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MLA 8 citation style

Use MLA (Modern Language Association) citation style for writing in English studies, World languages, and other humanities disciplines.

1. In-text citation

Authors, dates, and page numbers can be cited in-text in several different ways.

James Fenmore Cooper writes, “It was in the scene of strife and bloodshed that the incidents we shall attempt to relate occurred” (11).
“It was in the scene of strife and bloodshed that the incidents we shall attempt to relate occurred” (Cooper 11).
Walker (2000) compared reaction times favorably to his predecessor.

2. Works cited citation

  • Use the title Works Cited centered at the top of the page
  • Alphabetize by author last name, use a hanging indent, and double space

Alter, A. “The Ingredients of Behavioral Addiction.” Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked, Part 2, Penguin Press, 2017, pp 27-32.

Lever, A. “Liberalism, Democracy, and the Ethics of Voting.” Politics, vol. 29, no. 3, 2009, pp. 223-227. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9256.2009.01359.

Roser, Max, and Estebgan Ortiz-Ospina. “Literacy.” Our World In Data, 20 Sep 2018, ourworldindata.org/literacy.

University of Chicago. “European Cartographers and the Ottoman World, 1500—1750” [Video file]. YouTube, 12 Dec 2007, Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watchz.

3. Other details for works cited citations

Books and eBooks

Author(s). Title of source. Publisher, Publication date. Author(s). Title of source. Version, Publisher Publication date, Location.
F, Alan. The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction. Oxford University Press, 2011. Burkhardt, Joanna M. Teaching Information Literacy Reframed: 50+ Framework-Based Exercises for Creating Information-Literate Learners. E-book, ALA Neal-Schuman, 2016. EBSCOhost eBook Collection. Beowulf. Translated by Alan Sullivan, edited by Sarah Anderson, Pearson, 2004.

Chapter in a book

Author(s). “Title of source.” [chapter title] Title of container, [book title] Other contributors [Editors], Number [chapter, episode], Publisher, Publication date, Location [pages].
Alter, Alan. “The Ingredients of Behavioral Addiction.” Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology, Penguin Press, 2017, pp 27-32.

Encyclopedia entries

Author(s). “Title of Source” [entry]. Title of container [encyclopedia], Other contributors  [editors], Version [Edition],  Number [Volume], Publisher, Publication date, Location [pages, URL, DOI]
Spencer, Johnathan. “Marxism and Anthropology.” Routledge Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology, edited by Alan Barnard and Jonathan Spencer, Second edition, Routledge, 2010, pp.446-449.

Magazine and newspaper articles

Author(s). “Title of source.” [article title]. Title of container, [journal title] Number [volume, issue] Publication date, Location, page, URL, DOI (preferred).
Lever, Aldo. “Liberalism, Democracy, and the Ethics of Voting.” Politics, vol. 29, no. 3, 2009, pp. 223-227. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9256.2009.01359.

Webpages

Author(s). “Title of source.” [page name] Title of container, [website name] Publication date, [if available] Location, [URL if the reader can’t easily find it], Date of access. [if no publication date]  
Roser, Max, and Estebgan Ortiz-Ospina. “Literacy.” Our World In Data, 20 Sep 2018, ourworldindata.org/literacy.

Video or image on a webpage (e.g. YouTube) 

Contributor(s), contributor’s role. “Title of source.”    Title of container, [website] Publication date, Location [URL].
University of Chicago. “European Cartographers and the Ottoman World, 1500—1750” [Video file]. YouTube, 12 Dec 2007, Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watchz. Vincent van Gogh, artist. “Starry Night.” MoMA Learning, 1889, retrieved 10 Jan 2018.