MLA Works Cited In Word 2010

In this tutorial about source citation, we used the MLA format for our example. There are other formats, but the MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the humanities and liberal arts communities. This tutorial will give illustrative examples of the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.

The Modern Language Association uses internal documentation in place of footnotes and endnotes, embedding the reference in the text of the paper. You usually need to include only the author’s last name and the page number in an internal documentation. If the source does not have a credited author then the title will suffice. We’re going to look at citing:

  • books
  • periodicals
  • digital sources
  • government documents
  • interviews
  • speeches or lectures

Citing Books

In general, the MLA citation for a book will look like this:
Author’s last name, first name. Book Title. Place of publication: publisher, date of publication.
Here are some examples to illustrate the different cases:

A Book With One Author

Kundera, Milan. The Unbearable Lightness of Being. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 1984.

A Book With Two Or More Authors

The first author’s name is inverted to enable sorting by alphabetical order.

Vitz, Paul C., and Susan M. Felch. The Self: Beyond the Postmodern Crisis. New York: Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2006.

A Book With Four Or More Authors

You can cite all the authors listed or only the first one and then write et. al. (“and others”) for the remaining authors.

High, Walter M., et. al. Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

A Corporation

Give the name of the corporation as the author.

IBM. Know Your Computer. New York: IBM, 1999.

An Author And An Editor

Be sure to include the author’s name, the title of the book, and then the editor. Use the abbreviation ed. whether there is one editor or many.

Evans, Katie. The Key to Taking Pictures Like A Professional Photographer. Ed. Katie Brown. New York: Birds Eye Media, 2011.

An Editor

Give the name of the editor or editors, followed by ed. (for one editor) or eds. (for more than one editor).

Smith, Joan, ed. How To Boil An Egg. New York: W.W. Covenant & Hinde, Inc., 1989.

A Book In A Series

After the title, include the name of the series and series number.

Scmidt, Anthony. David Pullman. The Antique Guitar Compendium Series 39. Boston: Twayne, 2010.

A Translation

After the title, write Trans. (“translated by”) and the name of the translator.

Miranda. Como Poder Un Huevo. Trans. Alan Titchmarsh. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1985.

A Selection Reprinted In An Anthology

First give the name of the author and the title of selection, then the title of the book, the editor, the edition, and the publication information.

Poulter, Tony. “Waking Stories” Reminiscences: Reminiscences Of A Life Lived Well. Ed. Craig Doubtfire. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1997.

Citing Periodicals

The citation of an article will typically look like this:
Author’s last name, first name. “Title of the Article.” Magazine. Month and year of publication: page numbers.
The date in a bibliographic citation should be written in European style, with the date before the month, not the other way round. For example: 20 November 1965. For page numbers in an article that are not consecutive, cite the first page number followed by a plus sign (+).

There follow some examples that will give you an idea of what is expected:

Citing Digital Sources

Electronic sources are often missing such key information as the author and date. You should use whatever information you can find for your citation. Given the huge number and variety of sites on the Internet, you will have to adapt your documentation to the particular source you decide to use. Always include the information your readers would need to access the source.

Also bear in mind that electronic sources are not written in stone and can change without notice. Get the most up-to-date information but appreciate that this may not always be possible.

  • Periodicals available on both CD-ROM and in print. Include in your citation all the information you would for a print magazine, as well as the publication medium (CD-ROM); the name of the distributor or vendor; and the electronic publication date.Storm, Harry. “Southern Belles.” Time 13 April 1983: 34+. Southern Climes. CD-ROM. InfoTrak. March 1983.
  • Periodicals available only on CD-ROM. Include the author, title, edition, publication medium (CD-ROM), distributor or vendor, city of publication, publisher, and date of publication.“CBT Techniques.” Whyst’s Concise Encyclopedia Of Change. 2001 ed. CD-ROM. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2001.
  • Online sources. Give the author’s name, the title of the source, the publish date, the identity of the group sponsoring the site (if known), the date of your finding, and the web site in angle brackets < >.“My Brain Hurts.” The Institute Of Brain Pain. 10 October 1994. TIOBP 10 October 1994.
  • E-mail. Give the email sender’s name, a description of the document, and the date of the email.

Thwaite, Gabrielle. “Funny Jokes – You Have To See This!” E-mail to Carol Thwaite. 5 March 2012.

Citing Government Documents

The format varies according to the information available. The basic citation for a government document will look like this:

Government agency. Subsidiary agency. Title of Document. Publication information.

For example:

United States Congressional House Subcommittee on Employment. Federal Statement on Employment. 99th Congress. Washington, DC: GPO, 1999.

Citing Interviews

Give the subject of the interview, followed by “Personal interview” or “Telephone interview”. Then give the date.

Alstrop, Sarah. Personal interview. 12 January 2009.

Citing Speeches and Interviews

Name the speaker, the title of the speech, the name of the occasion or sponsoring organization, the location, and the date.

Grinder, Matthew. “Self Massage” South Yorkshire Massage Association Yearly Meeting. Wakefield, South Yorkshire 10 June, 2005.

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