MLA Format Guide
MLA Format Guide
MLA Format Guide
Department of Humanities
Center for Language Development Across the Disciplines (LAD)
MLA Style
Citations and Quotations
• In MLA style, you should refer to the works you cite or quote in two ways:
1. Put the author’s name (or title of the work) and the page number in parenthesis, right
after the cite or quote. This is known as parenthetical citation.
2. At the end of your paper include a list with the complete information on the works you
cited or quoted. This list is not the reference list.
• If you add a word (s) or an explanation within a cite or quote, put it in brackets. Example:
[word(s)].
• If you omit a word(s) in a cite or quote, put in its place an ellipsis mark within brackets
[…].
• The author’s name may appear in the text, but the page number should always appear in
parenthesis after the cite or quote.
Works Cited
• The list of work cited is not the list of references. In this list, you will only include the full
information of those works you cited in your paper.
• You can provide the information as you would do in the list of references, and include
full details.
• Write on top of a new page Works Cited, and center it.
• Start to list the sources you used next to the left margin. If the work has two lines or more,
indent each additional line (you can do this by pressing Ctrl + t). Do this with each entry.
• Keep double spacing, with no extra spaces between each source listed.
• List the sources in alphabetical order.
• Make sure to include the number of pages if you consulted a book or periodical.
Reference List
Two books by the same author - replace the name in the second entry with (---.)
Author , Name A., and Name B. Author. Title of the Book. Place of publication: Publisher,
(year).
Article in a periodical
Author, Name. “Title of the Article.” Name of Periodical Day Month year: page(s).
Anthology or collection
Editor, Name, ed. Title of the Book. Place of publication: Publisher, (year).
Author, Name. “Title of the Article.” Title of Collection. Ed. Name Editor. Place of
Author, Name. “Title of the Article.” Title of the Journal. Vol. 21 (year): page(s).
Author, Name. “Title of Article”. Title of Journal Vol. 20. year: pages/paragraphs. Date
of access <www.electronicaddress.com>.
Government publication
Publisher, year.
Pamphlet
Example:
Pérez, Juan. Personal Interview. 15 June 2003.
Sound recording
Film
Title of the Film. Dir. Name of director. Perf. Name of performer, Name of performer, and
Name of performer. Company, year.
Example:
The Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri,
Stephen Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro. Polygram, 1995.
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Prepared by: Thalia N. Nazario-Santiago
English mentor
Center for Language Development Across the Disciplines (LAD)
February, 2003