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MLA Citation Style Guide

This guide will provide outlines, examples, and tips for citing in 9th Edition MLA citation style.

Examples

Example: Article on a Website

Douglas, Nick. "Where to Find the Best Collections of Regional Dialects and Local Accents." Lifehacker, 8 Sept. 2017, www.lifehacker.com/where-to-find-the-best-collections-of-regional-dialects-1801968451. Accessed 8 Nov. 2017.

Example: Entire Website

Amy. Information Literacy Librarian. 2013-2005, infolitlibrarian.blogspot.com. Accessed 12 Feb. 2017.

Example: Listserv or Discussion group post

NohWonn. "Re: Why are the 90's so Disliked?" Comicbookresources, 8 Sept. 2017, community.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?100835-Why-are-the-90-s-so-Disliked/page2&s=cc2770480c522112d23ab7359cbf55f3. Accessed 19 Oct. 2017.

Example: E-Mail 

Saar, Michael. "Re: Nursing Research Article." Received by Nichole Thomas. 16 Oct. 2016.

Example: Tweet 

@ThePunnyWorld. "I kept wondering why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me." Twitter, 25 Aug. 2017, 11:18 p.m., twitter.com/ThePunnyWorld/status/901297657494241280

Example: Film Recording

Power and Control : Domestic Violence in America. Directed by Peter Cohn, New Day Films, 2010.

Example: Film from a Database

Harold Pinter: Landscape. Written by Harold Pinter, Directed by Peter Hall, Films Media Group, 1998. Films On Demand, fod.infobase.com.libproxy.lamar.edu/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=10103. Accessed 29 Nov. 2017.

Example: Film from a Website (focusing on an individual contribution)

Kaluuya, Daniel, performer. Get Out. Created by Jordan Peele, Performance by Allison Williams Universal, 2017. Amazon, amazon.com/Get-Out-Daniel-Kaluuya/dp/B06Y1H48K7/ref=sr_1_2?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1505103386&sr=1-2&keywords=get+out. Accessed 5 Sept 2017.

Example: Music Recording

Purple. 409. Pias America, 2015.

Example: Online Album

Chance the Rapper. "Favorite Song." Acid Rap, Performance by, Childish Gambino, Produced by, Nate Fox, Dat Piff, 2013, datpiff.com/Chance-The-Rapper-Acid-Rap-mixtape.483826.html.

Example: Podcasts (interview)

Obama, Barack. "Episode 613." WTF with Marc Maron, 22 June 2015, wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_613_-_president_barack_obama. Accessed 23 June, 2015.

Example: Original Photograph/Art Work

Velazquez, Diego.  Las Meninas.  1656, oil on canvas, Museo del Prado, Madrid.

Example: Photograph/Art Work in Print

Basquiat, Jean-Michel. The Man from Naples. 1982, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao. Jean-Michel Basquiat 1960-1988, by Leonhard Emmerling, Taschen, p. 33. 

Example: Photograph/Art Work from a Website

Munch, Edvard.  The Scream. 1893, National Gallery, OSLO.  Wikiart, wikiart.org/en/edvard-munch/the-scream-1893. Accessed. 20 Sept. 2017.

Example: Photograph/Art Work from a Database

Hopper, Edward.  Chop Suey. 1929, Whitney Museum of American Art.  ARTstor, library.artstor.org.libproxy.lamar.edu/#/asset/LARRY_QUALLS_10310502036. 15 Oct. 2017.

Tips

Although it is an optional element MLA 8 recommends including the date of access for online works because items can be changed or removed at any time.  The date of access lets the reader know when and what type of version you may have consulted.  It is especially helpful if the source doesn't provide a date of publication or production.

Example: 

"Sith." Wookieepedia, www.starwards.wikia.com/wiki/Sith, Accessed 8 Aug. 2017.

If you cannot find the last date a web page is updated on you can still figure it out by entering the following text in the URL address bar:
javascript:alert(document.lastModified). (You may need to manual type javascript: if you paste the text into the address bar.)

This will bring up a pop-up box showing the last date the web page was updated on.

NOTE: Some sites update every day. This may not be an indicator of when new content was added to the site.