This page explains the standard of documentation adopted by the Modern Language Association. MLA Style replaces the practice of using footnotes to mark citations of sources.

In this system, the writer briefly identifies sources in the text itself or by author and page in parentheses. At the end of the paper, an alphabetically arranged list titled Works Cited replaces the endnotes page and in many cases the bibliography as well. If there are works that the writer consulted but did not cite, they are listed alphabetically on a separate Works Consulted page

Wherever possible, include the reference as part of the text in your paper. For example, if you were writing a paper about Seattle and its climate and you wanted to quote a famous author who grew up in Seattle, you could cite the reference in the text this way:

In her autobiography, Memoirs of a Seattle Girlhood, Elspeth Wetly describes growing up in Seattle as "a damp experience" (219). Note that the punctuation (the period) follows the parentheses.

When it's awkward to include the source as part of the text, enclose the citation in parentheses following the relevant material. For example, if you wanted to make a general statement about reactions to Seattle's climate, you might say:

People who grew up there frequently point out that Seattle is an extremely damp city to live in (Wetly 219).

Note that the author's last name is included within the parentheses when the author is not mentioned in the text. It is not necessary to include the title within the parentheses unless more than one work by the same author (or works by authors with the same name) is cited in your paper.

If consecutive citations are made from the same source, only the page number is required in the citations following the initial citation. If another work is cited between citations from a single work, the author's name must be repeated as well.

People who grew up there complain that Seattle is a damp city to live in (Wetly, Memoirs 219). This dampness, in fact, leads to frequent minor illnesses among the population in general (Wetly, Dripping 204). Often, these illnesses can last through the winter, and in at least one case, a common cold "dragged on for an entire hanky-soaked year" (274). The dark, damp autumns, winters and springs can also lead to serious depression. In some people, the depression abates only in July and early August, when Seattleites celebrate the presence of the sun by staging the annual Seafair festival (Wetly, Memoirs 156).

The sources cited in your text are listed alphabetically on the Works Cited page. This list is where detailed information such as the date and place of publication is included. The Works Cited list should be double spaced with no extra spaces between sources. All but the first line of each entry are indented five spaces.

Sample Citations of the Most Common Sources

A BOOK BY ONE AUTHOR

Wetly, Elspeth. Dripping Forests and Running Noses.

Seattle: Evergreen Publications, 1965.

---. Memoirs of a Seattle Girlhood. Portland: Pristine Press, 1970.

A BOOK BY MULTIPLE AUTHORS

Strunk, William and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. 3rd ed.

New York: Macmillan, 1979.

Jolley, Janina M. et al. How to Write Psychology Papers. Sarasota,

Florida: Professional Resource Exchange, 1984.

A WORK IN AN ANTHOLOGY

List the author of the work, the title of the work (in quotes), the title of the book (in italics), the editor of the book, place of publication, publisher, date, and the page(s) on which the work appears.

Faulkner, William. "Dry September." Modern Stories in English. Ed.

W.H. New and H.J. Rosengarten. New York: Crowell, 1975. 46-56.

AN ARTICLE IN A MAGAZINE

List the author, the title of the article, the name of the magazine, the date of the magazine (for weekly periodicals, list the day, month abbreviation, and year) and the pages on which the article appears.

Beedy, Kevin J., Ph.D. "The Politics of Animal Rights." The Animals'

Agenda March 1990: 17-21.

Stewart, William. "A War on Poverty." Time 30 Apr. 1990: 23-25.

An article with no author is listed by the title of the article.

"Some Help for Working Moms." Time 9 Apr. 1990: 39.

ELECTRONIC MEDIA SOURCESAuthor. "Article Title." Title of Publication or Website. Date of publication or latest update. Name of Sponsoring Organization (website owner). Date of Access. <URL.>
Follow the model for a magazine, except for page numbers. Give the date of electronic publication, the latest update, or posting. Then name the sponsoring organization. Next, give the date you retrieved the source and the electronic address. Such addresses may be divided at slash marks (/), with the slash coming at the end of the line. In the following example, Slate is owned by MSN.

Landsburg, Steven E. "Who Shall Inherit the Earth?" Slate 1 May 1997. MSN. 23 May 1997 <http://www.slate.com/ Economics/97-05-01/Economics.asp>.

NOTE: A hanging indent should be used for the lines following the first line of the citation. This is not always demonstratable online depending on your browser and the length of the URL.

If you are using a source not covered in this handout (a government publication, an interview, a film or a videotape, for example), consult The MLA Style Manual, which lists just about every conceivable source. It is available for consultation in most college writing centers or your local library.This book is available in the Writing Lab.

In a hurry?

See the Diana Hacker Guide for more MLA examples and sample papers.