MLA FORMAT

Creating a bibliography using the Modern Language Association guidelines

At the end of a research paper, you need to provide a list of works you’ve consulted and cited. This should be done on a separate page with Bibliography centered at the top and the citations listed below in alphabetical order with a hanging indent. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers provides citation examples covering a wide variety of potential sources. Below are examples for some of the most commonly cited sources. If your source is not listed below, or for information on other aspects of writing papers, visit the library and check the MLA Handbook.

(NOTE: All citations are reverse-indented and double spaced.)

BOOK WITH ONE AUTHOR

Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. Denver: MacMurrary, 1999. Print.

BOOK WITH MORE THAN ONE AUTHOR

Eggins, Suzanne, and Diana Slade. Analyzing Casual Conversation. London: Cassell, 1997. Print.

**NOTE: If there are more than three authors, you may list only the first author followed by phrase et al. (the abbreviation for the Latin phrase “and others”) in place of the other authors’ names, or you may list all the authors in the order in which their names appear on the title page.

EDITOR or EDITORS

Schlager, Neil, and Jayne Weisblatt, eds. Alernative Energy. Detroit: UXL, 2006. Print.

ANTHOLOGY OR COLLECTION

Peterson, Nancy J., ed. Toni Morrison: Critical and Theoretical Approaches. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1997. Print.

ARTICLE FROM A REFERENCE BOOK

“Jamaica.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 1999 ed. Print.

NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE ARTICLE

Poniewozik, James. “TV Makes a Too-Close Call.” Time. 10 Nov. 2000: 70-71. Print.

ARTICLE IN A SCHOLARLY JOURNAL

Author(s). “Title of Article.” Title of Journal. Vol (Year): pages. Print.

**NOTE: “Vol” indicates the volume number of the journal. If the journal uses continuous pagination throughout a particular volume, only volume and year are needed, e.g. Modern Fiction Studies 40 (1998): 251-81.

ARTICLE ON A WEB SITE

Author(s). “Article Title.”. Name of web site. Publisher or sponsor of site. Date of posting/revision. Web. Date of access. .

**NOTE: It is necessary to list your date of access because web postings are often updated, and information available at one date may no longer be available later. Be sure to include the complete address for the site. Also, note the use of angled brackets around the electronic address; MLA requires them for clarity.

WEB SITE EXAMPLE

“Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format.” Purdue Online Writing Lab. Purdue University, Web. 2 Aug 2009. .

ONLINE JOURNAL OR MAGAZINE ARTICLE

Wheelis, Mark. “Investigating Disease Outbreaks Under a Protocol to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.” Emerging Infectious Diseases. 6.6 (2000): 33 pars. Web. 5 Dec. 2000 .

ARTICLE FROM AN ONLINE DATABASE

Hunt, Jazell. “Attitude is Everything.” Diverse Issues in Higher Education. 26.3 (19 Mar. 2009): 19-20. Ebsco Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Sept. 2009. .

FILM OR VIDEO RECORDING

The Soloist. Screenplay by Susannah Grant. Dir. Joe Wright. Perf. Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey, Jr., Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander, and Lisagay Hamilton. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2009. Film.