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MLA Style (8th/9th Ed.)

Core Elements Format

The MLA 8th ed. does not provide rules for citing specific types of resources.  They provide a universal set of guidelines for any type of material based based on the core elements.  The examples provided in this libguide were created by a Douglas College Librarian and follow this format.

This resource from the MLA provides guidance for citing laws, court decisions and other legal documents. 

Government Document Where the Author is also the Publisher

FORMAT

Title of Report. Publisher, Date of Publication or last update. URL.

EXAMPLE

Canada's Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Understanding the Trends, 1990-2006. Environment Canada, 2008, publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2009/ec/En81-4-2006-2E.pdf.

In Text: (Canada's Greenhouse 17)

"When an organization is both author and publisher, begin the entry with the work's title, skipping the author element, and list the organization only as publisher." (MLA Handbook, 8th ed, page 104)

Document Where the Author is not the Publisher

FORMAT

Title of Document. Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee, Publisher, Publication Date, URL. 

EXAMPLE

Agriculture in Harmony with Nature: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Sustainable Development Strategy 2001-2004. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, The Queens Printer, 2001, publications.gc.ca/collections/ Collection/A22-166-1-2001E.pdf. 

In Text: (Agriculture in Harmony 18)

"When a work's author and publisher are separate organizations, give both names, starting the entry with the one that is the author.  When an organization is both author and publisher, begin the entry with the work's title, skipping the author element, and list the organization only as publisher." (MLA Handbook, 8th ed, page 104)

Government Document with a Personal Author (Statistics Canada)

FORMAT

Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Document. Publisher, Publication Date, URL. Date Accessed.

EXAMPLE

Pearson, Caryn. The Impact of Mental Health Problems on Family Members. Statistics Canada, 7 Oct. 2015, www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-624- x/2015001/article/14214-eng.pdf. Accessed 19 Nov. 2016.

In Text: (Pearson 4)

When providing the URL, copy the full URL from your browser but do not include the http:// or https:// (MLA Handbook, 8th ed., page 110)

Government Document - Author & Publisher are the same organization

FORMAT Title. Publisher, Date.

​EXAMPLE Families. Statistics Canada, 1994.

In Text: (Families 17)

Statistics Canada is both the author and the publisher of this document. Author is omitted, therefore as 'publisher' it follows the title

EXAMPLE 2

Information Use by the Ministry of Health in Resource Allocation Decisions for the Regional Health Care System. Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia, 2002.

In Text: (Information Use 22)

NOTE: For statistics or spreadsheets from government websites, use the URL for the site rather than the URL for the document. For the title of the document, use the title that makes it easiest to find the document on the government website rather than the title of the spreadsheet. 

Census Metropolitan Areas / Census Agglomerations: 2011 to 2017 (XML). British Columbia, 2017, www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/data/statistics/people-population-community/population/population-estimates

In Text: (Census)

Pamphlets / Brochures

FORMAT

Name of Organization/Author. Title of Pamphlet. Publisher name, Publication Date. Pamphlet.

EXAMPLE

Not Everyone Has a Home. National Coalition for the Homeless. Pamphlet.

In Text: (Not Everyone)

NOTE "When an organization is both author and publisher, begin the entry with the work's title, skipping the author element, and list the organization only as publisher." (MLA Handbook, 8th ed, page 104) Often pamphlets do not provide publication dates.  Do not include n.d. as was done in the past. MLA states "If the source is an unexpected type of work, you may identify the type with a descriptive term, in this case 'Pamphlet' or 'Brochure.'