Citation Formatting Examples
The following examples are based on the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, published in April 2009.
Books
Citations for books should include:
1. Author/editor name
2. Title of the book, in italics
3. Edition (if applicable)
4. City of publication, publisher, year of publication
5. Type of publication (in this case, print)
Format:
Author Name. Title. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Print.
Sample citation:
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1959. Print.
Periodical Articles
Citations for periodical articles should include:
1. Author name
2. Article title, in quotation marks
3. Name of the magazine/newspaper/journal, in italics
4. Volume number (for a scholarly journal)
5. Issue number (for a scholarly journal)
6. Date of publication (for scholarly journals, just the year -- for other periodicals, include the full date)
8. Page numbers
9. Name of database (if accessed online)
10. Type of publication (print or web)
11. Date of access (if accessed online)
Periodical Articles (Magazines, Newspapers, Journals): Print
Format:
Author Name (if available). "Title of Article." Title of Publication Date of
Publication: Page Numbers. Print.
Sample citations:
Haberman, Clyde. "Job Seekers Get a Gift of Goodwill." New York Times
8 Dec. 2009: A28. Print.
Walsh, Bryan. "A River Ran Through It." Time 14 Dec. 2009: 57-63. Print.
Lupton, Mary Jane. "Zora Neale Hurston and the Survival of the
Female." Southern Literary Journal 15.1 (1982): 45-54. Print.
Periodical Articles (Magazines, Newspapers, Journals): Online Database
Format:
Author Name. "Title of Article." Title of Scholarly Journal
Volume.Number (Year of Publication): Page Numbers. Name of
Database. Web. Date of Access.
or
Author Name. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine/Newspaper Date of
Publication: Page Numbers. Name of Database. Web. Date of Access.
Sample citations:
Friedel, Jan. "The State of Iowa: A Model Title IX Program." Women's
Studies Quarterly 10.2 (1982): 22-24. JSTOR. Web. 8 Dec. 2009.
Ballard, Scotty, and Javonne Stewart. "The Ministry of Hip-Hop." Jet
28 Aug. 2006: 30-34. ProQuest. Web. 8 Dec. 2009.
"Suffragists Plan New Work." Chicago Daily Tribune 7 Jan. 1900: 8.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers. Web. 8 Dec. 2009.
Reference Articles
Citations for encyclopedia and other reference articles should include:
1. Author name (if available)
2. Title of article, in quotation marks
3. Title of reference book/encyclopedia, in italics
4. Edition (if available)
5. Number of the volume you used
6. City of publication, publisher, date of publication
7. Type of publication (print or web)
Reference Articles: Print
Format:
Author Name. "Title of Article." Title of Encyclopedia. Edition number.
Volume Number. City of Publication: Publisher, Date of Publication. Print.
Sample citation:
Firestone, Reuven. "Jerusalem in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam."
Encyclopedia of Religion. 2nd ed. Vol. 7. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2005.
Print.
Reference Articles: Online Database
For citing periodical articles from an online database, see above.
Format:
Author Name. "Title of Article." Title of Reference Book. Edition. Title of
Database. Edition. Publisher or Sponsor (if unavailable, use n.p.), Date of
Publication. Web. Date of Access.
Sample Citations:
"Sparta." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online School
Edition. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009. Web. 8 Dec. 2009.
"Democratic Republic of Congo: Country Overview." World Geography Online.
ABC-CLIO, 2009. Web. 16 Dec.2009.
Edwards, Roanne. "Shirley Chisholm." Africana: the Encyclopedia of
the African and African American Experience. 2nd ed. Oxford African
American Studies Center. Oxford University Press, 2009. Web. 8 Dec.
2009.
Other web sources
E-books
Format:
Author Name. Title of Work. City of Publication: Publisher, Date of
Publication. Title of Database. Web. Date of Access.
Sample citation:
Gall, Timothy L., and Jeneen M. Hobby, eds. Worldmark Encyclopedia of the
Nations. 12th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Web. 16 Dec. 2009.
Websites
Format:
Editor or Creator of web page (if available). Title of Web Page. Sponsoring
Organization (if not available, use n.p.), Date of Publication (if not
available, use n.d.). Web. Date of Access.
Sample citation:
The Library of Congress. American Memory. Library of Congress, n.d.
Web. 8 Dec. 2009.
Images
Format:
Artist or Creator (if available). Title of Image. Date created (use n.d. if unknown). Medium
of composition. Title of Database or Website. Medium of Publication. Access date.
<URL: optional>.
Sample citations:
Tinkler, Michael. Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus. 31 Jan. 2008. Photograph. Flickr. Web.
1 Dec. 2011. <http://flic.kr/p/4pRg2u>
Appian Way: remains of Roman tombs. n.d. Photograph. Encyclopedia Britannica.
Web. 1 Dec. 2011. <http://school.eb.com/eb/art-34938>
Krishna and Radha in the Forest of Vrindavana. 1730. Painting. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Image Quest. Web. 5 Sept. 2012. <http://quest.eb.com/images/140_1644015>