MLA citations are built using a system of core elements. These elements are listed in a specific order and with specific punctuation. Not every citation will include every element, but each element should be included if it exists (i.e. include the version or edition number if the item has one).
In the image below, MLA has sectioned many of the core elements into what is called a container. If the source you are citing is found within a larger source, use the information for the larger source to build your citation. For instance, when citing an academic article, you would include the title of the journal, the volume number, publication date, etc.
To view how different sources utilize this format, visit the MLA Works Cited Quick Guide.
“Template of Core Elements.” MLA Style Center. The Modern Language Association of America, style.mla.org/works-cited/works-cited-a-quick-guide/. Accessed 20 July 2021.
General Format:
Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title of Source. Title of Container, Contributor, Version(edition), Number (volume), Publisher, Publication Date, Location (page number).
Additional formatting notes:
The basic format for each entry type is shown along with a sample. You may notice that some samples include more information such as a volume or edition number. The formats provided are simply guidelines to follow, but be sure to include any piece of information listed within the core elements.
Books:
*Only include city of publication when the book has been published before 1900 or if the Publisher operates in more than one country.
1 author - Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.
Riggs, Kate. Rainforests. Creative Education, 2010.
2 authors - Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name. Title of Book. City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.
Allen, Karen M, and Janice Mitchell Phillips. Women’s Health across the Lifespan: A Comprehensive Perspective. Lippincott, 1997.
3 or more authors - Last Name, First Name, et al. Title of Book. City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.
Nace, Nicholas D., et al. Shakespeare up Close: Reading Early Modern Texts. Bloomsbury, 2012.
Corporate or organization as an author - Corporation or Organization name. Title of Book. City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.
MLA Handbook. 9th ed., The Modern Language Association of America, 2021.
Edition - Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. number ed., City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.
Saito, Hideto, et al. Kubernetes Cookbook. 2nd ed., Packt Publishing, 2018.
Entire anthology or collection - Last Name, First Name (editor). Title of Book. City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.
Greenblatt, Stephen, and M. H. Abrams, editors. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed., vol. A, W.W. Norton, 2006.
Work within an anthology or collection - Last Name, First Name. "Title of Work." Title of Book. Edited by First Name, Last name, City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.
“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed., vol. A, edited by Stephen Greenblatt and M. H. Abrams, W.W. Norton, 2006, pp. 162-213.
The basic format for each entry type is shown along with a sample. You may notice that some samples include more information such as a volume or edition number. The formats provided are simply guidelines to follow, but be sure to include any piece of information listed within the core elements.
Periodicals
Article in a magazine - Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Periodical, Day Month Year, page numbers.
Wade, Grace. "Hungry Hungry Hippos." Popular Science, Winter 2020, p. 12.
Article in a newspaper - Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Periodical, edition, Day Month Year, page numbers.
Silva, Claudia L. "Construction of school buildings back on track." Carlsbad Current-Argus, 14 July 2021, p. A1.
Article in a scholarly journal - Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Periodical, Volume, Issue, Year of Publication, page numbers.
Fairlie, Robert W., et al. “A Community College Instructor Like Me: Race and Ethnicity Interactions in the Classroom." American Economic Review, vol. 104, no. 8, 2014, pp. 2567-91.
The basic format for each entry type is shown along with a sample. You may notice that some samples include more information such as a volume or edition number. The formats provided are simply guidelines to follow, but be sure to include any piece of information listed within the core elements.
Electronic Resources
Entire website - Editor Last Name, Editor First Name. Name of Site. Version number, Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation, URL, DOI or permalink. Date of access.
New Mexico State University - Carlsbad. New Mexico State University, 2020, carlsbad.nmsu.edu/index.html. Accessed 20 July 2021.
Webpage - Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Name of Article." Name of Site. Version number, Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation, URL, DOI or permalink. Date of access.
Garcia, Juanita. "NMSU Carlsbad Student Services Update." New Mexico State University - Carlsbad. New Mexico State University, 2020, carlsbad.nmsu.edu/news-events/2021/01/nmsu-carlsbad-student-services-update-2.html. Accessed 20 July 2021.
E-book - Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. E-book, City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.
Green, D. H. The Beginnings of Medieval Romance Fact and Fiction, 1150-1220. E-book, Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Image – Artist Last Name, Artist First Name. Title of Art Piece. Date of Creation. Name of Housing Institution, City of housing institution. Website Name, URL. Date of Access.
Watteau, Antoine. Mezzetin. [c. 1718-20]. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437926. Accessed 20 July 2021.
If the image is only available online, write the artist name and title of work, then finish the citation by following the website format.
“Template of Core Elements.” MLA Style Center. The Modern Language Association of America, style.mla.org/works-cited/works-cited-a-quick-guide/. Accessed 20 July 2021.
Online only article – Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Periodical, Volume, Issue, Year of Publication, Pages, URL/doi. Date of Access.
Hu, Mengyao, et al. “Social-behavior Interventions for Asian and Hispanic American Dementia Caregivers: An Integrative Review.” Aging and Health Research, vol. 1, no. 3, 2021, pp. 1-9, doi:10.1016/j.ahr.2021.100027. Accessed 20 July 2021.
Online version of article in print - Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Periodical, Volume, Issue, Year of Publication, page numbers, URL/doi. Date of Access.
Fairlie, Robert W., et al. “A Community College Instructor Like Me: Race and Ethnicity Interactions in the Classroom." American Economic Review, vol. 104, no. 8, 2014, pp. 2567-91, doi:10.1257/aer.104.8.2567. Accessed 20 July 2021.
Article from online database - Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Periodical, Volume, Issue, Database Name, Year of Publication page numbers, URL/doi. Date of Access.
Sikka, Pilleriin, et al. “Dream Emotions: A Comparison of Home Dream Reports with Laboratory Early and Late REM Dream Reports.” Journal of Sleep Research, vol. 27, no. 2, Wiley Subscription Services, Inc, 2018, pp. 206–14, doi:10.1111/jsr.12555.