General
Reminders:
·
Alphabetize all entries. Use author’s last name
first. Drop all articles (A, The, An, etc.) to the end
when alphabetizing.
·
If an author is not available, alphabetize on the
title after dropping articles.
·
Double space entries. Do not add additional space
between entries. Indent second and subsequent lines. Do not number or bullet
entries.
·
Web addresses should be the same color and font size
as other information.
·
There are proper formats for almost every type of
evidence. If you do not find an example below, consult a MLA guide or ask for
help.
Books:
Author. Title.
Place of Publication: Publisher, Date.
Irons,
Peter. The Courage of Their Convictions.
Books With
An Editor:
Editor. Title. Place
of Publication: Publisher, Date.
Garraty, John, ed. Quarrels That
Have Shaped the Constitution.
Books With
Chapters By Individual Authors:
Author. “Chapter Title.” Title. Editor. Place of
Publication: Publisher, Date.
Lewis, Anthony. “The Case of the
Reference Books:
Author. “Article Title.” Title. Edition.
Dumas,
Ernest C. “Clinton, Bill.” Encarta. 1999 ed.
Periodicals:
Author. “Article Title.” Publication
Title Date: Page.
Samuels,
Allison and John Leland “MJ’s Court.” Newsweek 25 January
1999: 21.
Newspaper Articles:
Author. “Article Title.” Publication
Title Date: Section Page.
Sontag, Deborah. “
Newspaper Editorials:
Author. “Article Title.” Editorial. Publication Title Date: Section Page.
[Indicate Letter to the Editor]
Will, George. “Impeachment and Public Morality.” Editorial.
Newspaper and Periodical Web
Sites:
If a newspaper or magazine article is taken from an Internet source, cite the article as you would normally and add the date that you accessed the material and the full web address set inside < > before the final period.
MacFarquhar, Neil. “Iranian
President Vows to Press Forward on Reform.” New York Times 8
August 2001. 11 August 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/09 international/middleeast/09IRAN.html>.
Website Databases: Use this abbreviated format
for articles taken from databases such as EBSCO or Looksmart. Do not use the entire URL.
Author. “Article Title.” Source Title. Date of Item: Database. Access Date <entrance to
web site>.
McCauley, Martin. “
Other Web Sites: Check the MLA website’s MLA
Style, Frequently Asked Questions section for more information (http://www.mla.org/).
Author. “Title of Article or Page”
Web Site Name. Date of Item. Access Date <web address>.
Charles, Jonathan. “Macedonian Fighting Threatens Peace Deal” BBC News 9 August
2001. 10 August 2001
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1482000/1482617.stm>.
Interviews:
Name of Person Interviewed. Personal Interview.
Date of Interview.
Bayh, Evan. Personal
Interview. 22 November 1999.
A Brief
Comment on Internal Citations:
Internal citations or references are used in the body of a paper to indicate the source of quotations, statistics, and controversial statements. Also reference the source of information that you have derived primarily from a specific source. Citations are done by including the source in parenthesis at the end of a sentence (and before the punctuation except for block quotations). The reference should be as brief as possible and still allow the reader to clearly understand which entry on the bibliography is being referenced. Citations should include the page number(s) from where the material was obtained.
Example:
Mary Beth Tinker’s life was changed dramatically when the Supreme Court agreed to hear her case. “After all the publicity about what we did, we got a lot of repercussions. People threw red paint at our house, and we got a lot of calls. We got all kinds of threats to our family, even death threats” (Irons 248).