ENG 101 - Popular Culture (Watts)

Cite Your Sources in MLA Format

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

How to Cite an Entire Book or Ebook (Print or Electronic)

Format: Author(s). Title of Book in Italics. Edition, Publisher, Year. Database Name in Italics. (if electronic), URL. 

*Note: if using a print book, skip the database name.

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.

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), URL.

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.

Additional MLA Examples

Citing an Image or Graph from the Web

Format: Author(s). “Title of Image/Graph.” Title of Website in Italics, Website Publisher (if different than title), Date of Publication/Posting, URL.

Example: “Kim Kardashian.” Vanity Fair, Condé Nast, 11 Jan. 2004, www.vanityfair.com.

Example 2: Lange, Dorothea. "Migrant Mother." Prints & Photographs Reading Room Collection, Library of Congress, 11 Jan. 2004, montevideo.usembassy.gov.

Example (No Title): Penguin sitting on rock. National Geographic, www.natgeo.com/images/149603845. Accessed 9 Feb. 2021.

Example (Artwork): Van Gogh, Vincent. The Starry Night. 1889. MoMALearning, Museum of Modern Art, www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/vincent-van-gogh-the-starry-night-1889/.

*Note: For images without titles, create a descriptive title in plain text – no italics, no quotes. Capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns.
*Note: Italicize titles of formal art work and include the date of creation after the title with a period. The Starry Night. 1889.
*Note: Include an accessed date at the end if no date of publication/posting is available.
*Note: Image URLs should be from the actual website that hosts the image. Be careful with this. If you use Google or another search engine to find the image, if you copy the URL it may give you Google's search URL rather than the actual URL of the image's website.
*Note: You can usually omit the http:// unless needed to hyperlink.
*Note: For URLs longer than 3 lines, you can shorten the URL. Always retain the host (main website) of the URL.

Citing an Image or Graph from a Database

Format: Creator(s). "Title of Image/Graph." Title of Source (if given), Publisher, Date. Database Name, URL.

Example: Johnson, Clinton. "Boston Street Scene." Library of Congress, 1895. Credo Reference, go.openathens.net/redirector/sccsc.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Fbridgeart%2
Fstate_street_boston_engraved_by_s_lacey_engraving_b_w_photo%2F0%3FinstitutionId%3D2682.

Example: "Daily Time Spent on Social Networking by Internet Users Worldwide from 2012 to 2022 (in Minutes)." Digital 2022: Global Digital Overview, We Are Social / DataReportal / Hootsuite, 26 Jan. 2022. Statista, www.statista.com/statistics/433871/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide/.

More 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.