MLA Instructions
When do I use MLA?
Use MLA when you are citing a source in:
- English
- Foreign Languages (i.e., French, Italian)
- History
- Some Religion Classes
Consult with your teacher to learn what style your discipline uses before using MLA Style in your work. If MLA Style is appropriate for your writing project, use the links below to learn more about the latest version of MLA (i.e., MLA 8) and how to follow its rules correctly in your own work.
MLA Power Point Instructions HERE
Helpful Resource:
Owl @ The University of Purdue Writing Lab
Citation Generator Website:
In-Text Citation Basic Format:
When following the MLA format, follow the author- page number format for in-text citations. Ex. (Engell 12).
Shakespeare In-Text Citation Example:
(Macbeth 1.3.14-17) refers to Act 1, Scene 3, Lines 14 to 17 of Macbeth. Page numbers are not included.
Works Cited Examples:
MLA Core Elements:
Author.
Title of Source,
"Title of Container",
Other Contributors,
Version,
Number,
Publisher,
Publication date,
Location.
Book, Single Author (i.e., fiction novel):
Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.
Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. MacMurray, 1999.
Book, Three or More Authors:
Last Name, First Name of First Author, et al. Title of Book: Subtitle if Any. Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Publication date.
Nickels, William, et al. Understanding Canadian Business. 9th ed., McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2016.
Shaskepeare Example:
Author. Title of Play. Editor or Translator (if applicable). Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. George Richard Hibbard. Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.
A Page on a Website with Author:
Last Name, First Name. "Title of Page or Document." Title of Website, Name of Organization Affiliated with the Website, Date of copyright or date last modified/updated if given, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited.
Lundman, Susan. “How to Make Vegetarian Chili,” eHow, www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html. Accessed 6 July 2015.
A Page on a Website no Author:
"Title of Page or Document." Title of Website, Name of Organization Affiliated with the Website if given, Date of copyright or date last modified/updated if given, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited.
“Athlete's Foot - Topic Overview,” WebMD, 25 Sept. 2014, www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/athletes-foot-topic-overview. Accessed 12 September 2014.
Poem Example:
Author of Poem's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Poem." Title of Book: Subtitle if Any, edited by Editor's First Name Last Name, Edition if given and is not first, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of Publication, pp. Page Numbers of the Poem.
Donne, John. "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning." The Broadview Introduction to Literature: Poetry, edited by Lisa Chalykoff, Neta Gordon, and Paul Lumsden, Broadview Press, 2013, pp. 48-49.
Film Example:
Lucas, George, director. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Twentieth Century Fox, 1977.
Still have questions? Email your Library Staff for help.
All content taken from: The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl. Accessed 2 February. 2021.
