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BIO 101 - Research Project

5. Cite Your Sources in MLA Format

Here are a few examples to help you cite your sources in MLA format:

How to Cite Part of a Book or Ebook (Print or Electronic)

Format: Author(s). "Title of Part." Title of Book, edited by Editor, edition, vol. #, Publisher, Year, page number(s). Database Name (if electronic), URL.

Example: Parsloe, Sarah M. "How Fishy is it? Risk Communication and Perceptions of Genetically Engineered Salmon." Food Safety: a Reference Handbook, by Nina E. Redman and Michele Morrone, 3rd ed., ABC-CLIO, 2017, pp. 121-126. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=nlebk&AN=1457340&site=ehost-live&scope=site.


How to Cite a Journal Article from a Database

Format: Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. #, no. #, Date of Publication, page number(s). Database Name (if electronic).

Example: Melugin, Jessica."Net Neutrality is Bad for Consumers." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, 2018. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.gale.com/apps/doc/IQBUHE201042021/OVIC?u=spartechcl&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=ba4e19e4.


How to Cite an Article from Issues & Controversies

Format: "Title of Article." Database Name, Publisher, Date of Publication, URL.

Example: "Childhood Obesity." Issues & Controversies, Infobase, 6 Mar. 2023, icof.infobase.com/articles/QXJ0aWNsZVRleHQ6MTY1MDU=.

 

How to Cite a Graph from Statista

Format: Creator(s). "Title of Graph." Title of Source in Italics, Publisher, Date. Database Name, URL.

Example: "Estimated Volume of Food Waste Generated in the United States from 2016 to 2019 (in Millions Tons)." 2019 Wasted Food Report, Environmental Protection Agency, Apr. 2023. Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1386235/amount-of-food-waste-generated-in-the-united-states/.


How to Cite a Website

Format: Author(s). “Title of Article.” Title of Website in Italics, Website Publisher (if different than title), Date of publication, URL.

*Note:  Exclude publisher if title of website and publisher are the same.
*Note: If website does not have a date, add an access date at the end after the URL: Accessed 7 May 2016.
*Note: Do not include the http:// or https:// in the URL.

Example: Fowler, Betheny, and Robert Cox. "School Meals Will be Free at Multiple Spartanburg Co. Districts." 7 News WSPA.COM, Nexstar Media Group, 27 July 2023, www.wspa.com/news/school/students-in-spartanburg-school-district-1-to-receive-free-meals/.

Additional MLA Examples

In-Text Citations

This in-text citation information will get you started, but see our full In-text Citation Guide for more information and additional examples.

Basic Format: 1 Author and Page Numbers

Place the author’s last name and page number in parenthesis. If the in-text citation is at the end of a sentence, place the period outside the parenthesis.

Example 1: (Hennessy 81).

Example 2: (Hennessy 81-82).

No Page Numbers

If a source has no page numbers, omit the page number. Keep in mind, most electronic sources do not include pages.

Example 1: ("Everyday Victims")

Example 2: (Jones)

No Author

If the source has no author, your in-text citation will use the title of the source that starts your works cited entry. The title may appear in the sentence itself or, abbreviated, before the page number in parenthesis.

Example 1: (“Noon” 508).

Example 2: (Faulkner’s Novels 25).

Example 3: (“Climate Model Simulations").

2 Authors

If the entry on the Works Cited page begins with the names of two authors, include both last names in the in-text citation, connected by and.

Example: (Dorris and Erdrich 23).

3+ Authors

If the source has three or more authors, include the first author’s last name followed by et al.

Example: (Burdick et al. 42).

MLA Handouts