Missing information is not indicated in the citation.
Use letter by letter alphabetization for your citations.
Single: Last Name, First Name Initial. Additional source by the same author: use ---. in place of their name (3 hyphens & a period.)
2 authors: Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name.
3 or more authors: Last Name, First Name, et al.
No author: Begin your citation with Title.
Organization is both author and publisher: begin the entry with the work's title, and list the organization only as publisher.
Italics: Book titles, Plays, Anthologies, and Database names. (These are Containers.)
“Quotation marks:” Article title, webpage title, chapter, and poems etc. in an anthology.
No title? Add a short description. Eg: photograph of – chart showing – gif of cat with …
Italicize them and follow by a comma: Journal Title, Anthology title, name of streaming site or database.
Eg: Sports Medicine, Riverside anthology of literature, Netflix, or ARTstor.
Description of their role follow by a comma then First Name Last Name: narrated by – performance by
Eg: Translated by Natasha Randall, or poetry reading by Kim Catrall, etc.
Follows title and ends in a comma. Eg: 2nd edition or Canadian edition or Director’s cut.
Your source is part of a number sequence or series. Abbreviate volume to vol. and number to no.
Eg: Orange is the New Black, S02 – E04. or Journal name, vol. 10, no. 4, etc.
Omit words such as Company & their abbreviations: Co., Inc., Ltd., Corp. Omit the publisher for a web site or newspaper if it duplicates information.
Shorten University Press to UP E.g. Oxford UP etc. More than one? separate with a forward slash. E.g. National Gallery / Yale UP,
Write the full date as you find it on the source. Format: Day Month Year Eg: Jan. 2013. Ends in either a period or comma.
Date missing? Do not write "No date" or "N.d."
This varies with different source types: page numbers, a permalink, a URL, or a physical location. Exclude http:// & https://
Eg: pp. 193-200, or pp. 57+ or doi:10.1353/pmc.2000.0021. or Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.
Use p. for a single page source, pp. for multiple pages, add a Plus sign (57+) for multiple non-consecutive pages.
No page numbers? Do not try to guess or count paragraphs, leave out missing information.
Date of access, Date of original publication, City of publication, Series name, and Information on prior publication.
Your best estimate for missing information can be included in square brackets with a question mark Eg. for publication date: [2008?]
Include a description of an unusual or unexpected source type like a web comment or reblog. Eg. Slam Poetry performance: “Bic for Her.” poetry written and recited by Mary Pinkowski, or for a dissertation or Master's thesis: Diss., MA thesis, or MS thesis.
Remember, the MLA 8th Edition does not provide rules for citing specific types of resources. They provide a universal set of guidelines for any type of material based on the core elements. The guidelines for citing any type of material or online resource are based on use of the core elements.
If you are uncertain about how to cite a resource after reviewing this guide, please check with your instructor.
If your source is quoting another source, known as an indirect source, do your best to find the original source. If you cannot find the original see this example.
Date accessed is now optional for online resources! Ask your instructor if they want this information included in your citations. Date accessed would follow the URL or Permalink.
FORMAT
Author's Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, vol. #, no. #, Publication Date, pp. xx-xx. Title of Database, URL.
EXAMPLE
Williams, George R. "What Can Consciousness Anomalies Tell Us about Quantum Mechanics?" Journal of Scientific Exploration, vol.30, no. 3, 2015, pp. 326-354. Academic Search Complete, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=118525144&site=eds-live
In Text: (Williams 344)
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Always use a DOI number if one is available. Otherwise use a URL. Use a persistent link or stable URL and remove the beginning "http://" or "https://" from the link in your citation.
FORMAT
Author's Last Name, First Name, et al. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. #, no. #, Publication Date, pp. xx-xx. Title of Database, doi:#.
EXAMPLE
Rabb, Nathaniel, et al. "Truths About Beauty and Goodness: Disgust Affects Moral but not Aesthetic Judgments." Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, vol. 10, no. 4, 2016, pp. 492-500. PsycINFO, doi:10.1037/aca0000051. *Accessed 12 Nov. 2016.
In Text: (Rabb et al. 494)
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"If the sources has three or more authors, the entry in the works cited list begins with the first author's name followed by et al. The in-text citation follows suit." (MLA Handbook, 8th edition, p. 116)
"When possible, cite a DOI (preceded by doi: ) instead of a URL. (MLA Handbook, 8th ed., p. 110)
*Date accessed is now optional for online resources!
FORMAT
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. #, no. #, Publication Date, pp. xx-xx, URL.
EXAMPLE
Cianciolo, Patricia K. "Compensating Nuclear Weapons Workers and Their Survivors: The Case of Fernald." Michigan Family Review, vol. 19, no. 1, 2015, pp. 51-72, quod.lib.umich.edu/m/mfr/ 4919087.0019.103?rgn=main;view=fulltext. Accessed 21 Sept. 2016.
In Text: (Cianciolo 61)
FORMAT
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. #, no. #, Publication Date, pp. xx-xx.
EXAMPLE
Conatser, Phillip, and Martin Block. "Aquatic Instructors' Beliefs Toward Inclusion." Therapeutic Recreation Journal, vol. 35, no. 2, 2001, pp. 170-184.
In Text: (Conatser and Block 177)
FORMAT
Author's Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Magazine, vol. #, no. #, Publication Date, pp. xx-xx. Title of Database, URL.
EXAMPLE
Agren, David. "Here Comes the Rain Again." Maclean's, vol. 124, no. 29, 8 Aug. 2011, p. 43. Canadian Business & Current Affairs Database, search.proquest.com/docview/879703108?accountid=26530.
In Text: (Agren 43)
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Magazines can be published with a volume and issue, or with only a publication date. Cite what you have.
For magazine articles use a permalink (as in this example) or stable URL which requires removing the beginning "http://" or "https://" from the link in your citation.
FORMAT
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine, Publication Date, URL.
EXAMPLE
Miller, Laura. “The Evolutionary Argument for Dr. Seuss.” Salon, 18 May 2009, www.salon.com/2009/05/18/evocriticism/.
In Text: (Miller)
FORMAT
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine, Publication Date, pp. xx-xx.
EXAMPLE
Bolster, Mary. “Energize Your Life.” Natural Health, Mar. 2009, p. 10.
In Text: (Bolster 10)
FORMAT
Author's Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Newspaper, Publication Date, p. x. Name of Database, URL.
EXAMPLE
Zacharias, Yvonne. "Robofuture." The Vancouver Sun, 6 Aug. 2004, p. F1. Canadian Major Dailies, search.proquest.com/docview/242295984?accountid=26530.
In Text: (Zacharias F1)
NOTE articles use a permalink (as in this example) or stable URL which requires removing the beginning "http://" or "https://" from the link in your citation.
FORMAT
Author's Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Newspaper, Publication Date, URL.
EXAMPLE
Skerritt, Jen. “Local Liver Specialists Struggle to Keep up with Hep-C Influx.” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 May 2009, www.winnipegfreepress.com /arts-and-life/life/local-liver-specialists-struggle-to-keep-up-with-hep-c- influx-45462112.html.
In Text: (Skerritt)
FORMAT
Author's Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Newspaper, Publication Date, p. x.
EXAMPLE
Fayerman, Pamela. "Body Degerates as Patients Wait." The Vancouver Sun, 3 June 2005, p. A12.
In Text: (Fayerman A12)
FORMAT
“Title of Article.” Title of Newspaper, Publication Date, p. x.
EXAMPLE
"Oval Distinguished for Innovative Design.” The Vancouver Sun, 16 May 2009, p. A14.
In Text: ("Oval Distinguished" A14)