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MLA Citation Examples

The entire work (or a work that has no page numbers)

In his article "Allston Gothic," local historian Forman Jackson demonstrates how completely the neighborhood's gruesome past has been forgotten by its residents.

OR

A recent newspaper article demonstrated just how thoroughly the neighborhood's gruesome past has been forgotten by its residents (Jackson).

A specific page or page range

(Cortois 70)

(Cortois 70-1)

If the author's name is included in the text of the sentence where the citation takes place

Jacobs has argued this point (190-210).

A source with no page numbers

If there no page numbers, but there is an alternate part number to use such as chapter numbers, line numbers, or section numbers, use and label those numbers in a parenthetical citation, otherwise the number will be assumed to be a page number.

(Smith, ch. 2)

(Zhang, ch. 1, sec. 3)

(Kim, line 10)

(Shakespeare 1.5.17)

If the work is only one page or there is no page numbers or other kind of part number, no number should be given in a parenthetical citation. Do not count unnumbered paragraphs or other parts.

Citing multiple authors

See Authors,

A source with no author

("Hints and Notions" 61)

Use the title in quotes or italics depending on the type of source, in cases where the title is long, shorten the title to the noun phrase and exclude articles (a, an, the). For example:

Full Titles Shortened Titles
Faulkner's Novels of the South Faulkner's Novels
"The Yellow Wallpaper" "Yellow Wallpaper"
The Double Vision: Language and Meaning in Religion Double Vision

 

Audio and video sources

(Green 03:02-33)

For audio or video media, use the relevant time or timespan if it is displayed. Give the numbers of hours, minutes, and second as displayed in the media player.