Professional and Technical Writing/Documenting Your Sources/MLA Style Reference Lists

MLA Style Reference Lists

Like the APA style, MLA has three types of sources which include: Printed, Electronic, and Other Sources.

'Printed Sources'

• Book, One Author

• • Give the name of the last name of the author followed by a comma and then the first and middle names, exactly how they appear on the title page.

• • Underline the title, and capitalize all major words.

• • Follow the city of publication with a colon, the publisher's name, a comma, and the publication date.

• • Indent all lines after the first one.

Example: Smith, Frank L. The AKC Dog Book. Boston: Dawg Books, 2008.

• Book, More than One Author

• • The first author's name should be given in reverse order, with the last name first.

• • The names of the additional authors should be normal, with first names first and last names last.

Example: Smith, Frank L., and James B. Harris. The AKC Dog Book. Boston: Dawg Books, 2008.

• Essay Collection

• Use the abbreviation "ed." for a single editor and "eds." for multiple editors.

Example: Smith, Frank L., and James B. Harris, eds. The History of Springer Spaniels. Raleigh: NC Press, 2008.

• Government Report
  • If a author is not listed, begin with the name of the government, followed by a period and the name of the agency hat issued the document. If it is a United States government agency, spell out "United States" followed by a period and then the agency's name.

Example: "United States. Department of Agriculture."

• • If the report includes a identifying number, place it right after the title.

Example: Smith, Frank. Effects of Bombs on the U.S.. U.S. Bomb Investigation Report 12-3456. Seattle: US Bomb Survey, 2007.

• Corporate Report

• • If individual author names are not listed on the title page, list the corporation's name as the author.

PetSmart, Inc. Dog Toy Report. Minneapolis, MN: PetSmart, Inc., 2008.

• Article from an Encyclopedia, Dictionary, or Similar References

• • If no author is listed, begin with the article's title.

• • If entries in the work are arranged alphabetically, do not give volume or page number.

• • When citing familiar reference works, give the edition number and year of publication, but not the publisher or city of publication.

• Brochure

• • If the brochure doesn't list an author, begin the entry with the name of the organization that published it, followed by a period and the name of the agency that issued the document.

• • If the brochure lists no author and no publisher, begin with the document's title.

Example: American Kennel Club. Companion Events Department. What is Dog Agility. Raleigh: 2008.

• Article in Popular Magazine

• • If a newspaper lists an edition, place a comma after the date and add the edition's name, using abbreviations where reasonable.

Example: Smith, Frank. "Why Springer Spaniels Are Great Family Pets." AKC Gazette 8 June 2008: p.30. 

'Electronic Sources'

• Report Available Only on a Website

Example: American Kennel Club. What Is Dog Agility? 8 June 2008 <www.akc.org/agility>

• Article That is Not Available in Print

• • Give the date the report was posted after the title.

• • After the publisher's name and before the URL, give the date you accessed the source.

Example: Smith, Frank. "English Springer Spaniels."AKC Gazette 2 2007. 8 November 2009 <www.akc.org/akcgazette/ess>.

• CD-ROM

• • For a CD-ROM that was accessed through a network, such as a library, add the date that it was last accessed to the end of the citation.

Example: "Rainforest." Encarta 2006. CD-ROM. Redmond:Microsoft, 2006.

• E-mail

• • Place the subject of the e-mail in quotation marks.

Example: Smith, Frank. "Dog Agility." E-mail to Lisa Harris. 8 May. 2008.

'Other Sources'

• Letter

Example: Smith, Frank. Letter. 8 May. 2008.

• Interview

Example: Smith, Frank.  In person interview. 8 May. 2008.