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.
Format: Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. #, no. #, Date of Publication, page number(s). Database Name (if electronic), URL.
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.
Format: Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Magazine/Newspaper in Italics, Date of Publication, page number(s). Database in Italics (if electronic), URL.
*Note: For local newspapers, if the city is not included in the title of the paper add the city in square brackets after the newspaper title: The Herald [Rock Hill]
*Note: For articles published by the Associated Press or other News Agency, do not list an author.
*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.
*Note: Date of publications are written as Day Month Year (Example. 15 Sept. 2020) leaving out any information that the source doesn’t include (Example. Aug. 2017 or simply 2017 depending on what's provided). Remember to abbreviate the months that are more than 4 letters.
Please see below for MLA guidelines on how to cite different types of artistic works and performances such as films, live theater productions, lectures, live musical concerts (groups and individuals), artwork viewed in person, etc.
Format: Artist. Title of Artwork. Year of Creation. Name of Museum/Location, City (if not in the museum name).
Example: Van Gogh, Vincent. The Starry Night. 1889. Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Lyrics from Web: Stefani, Gwen. "Hollaback Girl." MetroLyrics, 2021, www.metrolyrics.com/hollaback-girl-lyrics-gwen-stefani.html.
*Note: List artist name as the author, the song in quotation marks, and follow the website information just like citing a Website Article.
Song from Album: Coldplay. "Orphans." Everyday Life, Atlantic Records, 2019.
Song from Spotify: Coldplay. "Orphans." Everyday Life, Atlantic Records, 2019. Spotify, open.spotify.com/track/6muOWhMh7Tf0UFUtMDBhUR.
*Note: For videos, see Online Video page.
Format: Performer. Concert. Date of Performance, Name of Venue/Location, City (if not in the venue name).
Example: Church, Eric. Concert. 6 Apr. 2017, Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville.
*Note: If concert has a title, you can include it after the performer's name.
Format: Title of Performance. Concert (omit if 'concert' is in title). Performance by Name of Group or Major Performers, Date of Performance, Name of Venue/Location, City (if not in the venue name).
Example: Converse Chorale Spring Concert. Performance by The King's Quire, 20 Apr. 2017, Daniel Recital Hall, Converse College, Spartanburg.
Example 2: Wofford College Music Department Pops Concert. Performance by Men’s Glee Club, Women’s Choir, Goldtones, and Wofford Men, 27 Apr. 2017, The Pavilion, Wofford College, Spartanburg.
*Note: If concert does not have a formal title, you can create a descriptive title, but do not italicize it.
Example: Program for Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra Concert at Twichell Auditorium, Converse College, Spartanburg. 29 Apr. 2017.
Format: Author/Playwright. Title of Play. Directed by Director's Name, performance by Major Performer's Name, Theater Company, Date of Production, Name of Theater, City (if not in the theater name).
Example: Swale, Jessica. Blue Stockings. Directed by Emily Grigg, performance by Trina Grant, et al., Spartanburg Community College Theater, 14 April 2016, SCC Downtown Campus Auditorium, Spartanburg.
Please see below for MLA guidelines on how to cite images from the web or from a database.
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.
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/.
There are several ways to cite Artwork in a project in MLA format.
When you include artwork directly into your paper or presentation, it should be labeled as "Fig." with a number, followed by a period. (Example: Fig. 1.).
Under the image, place a caption that will start with the Figure label and number. Then you have options for how to finish the caption.
Give the full MLA citation for your source. Do not invert the creator's name (if you have one listed).
If you include the full MLA citation in your caption and you do not cite the source again in your project, you do not need to include the source in your Works Cited.
Fig 1. Vincent Van Gogh. Self Portrait. 1889. National Gallery of Art, www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.106382.html.
Give basic information about your source such as the creator of the image, title, year, and any other important information. If you do not include the full MLA citation, your source must be added to your Works Cited page.
Fig. 1. Vincent Van Gogh, Self Portrait, oil on canvas, 1889.
Van Gogh, Vincent. Self Portrait. 1889. National Gallery of Art, www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.106382.html.
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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