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MLA CITATION Guide

 This resource was written by Deborah Van Petten, Reference Librarian.
Many classes at Valdosta State University use the Modern Language Association (MLA) style for writing citations and bibliographies. The below MLA formatted citations are a brief guide based on the following resources available in Odum Library, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (2nd ed.). Please also see frequently asked questions about MLA style.
When using the MLA style manual,
1.) entries are to be alphabetized by author 
2.) when there is not an author, entries are to be alphabetized by the title
3.) for citations running longer than one line, remember to indent and double space subsequent lines.


Basic Book Entry

Author’s last name, First name. Title of the book: with subtitle if there is one. Place of Publication: Publisher, year of

publication.

Book – 1 author example (MLA-5.6.1)

Henniger, Maureen. The Hidden Web: Finding Quality Information on the Net. Sydney: UNSW Press, 2003.

Book – 2 authors example (MLA-5.6.4)

Sherman, Chris, and Gary Price. The Invisible Web: Uncovering Information Sources Search Engines Can’t See. Medford,

NJ: Information Today, 2001.

Reference book & multi-volume work example (MLA-5.6.8, 5.6.15)

Piper, Paul S. “Research on the Internet.” The Internet Encyclopedia. Ed. Hossein Bidgoli. Vol. 3. Hoboken, NJ: John

Wiley & Sons, 2004.


Basic Scholarly Journal Entry
(pages of volume numbered continuously)

Author’s last name, First name. “Title of the article: with subtitle if there is one.” Journal Title Volume number (year of

publication): page-numbers.

Scholarly Journal Article example (MLA-5.7.1) (pages numbered continuously for issues)

Devine, Jane, and Francine Egger-Sider. “Beyond Google: The Invisible Web in the Academic Library.” Journal of

Academic Librarianship 30 (2004): 265-69.


Basic Scholarly Journal
 (pages each issue separately)

Author’s last name, First Name. “Title of the article: with subtitle if there is one.” Journal Title Volume number. Issue

number (year of publication): page-numbers.

Scholarly Journal Article example (MLA-5.7.2) (pages each issue separately)

Lackie, Robert J. “The Evolving ‘Invisible Web’: Tried and True Methods and New Developments for Locating the Web’s

Hidden Content.” College and Undergraduate Libraries 10.2 (2003): 65-71.


 Basic Magazine Article 

Author’s last name, First Name. “Title of the article.” Magazine Title. Day Month Year: page-numbers.

Magazine Article example (MLA-5.7.6)

Whelan, David. “The Invisible Web.” Forbes 1 Nov. 2004: 74


ELECTRONIC FORMAT

Basic Internet Site Entry

Author’s last name, First name. “Title of the document.” Information about the print publication. Information about the

electronic publication. Access information.


Web page example (MLA-5.9.2)

Lackie, Robert J. Those Dark Hiding Places: The Invisible Web Revealed. 2001. Rider University Libraries. 3 March 2006

<http://library.roder.edu/scholarly/rlackie/Invisible/Inv_Web.html>.


Basic GALILEO Entry for Full Text Articles

Author’s last name, first name. “Title of the article: with subtitle if there is one.” Journal Title Volume number (Date of

the article): page numbers. Name of the Database Used. Name of the Subscription Service. Name of the

library or library system with the city, and state abbreviation. Date of access of the full text article <URL

of the service’s main web page>.

 

Journal Article in GALILEO example (MLA-5.9.7a) (pages numbered continuously for issues)

Sherman, Chris, and Gary Price. “The Invisible Web: Uncovering Sources Search Engines Can’t See.” Library Trends 52

(2003): 292-98. Professional Development Collection. EBSCOhost. GALILEO. Valdosta State U., Valdosta, GA.

23 August 2006 <http://www.galileo.usg.edu>.

 

Magazine Article in GALILEO example (MLA-5.9.7a)

Grossman, David. “For Smart Answers, Ask Gary Price.” Searcher June 2006: 60-62. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost.

GALILEO. Valdosta State U., Valdosta, GA. 22 Aug. 2006 <http://www.galileo.usg.edu>.

 

Newspaper Article in GALILEO example (MLA-5.9.7a)

Guernsey, Lisa. “Mining the ‘Deep Web’ With Sharper Shovels.” New York Times 25 Jan. 2001, late ed. (East Coast): G.1.

LexisNexis. GALILEO. Valdosta State U., Valdosta, GA. 22 Aug. 2006 <http://www.galileo.usg.edu>.

 

Netlibrary or Online Book example (MLA 5.9.3)

Lang, Eva M., and Jan D. Tudor. The Best Websites for Financial Professionals, Business Appraisers, and Accountants.

New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2001. NetLibrary. 23 Aug. 2006 <http://www.netlibrary.com>.

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