Citing Paper/Traditional Sources in MLA, 7th ed. Format
The Uni High Version
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Citing ELECTRONIC materials in MLA
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TIPS ON FORMATTING YOUR CITATIONS
Paper and other "traditional" sources covered here:
Article from a magazine
Article from a journal
Book by a single author
Book with two authors
Book by a corporate author (company, school, nonprofit group, etc.)
Book with an editor
Signed article from a daily newspaper
Unsigned article from a daily newspaper
Work in an anthology or collection
Signed article in a reference work (encyclopedia, dictionary, etc.)
Unsigned article in a reference work (encyclopedia, dictionary, etc.)
Government document
Pamphlet or booklet
Unpublished manuscript, typescript, or letter
Interview
Article from a magazine § Back to Top
Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine DD MONTH
[abbreviate except for May, June, and July] YYYY: pp-pp. Print.
Stone, David M. "Secrets of Exploravision Winners." Science Teacher News 15 Oct.
2009: 120-22. Print.
Article from a journal § Back to Top
Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Article." Title of Journal Vol.Issue# (YYYY):
pp-pp. Print.
York, Maurice. "Trapped in Graduate School." Low Down Review 16.4
(2007): 6-17. Print.
Rayburn, Steve. "To Ban or Not to Ban: Teens Discuss Controversial Library Books."
Journal of Censorship in Schools 12 (2008): 323-30. Print.
Book by a single author § Back to Top
Lastname, Firstname Middlename. Title of Book: Subtitle. City of Publication:
Publisher, YYYY. Print.
Shriver, Runelle. As the Library Turns. Champaign: U of IL P, 2009. Print.
Book by two authors § Back to Top
Lastname, Firstname Middlename, and Firstname Middlename Lastname.
Title of Book: Subtitle. City of Publication: Publisher, YYYY. Print.
Harris, Frances Jacobson, and Jenny Yi. Can You Speak Up Please?:
Subbie Oral History Projects. Urbana: U Lab. High School, 2002. Print.
Book by a corporate author (a company, nonprofit, etc.) § Back to Top
Corporate Author. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, YYYY. Print.
University Laboratory High School Alumni Association. Uni through the Years. Urbana:
U Lab. High School Alumni Assn., 2009. Print.
Book with an editor § Back to Top
Lastname, Firstname, ed. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, YYYY.
Print.
Morris, Pat, ed. The Adventures of Bridge Building. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2009.
Print.
Signed article from a daily newspaper § Back to Top
Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper DD Mon. YYYY,
Edition: SectionPage+. Print.
Perez-Pena, Richard. "CUNY and California Curbs: Parallels in Approach."
New York Times 13 May 2008: B8. Print.
Chandler, Mary. "Uni Students End World Hunger." News-Gazette [Champaign] 20
Apr. 2008, morning ed., A2+. Print.
Unsigned article from a daily newspaper § Back to Top
"Title of Article." Title of Newspaper DD Mon. YYYY, Edition: SectionPage.
Print.
"I’m Leaving My Money to the Uni High Library." News-Gazette [Champaign] 15 Sept.
2009: A1. Print.
"Anonymous Donor Leaves $1 Billion to University Laboratory High School, Urbana."
Wall Street Journal 20 Oct. 2009: C1+. Print.
Work in an anthology § Back to Top
Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Article." Title of Book. Ed. Editor’s Firstname
Lastname. City of Publication: Publisher, YYYY. pp-pp. Print.
Khan, Ghengis. "Feedback Cycles Changed My Life." History through Flowcharts.
Ed. Chris Butler. Boston: HarperCollins, 2005. 127-34. Print.
Signed article in a reference work (encyclopedia, dictionary, etc.) § Back to Top
For well-known reference works and those that appear in new editions, use minimal publication information:
Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Article." Title of Encyclopedia. YYYY ed. (or
Ordinal Number ed. YYYY.) Print.
Steen, Liz Arthur. "Applied Finite Math." Encyclopedia Mathematica. 2005 ed. Print.
Bille, Matthew A. and Cherie McCollough. "Auks, Puffins, and Murres." Grzimek's
Animal Life Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. 2003. Print.
For specialized or unique reference works without further editions, include full publication information:
Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Article." Title of Encyclopedia. Ed. Firstname
Lastname. Ordinal number ed. (if any). Vol. Number (if any). City of
publication: Publisher, YYYY. Print.
Chen, Fu-jen. "Donald Duk." Encyclopedia of Asian-American Literature. Ed.
Seiwoong Oh. New York: Facts on File, 2007. Print.
Routledge, Chris. "Slinky." Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of
20th-Century America. Eds. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 3. New
York: UXL, 2002. Print.
Unsigned article in a reference work (encyclopedia, dictionary, etc.) § Back to Top
For well-known reference works and those that appear in new editions, use minimal publication information:
"Title of Article." Title of Reference Work . YYYY ed. (or Ordinal Number ed.
YYYY.) Print.
"Marshal." Entry 2. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 11th ed. 2003. Print.
"Library Goddesses." Encyclopedia of Library Science. 4th ed. 2008. Print.
For specialized or unique reference works without further editions, include full publication information:
"Title of Article." Title of Encyclopedia. Ed. Firstname Lastname. Ordinal
number ed. (if any). Vol. Number (if any). City of publication: Publisher,
YYYY. Print.
"The Pregnant Shoplifter." Encyclopedia of Urban Legends. Ed. Jan Harold Brunvand.
Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2001. Print.
"Key Composers: Benjamin Britten." The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Opera.
Ed. Stanley Sadie. New York: Billboard, 2004.
Government document § Back to Top
Country or State. Agency. Subagency. Title. Ordinal number ed. or session and
document number. City of Publication: Publisher, YYYY. Print.
United States. Cong. House. Committee on the Judiciary. The Adverse Effects of
Homework on Gifted Students. 91st Cong., 2nd sess. H. Res. 61.
Washington: GPO, 2008. Print.
United Nations. Literary Aid Committee. Fatigue Relief for Overworked Fantasy
Characters in the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles. New York: Taylor, 2008. Print.
Pamphlet or booklet § Back to Top
Lastname, Firstname Middlename (if found). Title of Pamphlet: Subtitle. City
of Publication: Publisher, YYYY. Print.
Brown, Farmer. Farm Fresh Eggs: A Beginner's Guide. Arthur: Brown's Egg Ranch,
2008. Print.
Community Gardening with Children Ages 6-12. Boston: Boston Urban Gardeners,
n.d. Print.
Unpublished manuscript, typescript, or letter § Back to Top
Lastname, Firstname (or name of group/institution). Title or description of the
material (for example, Notebook). The date of composition (if not known, write
N.d.). Form of the material (for example, MS for something written by hand, or
TS for something typed). Any identifying number or date assigned to the
document (if applicable). Name and location of the library or other institution
holding the material.
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. 1400-1410. MS Harley 7334. British Lib.,
London.
Robin, Mittenthal. "My Super-Secret Don't Anybody Read this Ever Ever Ever or
Else Diary and that Means You." Unpublished diary. 2004. MS. Special Collection of
Important Personal Papers of Former Graduate Student Assistants. Uni High
Lib., Urbana.
Interview § Back to Top
To cite an interview that you conducted, use the following format, putting in either "Personal interview" or "Telephone interview" for 'kind of interview.' To cite an interview conducted by someone else, please check the MLA Handbook in print, as this format is highly variable.
Lastname, Firstname (of person interviewed). Kind of interview. DD Mon.
YYYY.
Suslick, Adele. Personal interview. 16 Jan. 2008.
Harris, Frances. Telephone interview. 20 May 2009.
Disclaimer: This handout is only meant as a guide. If we tried to cover all citations you might make, we’d have a book—which is exactly what the Modern Language Association (MLA) publishes every couple of years. You should check the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th edition, if you have a question that this guide doesn’t answer. See the library for a copy (call number R 808.02 M72ml 2009 in the reference section).
Formatting your citations: In making your list of works cited, begin each entry flush with the left margin; if the entry runs more than a line long, the next lines should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. On many word processors you can accomplish this by paragraph formatting for a "hanging indent." (Whichever you choose, be consistent throughout.) Also use double spacing for your entire list, both between and within entries.
This citation guide was last revised 6/2009.