Eng1A_MLA_citation.htm

Examples of MLA Parenthetical Citation

These examples will provide you with the information you need to learn how to correctly format parenthetical citations used in text when quoting from other sources following MLA style.

For examples of MLA Works Cited entries, see below.

One Work by a Single Author

Smith discovered substantial differences in the two substances (10). [The author name is not repeated, because it appears in the sentence.]

In a recent study these differences were carefully described (Smith 10).

One Work with Two or Three Authors

A recent report describes the differences in the two substances (Smith and Jones 10).

In a recent report, Smith and Jones described the two substances (10).

Smith, Jones, and Moore described their recent experiment (12).

The latest issue of Science contains a description of the experiment (Smith, Jones, and Moore 12).

One Work with Four or More Authors

Jones et al. described their work in a recent report (12).

A new report on ozone depletion describes recent discoveries (Jones et al. 12).

Two Works by the Same Author

When citing two works by the same author, use a short title to indicate the different works:

(Twain, Sawyer 1)
(Twain, Finn 1)

More Than One Citation Within a Single Parenthetical Reference

In recent studies the differences were clearly described (Allen 15; Jones 10; Smith 25). [Note that entries are separated by semicolons and arranged alphabetically, not chronologically by date.]

Two Authors with the Same Surname

If two authors being cited have the same surname, use the first initial of each author when cited in a parenthetical reference.

(L. Allen 15)
(S. Allen 12)

A Source Without Page Numbers [such as a web site]

Every human, Pipin said, possesses an 'aquatic genetic memory'" (Kvints, par. 3). [Note that the paragraph number, rather than the page number, is included.]

Examples of Entries for the Works Cited List, MLA Style

NOTE: If your document is a "final product" your works cited list will be double spaced with a hanging indentation (that is, first line of each entry flush with the left margin and all other lines indented one-half inch). This hanging indent is not easily formatted for all browsers, so consult MLA Format for Student Essays for examples.

A Book

Garruth, Gordon. What Happened When: A Chronology of Life and Events in America. New York: Signet,1991.

A Book with Two or Three Authors

Ruland, Richard, and Malcolm Bradbury. From Puritanism to Postmodernism: A History of American Literature. New York: Viking, 1991.

An Edited Book

Mizener, Arthur, ed. Modern Short Stories. New York: Norton, 1979.

An Edition

Lannon, John. M. Technical Writing. 5th ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.

An Article or Chapter in an Edited Book

Dundes, Alan. "On the Psychology of Legend." American Folk Legend. Ed. Wayland D. Hand. Berkeley: U of California P, 1971. 21-36.

An Article or Essay (Not a Reprint) in a Collection

Wilde, Glen. "Why the Pledge of Allegiance Should Be Revised." Current Issues and Enduring Questions. Ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 47-50.

A Magazine or Newspaper Article Reprinted in a Collection

Labi, Nadya. "Classrooms for Sale." Time 19 Apr. 1999. Rpt. in Current Issues and Enduring Questions. Ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 123-125.

More Than Two Reprinted Articles or Essays from the Same Collection

Allitt, Patrick. "Should Undergraduates Specialize?" Barnet and Bedau 591-594.

Barnet, Sylvan, and Hugo Bedau, eds. Current Issues and Enduring Questions. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008.

Eggers, Dave. "Serve or Fail." Barnet and Bedau 583-585.

Fish, Stanley. "Why We Built the Ivory Tower." Barnet and Bedau 579-581.

A Work in an Anthology

Bradstreet, Anne. "Before the Birth of One of Her Children." 1678.The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. 5th ed. Vol. 1. New York: Norton, 1998. 271.

More Than Two Works from the Same Anthology

Baym, Nina, ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 5th ed. Vol. 1. New York: Norton, 1998.

Bradford, William. Of Plymouth Plantation. Baym 165-204.

Bradstreet, Anne. "Before the Birth of One of Her Children." Baym 271.

Taylor, Edward. "Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold." Baym 348-349.

[NOTE: If the anthologized work is a poem, essay, or article, place the title within quotation marks; if it is a novel, play, or any work originally published independently, underscore or italicize it.]

Two or More Works by the Same Author

Brunvand, Jan. Folklore: A Study and Research Guide. New York: St. Martin's, 1976.

---, ed. Readings in American Folklore. New York: Norton, l979.

---. The Study of American Folklore: An Introduction. 4th ed. New York: Norton, 1998.

A Periodical Paginated by Volume

Arora, Shirley. L. "On the Importance of Rotting Fish: A Proverb and Its Audience." Western Folklore 48 (1989): 271-288.

A Periodical Paginated by Issue

Becker, Leonard. K., and Clive Seligman. "Welcome to the Energy Crisis." Journal of Social Issues 37.2 (1981): 1-7.

A Magazine Article

With an Author
Junod, Tom. "A Miracle of Faith." Life July 1991: 28-39.

No Author Given

"Moments." Life July 1991: 8-16.

A Newspaper Article

With an Author
Welch, Bob. "Masters of the Garden." The Eugene Register Guard 21 Mar. 1994: D1.

No Author Given

"Frequent Moves Can Hurt Children." The Eugene Register Guard 21 Mar. 1994: D2.

An Interview

Fagan, Susan. Personal interview. 12 Feb. 2008.

An Article in an Online Periodical

Kvints, Paul. "Is Time Running Out for the Mythic Man Fish?" Outside Magazine. Oct. 1998. 21 Sept. 1998 <http://outside.starwave.com/magazine/1098/981/Omanfish.html>. [NOTE: First date given is the publication date; second date given is date of site access.]

A Professional or Personal Web Site

Fagan, Susan. "Examples of MLA Parenthetical Citation." Susan Fagan's Home Page. 16 Oct. 2001. Department of English, University of Oregon. 20 Oct. 2001 <http://www.uoregon.edu/~sfagan/mla_documentation.htm>. [NOTE: First date given is the date of electronic publication or the most recent update and second date given is the date of site access.]

An On-Line Data Base

Amiel, Barbara. "An Eternal Struggle Between Church and State." McLeans. 5 Nov. 2007: 10. Ebsco Host. Acadmic Search Premiere. College of the Desert Library. 03 Mar. 2008 <http://search.ebscohost.com>. [NOTE: First date given is the date of the original print publication and second date given is the date of site access.]

Other

If you don't see listed above the particular type of citation you need, consult the Wadsworth Handbook for more examples. The best way to learn a referencing system is not to have someone tell you how to do it, but to sit down with a copy of the style sheet and work through it on your own.

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Last updated 05/02/08