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MLA-Style Citation
Bibliography/Works Cited/Source List
Why do we have to do this?
The purpose of a bibliography are to give proper credit to the sources used, to refer the reader to relevant sources, and to allow the reader to recreate the path followed in preparing the research paper. Your bibliography should be clear and accurate enough to lead your readers precisely to the same sources you found and used in your paper.
How to do it!
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed., by Joseph Gibaldi.
REF 808.027 Gib
Chapter 5 "Documentation: Preparing the List of Works Cited"
Chapter 6 "Documentation: Citing Sources in the Text"(See page 6 of this handout for a brief example of citing in the document.)
Works Cited/Bibliography/Literature Cited
Format
*For a complete description of the format for works cited, see Chapter 5.4 on page 145.
The works cited should be completely double-spaced, with the second and subsequent lines of each entry indented 5 spaces or 1/2 inch from the left margin (hanging indention).
Alphabetize the entries by author's surname, or by title if name is not known.
Follow all the MLA rules for capitalization, etc.
Examples from the MLA Handbook:
Book with one author/editor:
[Author. Title. City: Publisher, Year Published.]
Fukuyama, Francis. Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology
Revolution. New York: Farrar, 2002.
[Editor. Title. City: Publisher, Year Published.]
Weisser, Susan Ostrov, ed. Women and Romance: A Reader. New York: New York UP,
2001.
Books with more than one author:
[Author, Author, Author. Title. City: Publisher, Year published.]
Marquart, James W., Sheldon Ekland Olson, and Jonathan R. Sorensen. The Rope, the
Chair, and the Needle. Austin: U of Texas P, 1994.
Essays from an anthology:
[Author. "Title of story/essay." Title of Book. Editor's name. Place of Publication:
Publisher, Year published. Page number(s).]
More, Hannah. "The Black Slave Trade: A Poem." British Women Poets of the
Romantic Era. Ed. Paula R. Feldman. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1997.
472-82.
Reprints:
[Author. "Title of Article/Essay." Journal Title volume.issue (year Published): Page(s).
Reprinted in Book Title. Editor. Volume Number. City: Publisher,
Year Published. Page number(s).]
Holladay, Hillary. "Narrative Space in Ann Petry's Country Place." Xavier Review 16.2
(1996): 21-35. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed Linda Pavlovski and
Scott Darga. Vol. 112, Detroit: Gale, 2002. 356-62.
Books in a subsequent edition:
[Author. Title. Editor. Edition. City: Publisher, Year Published.]
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer. Ed. F.N. Robinson. 2nd ed.
Boston: Houghton, 1957.
Reference Books & Multi-volume works:
[Author or Editor. Title. City: Publisher, Year published. Volume number of Series Title.
Total Volumes. Year published.]
If you are using only one of the volumes, follow this example:
Stowe, Harriet Beecher. "Sojourner Truth, the Libyan Sibyl." 1963. The Heath Anthology of
American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter et al. 4th ed. Vol. 1. Boston: Houghton, 2002.
2530-38.
If you are using two or more of the volumes, follow this:
Lauter, Paul, et al., eds. The Health Anthology of American Literature. 4th ed. 2 vols.
Boston: houghton, 2002.
Article from a journal or magazine found through a subscription database:
[Author(s). "Article Title." Journal Title volume.issue (year): page number(s). Database
name. Database Publisher. Library that owns subscription. Date of access. <URL>.]
Coffey, Warren. "Flannery O'Connor." Commentary 40.2 (1965): 938-9.
Literature Resource Center. GaleNet. Robert Morris College Library.
3 Mar. 2001. <http://galenet.galegroup.com>.
"Cooling Trend in Anarctica." Futurist May-June 2002: 15. Academic Search Premier.
EBSCO. Robert Morris College Lib. 23 May 2003. <http://web.ebscohost.com>.
Nielsen David and David Goldman. "Gene Transfer and Gene Therapy." Alcohol Health
and Research 16.4 (1992): 304-39. Health Source Plus. EBSCO. Robert Morris
College Lib. 3 Mar. 2001. <http://web.ebscohost.com>.
McMichael, Anthony J. "Population, Environment, Disease, and Survival: Past Patterns,
Uncertain Futures." Lancet 30 Mar. 2002: 1145-48. Lexis-Nexis: Academic.
Lexis-Nexis. Robert Morris College Lib. 22 May 2002. <http://www.lexisnexis.com>.
Essay from a Magazine reprinted in a book and accessed via a database:
[Author. "Title of essay." Journal Title volume.issue (year published): Page numbers.
Reprinted in Book title. Editor's name. Volume number. City: Publisher, Year
published. pages. Database title. Database Publisher. Library that owns
subscription. Access date.<URL>.]
Holladay, Hillary. "Narrative Space in AnnPetry's Country Place." Xavier Review 16.2
(1996): 21-35. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Linda Pavlovski
and Scott Darga. Vol. 112, Detriot: Gale, 2002. 356-62. Literature Resource
Center. Gale Group. Robert Morris College Lib. 18 Aug. 2003.
<http://galenet.galegroup.com>.
Article from a newspaper found through a database:
[Author. "Article Title." Name of Newspaper Date (day month year), Edition: Section Page.
Database Name. Database Publisher. Library that owns subscription. Access date. <URL>.]
Gopnik, Blake. "Art and Design Bringing Fresh Ideas to the Table." Washington Post 21
Apr.2002: G1. Newspaper Source Elite. EBSCO. Robert Morris College Lib.
18 Aug. 2003. <http://web.ebscohost.com>.
Transcript from Television or Radio Programs:
[Narrator/Host. "Title of Segment." Program name. Broadcasting Corporation,
City. Broadcast date. URL.]
Komando, Kim. "Password Security." WCBS News Radio. WCBS, New York.
20 May 2002. Transcript. 23 May 2002
http://wcbs880.com/komando/StoryFolder/story_1002173851_html.
Internet (Remember to remove the hyperlink-don't underline web addresses!)
[Author. "Article title." Web site name. Publisher. Access date <URL>.
Path (if necessary).]
Nastali, Dan, and Phil Boardman. "Searching for Arthur: Literary Highways,
Electronic Byways, and Cultural Back Roads." Arthuriana 11.4 (2001):
108-22. Abstract. 1 Oct. 2002
<http://www.smu.edu/arthuriana/. Path: Abstracts; K-O>.
"Reebok International Ltd." Hoover's Online. 2002. Hoover's Inc. 19 June 2002
<http://www.hoovers.com/co/capsule/6/0,2163,11266,00.html>.
United States. Dept. of Justice. Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention.
Law Enforcement and Juvenile Crime. By Howard N. Snyder. Dec. 2001. 29 June 2002
<http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/191031.pdf>.
*Note: the "path" is what to click on when you get to that web page, so that the reader will find exactly what you found. (Gibaldi, 230)
VHS/DVD
Original Release:
It's a Wonderful Life. Dir. Frank Capra. Perf. James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore,
and Thomas Mitchell. RKO, 1946.
Re-release in new format:
[Title. Director. Performers. Film Studio, Year Original Release. New Format, Distributor,
year.]
It's a Wonderful Life. Dir. Frank Capra. Perf. James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore,
and Thomas Mitchell. RKO, 1946. DVD, Republic, 2001.
Interview
Fellini, Federico. "The Long Interview." Juliet of the Spirits. Ed Tullio Kezich.
Trans. Howard Greenfield. New York: Ballantine, 1966. 17-64.
Gordimer, Nadine. Interview. New York Times 10 Oct. 1991, late ed.: C25.