Last name, First name. “Title of Chapter.” Title of Book, edited by Editor’s Name(s), Publisher, Year, Page range of chapter.
Example
Turan, Anusuya Chinsamy. “Paleontology: The Knowledge in the Bones.” On Discovery: How Knowledge Is Produced across the Disciplines, Ed. Jonathan Jansen, Cambridge University Press, 2025, pp. 129-139.
Articles (journals, trades, newspapers, magazines)
Format
Author(s). “Title of Article”. Journal/Magazine/Newspaper Title, Publication Info [vol, no. year, pp]. URL or DOI (preferred).
Example
Lever, Aldo. “Liberalism, Democracy, and the Ethics of Voting.” Politics, vol. 29, no. 3, 2009, pp. 223-227.
Websites
Formula
Author(s). “Title.” Title of website, Publication info (date or date updated). URL (optional include date accessed if it is likely to help readers)
Example
Roser, Max, and Estebgan Ortiz-Ospina. “Literacy.” Our World In Data, 20 Sep 2018, https://ourworldindata.org/literacy
Videos (e.g. YouTube, Tik Toks)
Formula
Author/Uploader. “Title of video.” Platform, Date uploaded, URL.
Example
University of Chicago. “European Cartographers and the Ottoman World, 1500—1750”. YouTube, 12 Dec 2007, Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watchz.
Images and Artwork
Vincent van Gogh, artist. “Starry Night.” MoMA Learning, 1889, retrieved 10 Jan 2018.
Annotated Biographies
Annotations should be appear after the citation entry. Your annotations should be indented.