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MLA Guide

This guide contains information to help you cite your sources in MLA format.

MLA Citations Overview

MLA format uses containers as a way to format citations. A container is a work that contains another work; the container is the place that a source is found.

Container Examples

  • An academic journal contains articles
  • A book contains short stories
  • An album contains songs

You can think about containers like Russian Nesting Dolls. A source is "contained" or is "inside" of another source.

Picture of two Russian Nesting Dolls with the smaller one labeled "Article" and the larger one labeled "Journal"

Can a Source have Multiple Containers?

Sometimes sources can have multiple containers.

  • An article is contained in a journal which is contained in a database.
  • A song is contained on an album which is contained in an app.

3 Russian Nesting dolls with the smallest doll labeled "Article," the middle doll labelled "Journal," and the largest doll labeled "Database."

Does Every Source have a Container?

Keep in mind, not every source will have a container. For example, if you wanted to cite an entire book you read in print, the book would have no container, since you are not citing a part of the book and it was not contained anywhere (like a database).

Where are Containers in MLA Citations?

In MLA format, the container follows the name of its containee. See the example below (bold added for emphasis).

Example: Fallows, James. “Throwing Like a Girl.” The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings and Handbook, 5th ed., W. W. Norton, 2019, pp. 137-41.

In this example, The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings and Handbook is the container for "Throwing Like a Girl."

What if the Source has Multiple Containers?

If a source has multiple containers, the containers go after their containees. See the example below (bold added for emphasis).

Example: Godwin, John. "Wallace’s 'Jest'." Explicator, vol. 61, no. 2, 2003, pp. 122-24. General OneFile.

In this example, Explicator (Container 1) is the container for "Wallace's 'Jest'" and General OneFile (Container 2) is the container for Explicator.

Practice with Containers

The below worksheet offers help with MLA Containers. Fill out each box in the worksheet with the information from the source in order to see the different containers and pieces of the citation.

Container Punctuation

Containers help explain the punctuation of MLA citations (when to use commas versus periods).

First, you always list the author and title of the source that you're citing--both of which always have a period after them.

Book Example: Thomas, Angie. The Hate U Give.

Book Chapter Example: Fallows, James. "Throwing Like a Girl."

Article Example: Smith, Eric. "The Carbon Solution."

Next, you'll list the information for the first container (assuming there is one). This could include:

  • Title of the container,
  • Editor or other contributors,
  • Edition or version,
  • Volume and/or issue number,
  • Publisher,
  • Publication Date,
  • Location (usually page numbers, DOI, or URL).

Notice how each piece of information has a comma after it except for the last one, which has a period. This is how you do punctuation for containers. You won't always have all the information above, so you list what you have (in the order above), using a comma after every piece except for the last one, which will have a period.

Example: Explicator, vol. 61, no. 2, 2003, pp. 122-24.

Example: The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings and Handbook, 5th ed., W.W. Norton, 2019, pp. 137-41.

Example: Plant News, University of Maryland, 5 Aug. 2009, www.ipment.umd.edu/5-4art1.htm.

Example: Cultural Analysis, vol. 16, no. 2, 20 Apr. 2017.

Multiple Containers

If you have a second container (like a database), then you follow the same rule. List all the information about the second container (in the order above) with commas following every piece except the last one, which will have a period. So when you put the entire citation together, you should have a period after the author and title of the source at the beginning, and then a period at the end of each container's information. The rest will be commas. See examples below:

MLA Citation with black boxes around the different containers in the citation.

Example: Moore, Leonard N. "Civil Rights Movement." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, edited by Thomas Riggs, 2nd ed., vol. 1, St. James Press, 2013, pp. 608-11. Gale eBooks, pascal-scc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01PASCAL_SCC/1msufik/cdi_gale_incontextnref_ISN_
SFRNQP801853224.

Example: Teach Us All: Segregation and Education in the United States. Directed by Sonia Lowman, Video Project, 2017. Kanopy, sccsc.kanopy.com/video/teach-us-all. 

Example: Swann, Samantha. "Spartanburg Community College's New 'Chasers' Mascot Encourages Students to Chase Dreams." Herald-Journal [Spartanburg, SC], 2 Nov. 2021. NewsBank: Access World News, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/18607A7DB6DE8DF8.

How to Practice

The SCC Library has a practice template that you can use to help yourself figure out which punctuation should go where. Each part of the template is labelled with each part of the citation. Fill out the information for your citation in the template and pay attention to the punctuation included. Then, combine all of the parts together to create your citation. It is okay to leave some sections blank if you do not have the information.

Check out the example templates below. There is also a blank Practice Template available for download at the bottom of the screen.

MLA Practice Templates

Example 1 - Journal Article

MLA Element
Example Citation
1. Author. Reider, Noriko T.
2. Title of source. "The Appeal of Kaidan Tales of the Strange."
Container 1
3. Title of Container, Asian Folklore Studies
4. Other contributors,  
5. Version,  
6. Number, vol. 59, no. 2,
7. Publisher,  
8. Publication date, 2000,
9. Location. pp. 265-83.
Container 2
3. Title of container, EBSCOhost,
4. Other contributors,  
5. Version,  
6. Number,  
7. Publisher,  
8. Publication Date,  
9. Location. search.proquest.com/docview/224527484?accountid=14244.

The full citation would be:

Reider, Noriko T. "The Appeal of Kaidan Tales of the Strange." Asian Folklore Studies, vol. 59, no. 2, 2000, pp. 265-83. EBSCOhost, search.proquest.com/docview/224527484?

Example 2 - Print Book

MLA Element
Example Citation
1. Author. Heinlein, Sabine.
2. Title of Source. "The Cruelty of Kindness."

Container 1
3. Title of Container, The Writer's Mindset,
4. Other contributors, edited by Lisa Wright Hoeffner,
5. Version,  
6. Number,  
7. Publisher, McGraw Hill,
8. Publication date, 2022,
9. Location. pp. 512-522.

Container 2
3. Title of Container,  
4. Other contributors,  
5. Version,  
6. Number,  
7. Publisher,  
8. Publication date,  
9. Location.  

The full citation would be:

Heinlein, Sabine. "The Cruelty of Kindness." The Writer's Mindset, edited by Lisa Wright Hoeffner, McGraw Hill, 2022, pp. 512-522.

Example 3 - Website Article

MLA Element
Example Citation
1. Author.  
2. Title of Source. "Sloth Bear."

Container 1
3. Title of Container, Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute,
4. Other contributors,  
5. Version,  
6. Number,  
7. Publisher,  
8. Publication date, 2022,
9. Location. nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/sloth-bear.

Container 2
3. Title of Container,  
4. Other contributors,  
5. Version,  
6. Number,  
7. Publisher,  
8. Publication date,  
9. Location.  

The full citation would be:

"Sloth Bear." Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, 2022, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/sloth-bear.

Example 4 - Newspaper Article

MLA Element
Example Citation
1. Author. Wade, Nicholas.
2. Title of Source. "Sit. Stay. Parse. Good Girl!"

Container 1
3. Title of Container, The New York Times,
4. Other contributors,  
5. Version,  
6. Number,  
7. Publisher,  
8. Publication date, 18 Jan. 2011.
9. Location.  

Container 2
3. Title of Container, Gale Power Search,
4. Other contributors,  
5. Version,  
6. Number,  
7. Publisher,  
8. Publication date,  
9. Location. link.gale.com/apps/A246802186/GPS?u=spartechcl&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=7c8e3f97.

The full citation would be:

Wade, Nicholas. "Sit. Stay. Parse. Good Girl!" The New York Times, 18. Jan 2011. Gale Power Search, link.gale.com/apps/A246802186/GPS?u=spartechcl&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=7c8e3f97.