What is MLA style?
A style of citation created by the Modern Language Association (MLA) that establishes values for acknowledging sources used in a research paper.
Who should use MLA style?
MLA style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. Check with your professor before you use MLA in a research paper to make sure it is appropriate for your class and assignment.
A tutorial by Vaughan Memorial Library at Acadia University about citing sources and avoiding plaigirism.
MLA Style Citation Guide
(Used with permission from Chattanooga State Community College)
| Author(s) | Date |
Title of book/database |
Title of Article | Title of Periodical |
| Volume/Issue | Pages | Place of Publication | Publisher | Other Information |
Book, single author (MLA Handbook, 148-52)
Niffenegger, Audrey. The Time Traveler's Wife. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003. Print.
Book, two authors (MLA Handbook, 154-55)
Broer, Lawrence R. and Gloria Holland. Hemingway and Women: Female Critics and
the Female Voice. Tuscaloosa: U of Alabama P, 2002. Print.
Book, more than three authors (MLA Handbook, 155-56)
Plag, Ingo, et al. Introduction to English Linguistics. Berlin: Mouton, 2007.
Book, no author (MLA Handbook, 162)
American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style. Boston: Houghton,
2005. Print.
Book article or chapter, Work in an anthology (MLA Handbook, 157-59)
Ellison, Ralph. "Richard Wright's Blues." Norton Anthology of African American
Literature. Ed. Henry Louis Gates and Nellie Y. McKay. New York: W. W. Norton
& Company, 2004. 1538-48. Print.
Journal article reprinted in reference book (MLA Handbook 159-60)
Holladay, Hillary. "Narrative Space in Ann Petry's Country Place." Literature Review
16.1 (1996): 21-35. Rpt. in Twentieth Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Linda Pavlovski
and Scott Darga. Vol. 112. Detroit: Gale, 2002. 356-62. Print.
Dictionary entry (MLA Handbook, 160)
"Endanger." Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 11th ed. 2003. Print.
Journal article from a database (MLA Handbook, 192-93)
Hall, Randal H. “Before NASCAR: The Corporate and Civic Promotion of Automobile
Racing in the American South, 1903-1927.” Journal of Southern History 68.3 (2002):
629-68. Academic OneFile. Web. 26 Nov. 2009.
Magazine article from a database (MLA Handbook, 192-93)
Park, Alice. "Organ Transplants Without the Drugs." Time 11 Feb. 2008: 57. Gale
Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 24 Sept. 2010.
Electronic book (MLA Handbook, 187-89)
Caldwell, Sara. Jumpstart Your Film Career. New York: Allworth, 2005. NetLibrary.
Web. 24 Sep 2010.
Website (MLA Handbook, 184-90)
"Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic." AMA Careers in Health
Care. American Medical Association, n.d. Web. 1 Sept.
2009. <http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/40/ah06-emerg-med-tech-para.pdf.>.
"Maplewood, New Jersey." Map. Google Maps. Google, 15 May 2008. Web.
15 May 2008.
"The Scientists Speak." Editorial. New York Times. New York Times, 20 Nov. 2007.
Web. 15 May 2008.
Tyre, Peg. "Standardized Tests in College?" Newsweek. Newsweek, 16 Nov. 2007.
Web. 15 May 2008.
The library has a copy of the latest MLA manual on reserve (for library use only).
