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MLA Guide

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

Formatting the Author

You can also review section 5.5 Author: How to Style It in the online MLA Handbook.

Authors Rule Examples
No Author If no author given, skip the author and start with the title of source.  
1 Author Last Name, First Name. Smith, John.
2 Authors Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name. Smith, John, and Mary Fields.
3+ Authors Last Name, First Name of First Author, et al. Smith, John, et al.
Association or Company Use the name of the association or company as the author. If a work is written and published by an organization, list the organization as publisher only. American Cancer Society.
Pseudonyms Use pseudonyms and online usernames like regular author names. @jsmith.
Editor or other role If the role of that person or group is something other than creating the work’s main content (as the author), follow the name with a label that describes the role. Only do this in the author field if it is important to highlight this person; otherwise use the Other Contributors field. Nunberg, Geoffrey, editor.

Formatting the Title

You can also review sections 5.25 Title of Source: How to Style It and 5.31–5.37: Title of Container Element in Works Cited in the online MLA Handbook.

Source Rule: Italics or "quotation marks" Example
Entire Book Italicize self-contained works The Awakening.
Collection of Essays Italicize self-contained works The Norton Introduction to Literature,
Essay, story, or poem Contained in a larger work (book, website, etc.); use "quotation marks" "The Cultural Consequences of Printing."
Play Italicize plays even if they are in a larger work. Romeo and Juliet.
Article from Journal, Magazine, or Newspaper Contained in a larger work (journal) use "quotation marks" "Literary History and Sociology."
Entire Journal, Magazine, or Newspaper Italicize self-contained works The Georgia Review.
Entire Website Italicize self-contained works WebMD.
Website Article Contained in a larger work (website) use "quotation marks" "Free Will."
Song Contained in a larger work (album) use "quotation marks"

"Pretty Hurts."

More Formatting Rules