Here are a few examples to help you cite your sources in MLA format:
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.
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.
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=.
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/.
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/.
Here are a few examples to help you cite social media sources in MLA format:
Format: Author(s). “Post Title or Email Subject.” Title of Website in Italics, Website Publisher (if different than title), Date Posted, Time, URL. Accessed Date.
*Note: Include username as author when author’s real name is not known. If the author is using a username, include author’s real name if known in parenthesis after the username.
*Title Note: See when to Italicize Titles and when to put "Titles in Quotation Marks" here.
Example 1: Pierdinock, Amber. “Black History Month.” The Stacks, Spartanburg Community College Library, 2 Feb. 2021, libguides.sccsc.edu/blog/Black-History-Month. Accessed 8 Feb. 2021.
Example 2: One Frugal Girl. “Use Your Why to Find Purpose In Life.” One Frugal Girl, 8 Nov. 2019, www.onefrugalgirl.com/category/minimalism/page/3/. Accessed 14 June 2020.
Format: Author or Facebook Account Name. Description of post or meme. Facebook, Date Posted, URL. Accessed Date.
*Note: Individual authors should be listed last name, first name.
*Note: For short posts without title, list the entire message (without changes) in quotation marks in place of a title. For longer messages or images without a title, create a description of the source, and list this in place of a title (written plain text, no quotes/no italics, capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns.
Example 1: Inspirational Quotes for Students Life. “Every student has some failures in past...... I think we should forget that failures ..... But we should Never forget That we taught from our failures in the past....”Facebook, 20 Feb. 2018, www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1205511206246047&id=475499445913897&__tn__=-R. Accessed 8 Feb. 2021.
Example 2: The Weeknd. Information on red suit on Rolling Stone including pictures. Facebook, 19 Sep. 2020, 5:46 p.m., www.facebook.com/theweeknd/posts/3484052348285226?__tn__=-R. Accessed 15 Dec. 2020.
Example 3: Witherspoon, Reese. “I did it! Did you? Feels good to exercise my right to VOTE. 18 days until the election! Have you sent your ballots in?? Text me a photo of your "I Voted" stickers! 615-235-5390.” Facebook, 16 Oct. 2019, 11:33am, www.facebook.com/ReeseWitherspoon/photos/a.613856408733999/3397354113717534/?type=3&theater. Accessed 3 Nov. 2020.
Format: Author [@Username]. “Entire caption of the picture or video.” Instagram, Date Posted, URL. Accessed Date.
*Note: Include author’s real name if known then their username in brackets unless their username is very similar to their real name.
*Note: In place of a title for images with a short caption, include the entire caption (no changes) in quotation marks. For longer captions or images without a caption, create a description of the source, and list this in place of a title (written plain text, no quotes/no italics, capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns.
Example 1: @coolerfuture. “FACT: The countries that pay the highest price for #globalwarming, are the countries least responsible for causing the problem!” Instagram, 19 Oct. 2020, www.instagram.com/p/CGhpXJPFaze/?igshid=1dwjn4m3wr1xc. Accessed 23 Oct. 2020.
Example 2: Rose, Adam [@therealarose]. “double maskin’ it. also i feel like it’s been forever since i posted a picture on ig. been mostly videos. should i be posting more pics??” Instagram, 23 Jan. 2021, www.instagram.com/p/CKaGReGlmQt/?igshid=12m32sym43h5k. Accessed 1 Feb. 2021.
Format: Author [@Username]. “Caption of video.” TikTok, Date Posted, URL.
*Note: Include author’s real name if known then their username in brackets unless their username is very similar to their real name.
*Note: If there is no caption for the video, create a description to use in place of a title. Write it in plain text (no quotes/no italics), and capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns.
Example 1: Remillard, Lisa [@todaysnews]. “#tax #unemployment #stimulus I asked the IRS, YOUR most most popular questions.” TikTok, 5 Feb. 2021, vm.tiktok.com/ZMedmreM3/.
Example 2: @cbsnews. “How NASA's Mars Perseverance rover will make the most difficult landing ever attempted on the red planet. #news #mars #nasa #edutok #stepbystep.” TikTok, 5 Feb. 2021, vm.tiktok.com/ZMedm1xu8/.
Format: Author [@Username]. “Entire post without changes.” X, Date Posted, URL.
*Note: Include author’s real name if known then their username in brackets unless their username is very similar to their real name.
Example 1: Green, Hank. “The wild thing about Crash Course is that students think everyone knows about it, teachers think it’s their little secret, and administrators have no idea it exists. This is not a great outcome for getting funding, but we’ll figure it out.” X, 8 Feb. 2021, twitter.com/hankgreen/status/1358645423460683776.
Example 2: @ColIegeStudent. “Haven’t gotten enough attention today, think i’ll put my dog on my lap during my zoom lecture.” X, 12 Jan. 2021, twitter.com/ColIegeStudent/status/1349104103708913666.
Author: If the source uses a username, screen name, or other pseudonym, include it as the author’s name, if the author’s real name is not known. Example: One Frugal Girl. If both are known, list the author's name first, then follow it with the username in brackets with the @ symbol. Example: Rose, Adam [@therealarose].
If the author's name and username are similar, you do not have to include both the account name and username if you include the URL. Example: Angie Thomas and user name @angiethomas, you would just use Thomas, Angie.
Alphabetizing: When alphabetizing works cited entries, ignore any special characters (such as @) in an online username.
Titles: For emails, use the subject as the title (in quotation marks, capitalize like a title). For short messages/posts without title (like a tweet or Facebook post), list the entire message (without changes) in quotation marks in place of a title. For longer messages or images without a title, create a description of the source, and list this in place of a title (written plain text, no quotes/no italics, capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns).
Accessed Date: Include the date you accessed the source if it can be edited (examples: a blog, Instagram or Facebook post). For sites like Twitter and Tiktok that do not allow editing (only deleting), you do not need to include a date accessed. If you are unsure, include the date accessed.
MLA gives two different ways to cite an images in a presentation or paper depending on how you are using the image in your presentation. The difference depends on whether the image is just for illustration or decoration (a stand along image), or if you're going to refer to this image in your presentation (the image itself is part of the content of your presentation.
Option 1: Image is for Illustration or Decoration (not going to talk directly about the image during your presentation).
In this case, list the entire citation information in the caption of the image. Do not list it on your Works Cited page at the end.
Option 2: Image is Part of the Presentation (going to talk about the image specifically during your presentation)
In this case, you'll still include a caption for the image, but the caption will only include an in-text citation, and the entire citation information will go on the Works Cited page like you with a regular source.
See the two different ways you could use the image below in a presentation, and how the citing would differ.
Option 1: If the image below is on a slide about massage therapists, but you don't directly talk about the image, then you'd include the full citation information in the caption for the image. See below.
Fig. 1: Cuttingham, Alyssa. Massage Chair. Massage & Bodywork, vol. 28, no. 3, Dec. 2016, p. 14. Vocational and Career Collection.
Option 2: If you're displaying this image of the massage chair in order to talk about the correct positioning and demonstrate how someone should sit in the chair, meaning that you'll talk about this image and what it shows, then you would include the citation information in your Works Cited, and the caption would just include an in-text citation.
Fig. 1: Correct Positioning in a Massage Chair (Cuttingham 14).
Works Cited
Cuttingham, Alyssa. Massage Chair. Massage & Bodywork, vol. 28, no. 3, Dec. 2016, p. 14. Vocational and Career Collection.
This in-text citation information will get you started, but see our full In-text Citation Guide for more information and additional examples.
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).
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)
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").
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).
If the source has three or more authors, include the first author’s last name followed by et al.
Example: (Burdick et al. 42).
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