Quick-and-Easy MLA Guide

Updated April 20, 2006
For more information, see a tutor in the Writing Center / Academic Support Center in Knutti 114

 

Although this form follows The MLA Manual Style (an abbreviated version of this is in your Harbrace), individual professors may require slightly different elements of MLA style.  Ultimately, professors serve as the authority over citation style for your class.

 

ONE BOOK WITH ONE AUTHOR:

Austen, Jane. Sense and Sensibility. New York: Penguin Books, 2003.

 

FICTION OR ESSAY FROM ANTHOLOGY

Garcia, Alex.  “Reality Check.”  Between Worlds. 4th ed. Ed. Susan Bachmann, et al.

            New York: Pearson, 2004. 441-443.

Woolf, Virginia. “Shakespeare’s Sister.”  A World of Ideas. 7th ed.  Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. Boston:

            Bedford Books, 2006. 764-776.

POEM FROM AN ANTHOLOGY

Blake, William. “The Chimney Sweeper.” Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. 8th ed. Ed. Thomas

            Arp and Greg Johnson. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt, 2002. 837.

PLAY FROM AN ANTHOLOGY

Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire.  Norton Anthology of American Literature. Shorter 6th ed. Ed.
            Nina Baym. New York: Norton, 2003.  2301-2363.

 

TRANSLATED WORK FROM ANTHOLOGY

Sophocles. Antigone. Tr. Robert Fagels. Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2nd ed. Eds. Sarah Lawall and

Maynard Mack. Volume A. New York: Norton, 2002. 658-693.

 

WORK FROM AN ACADEMIC JOURNAL

Academic Journal with Continuous Pagination

Nair, Supriya. “The Caribbean Unbound:  Cross-Atlantic Discourses on Slavery and Race.”

 

            American Literary History  14 (2002): 566-79.

 

Academic Journal with Separate Pagination

Andrews, William L.  “Postmodern Southern Literature: Confessions of a Norton Anthologist.”

 

            Studies in the Literary Imagination 35.1 (2002): 105-12.

 

WORKS FROM NEWSPAPERS OR POPULAR MAGAZINES

Monthly Magazine

Keizer, Garret.  “How the Devil Falls in Love.” Harper’s Aug. 2002: 43-51.

 

Weekly Magazine

Klotowitz, Alex.  “The Trenchcoat Robbers.”  New Yorker 8 July 2002: 34-39.

 

Daily Newspaper

Moberg, David.  “The Accidental Environmentalist.” Chicago Tribune 24 Sept. 2002, final ed.,

 

            Sec. 2:  1+.

 

SOURCES VIEWED OR HEARD:

Film

My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  Dir. Joel Zwick.  IFC, 2002.

 

Musical Composition

Puccini, Giacomo.  Turandot.

 

Interview—conducted by yourself

Chappell, Fred.  Personal interview.  16 Aug. 2004.

 

Interview—conducted by someone else

Harryhausen, Ray.  Interview with Terry Gross.  Fresh Air.  National Public Radio. 

 

            WHYY, Philadelphia.  6 Jan. 2003.

 

WORKS FROM THE WORLD WIDE WEB

 

All Electronic citations should include all of the following pieces of information IF THEY ARE AVAILABLE AND RELEVANT. Information that is not given on a web page can be omitted from the citation:

  1. The Author of the site or article on the site          2. The title of the document
  1. The date that the information was first posted     4. Information about previous print publication
  1. Information about electronic publication              6. The date the information was accessed
  1. The URL

 

An Entire Web Site

American Transcendentalism: An Online Travel Guide. Ed. Linda Tate. 2003. 3 September 2004

 

<http://www.shepherd.edu/transweb>.

An Article Originally Posted to a Web Site

Plotz, David.  “The Cure for Sinophobia.” Slate 4 June 1999. 4 June 1999

           

            <http://www.slate.com/StrangeBedfellow/99-06-03/StrangeBedfellow.asp>.

 

An Article reprinted on a Web Site

Gardner, Helen. "The Religious Poetry of John Donne." John Donne: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed.

 

Helen Gardner. New York:  Prentice-Hall, 1962.123-36. Essays and Articles in Early 17th Century

 

English Literature. Ed. Anniina Jokinen. 1996-2004. 1 October 2004.

 

<http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/sevenessay.htm>.

 

An Online Encyclopedia

"Plagiarism." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 22 Jul 2004, 10:55 UTC. Wikimedia Foundations, Inc.

10 Aug 2004 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plagiarism&oldid=5139350>.

 

WORK FROM AN ELECTRONIC LIBRARY DATABASE

The first date is the posting date.  The second date is the date you accessed the posting.

 

MacMullen, Jackie.  “Stop the Inanity.”  Sports Illustrated.  2 Nov. 1998:  89.  Ebsco Host.

 

            Online.  Academic Search FullTEXT Elite.  17 Nov. 1998.