MLA Style Sheet for Bibliography and Footnotes/Endnotes

(For Humanities)

The MLA style of bibliographic citations is often used to cite sources in the humanities. The
difference between MLA style and Turabian styles is in punctuation and formatting.

Footnotes and Endnotes: The primary function of a footnote or endnote is to inform the reader
of the specific place within a work where a writer has cited text or extracted ideas from an
outside source. Footnotes allow a person to read a paper without having to go to the end of the
paper to locate the bibliographic citations for the materials the author refers to on the page.
Endnotes are compiled together at the end of the paper before the bibliography.

The footnote/endnote is designed with a number, inserted within the text after the punctuation,
which corresponds to a number at the bottom of the page or at the end of the paper. The
footnote/endnote is indented five spaces and includes the entire bibliographic citation of sources
with page numbers. The footnote/endnote is single-spaced, but double-spaced between citations.

Basic Citation Formats for Footnotes/Endnotes

Book

Aut hor s Fi r st and Last Name, Ti t l e of t he Book, ( Pl ace of
Publ i cat i on: Publ i sher , Dat e of Publ i cat i on) Page Number ( s) .

Journal

Aut hor s Fi r st and Last Name, Ti t l e of Ar t i cl e, Ti t l e of
J our nal Vol ume ( Year ) : Page Number ( s) .

Newspaper

Aut hor s Fi r st and Last Name, Ti t l e of Newspaper Ar t i cl e, Ti t l e
of Newspaper , Dat e, Edi t i on: Page Number ( s) .

Example

But Pet er Scot t o has of f er ed anot her vi ew.
1
Fr ye def i ned t he al azon as a
sel f - decei vi ng or sel f - decei ved char act er i n f i ct i on.
2
____________
1
Pet er Scot t o, Censor shi p, Readi ng, and I nt er pr et at i on: A Case St udy f r omt he
Sovi et Uni on, PMLA 109 ( 1994) : 61.

2
Ni chol ai Fr ye, Anat omy of Cr i t i ci sm: Four Essays ( Pr i ncet on: Pr i ncet on Uni ver si t y
Pr ess, 1957) 32.

3
Fr ye, 35. *



*Note: When a source is referenced more than once an abbreviated footnote can be used for after the first
reference. If there is more than one title by the same author, include the first word of title between the author and
page number. (ex.
3
Fr ye, Anat omy of Cr i t i ci sm, 35. )
MLA Style Sheet for Bibliography and Footnote/Endnote Citations
(For Humanities)


Bibliography/Works Cited: A bibliography is a list of citations of sources used to write a paper.
A writer should include sources from which direct quotes were extracted to support the writers
own ideas, paraphrased ideas from other sources, and sources the writer consulted to gain a
general understanding of the research topic.

Formatting for a bibliography:

Place the bibliography at the end of a paper

The title should be Bibliography or Works Cited and should appear centered at the
top of the page

Double-space all lines

Arrange entries alphabetically by the authors last name

The first line of each entry is at the left margin. Any additional lines for an entry are
indented five spaces

Additional formatting guidelines for individual parts of a bibliography entry:

Author: Last name first, followed by a period. With regards to initials and full name
usage, the authors name should appear as it does on the title page of the work being
cited. For example, if the authors name appears on the title page as Anthony T.
Boyle, Ph.D. should appear as Boyle, Anthony T.

Punctuation: Periods appear after the author, title, and the very end of the complete
entry. A colon appears after the place of publication, and a comma is placed after the
publisher. For other types of sources, see examples.

Title of Sources: Follow the capitalization on the title page. Include any subtitles
and, if not already shown, use a colon to separate the title and subtitle. Underline the
entire title. For other types of sources, see specific examples.

Example:

Aut hor . Ti t l e. Pl ace of Publ i cat i on: Publ i sher , Year of

Publ i cat i on.






Prepared by K.A.Gnerre and E. Styles 2
MLA Style Sheet for Bibliography and Footnote/Endnote Citations
(For Humanities)


Example Citations for Bibliography and Footnote/Endnotes

KEY: B- Bibliography
F- Footnotes/Endnotes

Books

Bibliography Format for Book Citations:

Aut hor s Name. Ti t l e of t he Book. Pl ace of Publ i cat i on: Publ i sher ,
Year .
One Author or Editor as Author:
Example 1: Author

B Hogan, P. M. The Nont oxi c Home: A Si mpl e Gui de t o Heal t hy

Li vi ng. Eucl i d, PA: Rai ner , 1994.

F
1
P. M. Hogan, The Nont oxi c Home: A Si mpl e Gui de t o
Heal t hy Li vi ng ( Eucl i d, PA: Rai ner , 1994) 32.

Example 2: Editor

B Baker , Russel l , ed. The Nor t on Book of Li ght Ver se. New

Yor k: Nor t on, 1986.

F
1
Russel l Baker , ed. The Nor t on Book of Li ght Ver se
( New Yor k: Nor t on, 1986) 25.

Two or Three Authors, Editors as Authors:

Example 1: Author

B War d, Geof f r ey C. , and Dayt on Duncan. Mar k Twai n. New Yor k:
Al f r ed A. Knopf , 2001.
F
1
Geof f r ey C. War d, and Dayt on Duncan. Mar k Twai n. ( New
Yor k: Al f r ed A. Knopf , 2001) 20.



Prepared by K.A.Gnerre and E. Styles 3
MLA Style Sheet for Bibliography and Footnote/Endnote Citations
(For Humanities)


Example 2: Editor
B Rabki n, Er i c S. , Mar t i n H. Gr eenber g, and J oseph D.
Ol ander , ed. No Pl ace El se: Expl or at i ons i n Ut opi an
and Dyst opi an Fi ct i on. Car bondal e: Sout her n I l l i noi s
UP, 1983.

F
1
Er i c S. Rabki n, Mar t i n H. Gr eenber g, J oseph D.
Ol ander , ed. , No Pl ace El se: Expl or at i ons i n Ut opi an and
Dyst opi an Fi ct i on ( Car bondal e: Sout her n I l l i noi s UP, 1983)
30.

More than Three Authors:
B Qui r k, Randol ph, et al . A Compr ehensi ve Gr ammar of t he
Engl i sh Language. London: Longman, 1985.

F
1
Randol ph Qui r k, et al . , A Compr ehensi ve Gr ammar of
t he Engl i sh Language ( London: Longman, 1985) 35.

Corporate Author without an Editor:

B Amer i can Medi cal Associ at i on. The Amer i can Medi cal
Associ at i on Encycl opedi a of Medi ci ne. New Yor k:
Random, 1989.

F
1
Amer i can Medi cal Associ at i on, The Amer i can Medi cal
Associ at i on Encycl opedi a of Medi ci ne ( New Yor k: Random,
1989) 10.

Article in a Reference Book

Unsigned Article:

B Noon. Def . 4b. The Oxf or d Engl i sh Di ct i onar y. 2
nd
ed.

1989.

Prepared by K.A.Gnerre and E. Styles 4
MLA Style Sheet for Bibliography and Footnote/Endnote Citations
(For Humanities)


F
1
Noon, Def . 4b, The Oxf or d Engl i sh Di ct i onar y, 2
nd

ed. 1989, 199.

Signed Article:

B Mohant y, J i t endr a M. I ndi an Phi l osophy. The New
Encycl opedi a Br i t anni ca: Macr opaedi a. 15
t h
ed. 1987.

F
1
J i t endr a M. Mohant y, I ndi an Phi l osophy, The New
Encycl opedi a Br i t anni ca: Macr opaedi a, vol . 5, 500.

Magazine/Journal Articles

Bibliography Format for Article Citations:

Aut hor s name. Ti t l e of t he Ar t i cl e. J our nal Ti t l e Vol ume Number
( Year ) : Page.
Author: The journal article is listed in the reference list under the name of the author
who wrote the article. Last name first, followed by the first name.

Titles of Sources: Enclose in quotations but do not underline. All words in the title of
the magazine/journal are capitalized and underlined.

Journal Article (Hard Copy):
B Fi t zger al d, J ohn. The Mi sconcei ved Revol ut i on: St at e and
Soci et y i n Chi na s Nat i onal i st Revol ut i on, 1923- 26.
J our nal of Asi an St udi es 49 ( 1990) : 323- 43.
F
1
J ohn Fi t zger al d, The Mi sconcei ved Revol ut i on: St at e
and Soci et y i n Chi na s Nat i onal i st Revol ut i on, 1923- 26,
J our nal of Asi an St udi es 49 ( 1990) : 323.

Magazine Article (Hard Copy):

B Meht a, Pr at ap Bhanu. Expl odi ng Myt hs. New Republ i c 6 J une

1998: 17- 19.

F
1
Pr at ap Bhanu Meht a, Expl odi ng Myt hs, New Republ i c 6
J une 1998: 17.
Prepared by K.A.Gnerre and E. Styles 5
MLA Style Sheet for Bibliography and Footnote/Endnote Citations
(For Humanities)


Electronic Databases/World Wide Web

Use the following citation styles for:

Electronic version of a printed source. For example, Britannica Online, the Oxford
Reference Online, and the Encyclopedia Americana are all online versions of the source
available in the print format.

Online database resources. For example, EbscoHost, FirstSearch, America: History and
Life, J STOR, and Lexis-Nexis all contain citations to electronic journals, newspaper
articles, and book reviews that are available full-text online as well as citations to books
and other media.

Article from the World Wide Web:

Aut hor s Name. Ti t l e of Document . Dat e Last Updat ed. Ti t l e of
Or gani zat i on or Websi t e. Dat e Accessed <URL>.
B Sher man, Chr i s. Googl e Launches Cust omSear ch Engi ne
Ser vi ce. 24 Oct ober 2006. Sear ch Engi ne Wat ch. 31
Oct ober 2006
<ht t p: / / sear chengi newat ch. com/ showPage. ht ml ?page=3623
765>.
F
1
Chr i s Sher man, Googl e Launches Cust omSear ch Engi ne
Ser vi ce, 24 Oct ober 2006, Sear ch Engi ne Wat ch, 31 Oct ober
2006
<ht t p: / / sear chengi newat ch. com/ showPage. ht ml ?page=3623765>.

Article in Reference Book OnlineUnsigned (Electronic Version):

Ar t i cl e Ti t l e. Ti t l e of Sour ce. Dat e Last Updat ed. Ti t l e of Pr i nt

Sour ce. Dat e Accessed <URL>.

B Updi ke, J ohn. Encycl opedi a Br i t anni ca Onl i ne. 2006.
Encycl opedi a Br i t anni ca. 31 Oct ober 2006
<ht t p: / / sear ch. eb. com/ >. *
F
1
Updi ke, J ohn, Encycl opedi a Br i t anni ca Onl i ne, 2006,
Encycl opedi a Br i t anni ca, 31 Oct ober 2006
<ht t p: / / sear ch. eb. com/ eb/ >. *
Prepared by K.A.Gnerre and E. Styles 6
MLA Style Sheet for Bibliography and Footnote/Endnote Citations
(For Humanities)


Article in Reference Book OnlineSigned (Electronic Version):
Aut hor s Name. Ar t i cl e Ti t l e. Ti t l e of Sour ce. Dat e Last Updat ed.

Ti t l e of Pr i nt Sour ce. Dat e Accessed <URL>.

B Mazar i , Nor ber t . Chi nua Achebe. EbscoHost Li t er ar y
Ref er ence Cent er . 2006. Di ct i onar y of Wor l d
Bi ogr aphy: The 20t h Cent ur y. 31 Oct ober 2006
<ht t p: / / sear ch. ebscohost . com/ >. *
F
1
Nor ber t Mazar i , Chi nua Achebe, EbscoHost Li t er ar y
Ref er ence Cent er , 2006, Di ct i onar y of Wor l d Bi ogr aphy: The
20t h Cent ur y, 31 Oct ober 2006
<ht t p: / / sear ch. ebscohost . com>. *

Journal Article (Electronic Database):

Aut hor s Name. Ar t i cl e Ti t l e. Ti t l e of J our nal Vol ume ( Year ) : Page
Number ( s) . Name of Dat abase or Websi t e. Dat e Accessed <URL>.
B Lamber t , Fr ank. The Gr eat Awakeni ng: Whose I nt er pr et i ve
Fi ct i on? The New Engl and Quar t er l y. 68 ( 1995) : 650-
659. J STOR. 1 November 2006.
<ht t p: / / www. j st or . or g/ sear ch>. *
F
1
Fr ank Lamber t , The Gr eat Awakeni ng: Whose
I nt er pr et i ve Fi ct i on? The New Engl and Quar t er l y, 68
( 1995) : 658, J STOR, 1 November 2006,
<ht t p: / / www. j st or . or g/ sear ch>. *

Magazine Article (Electronic Database):
Aut hor s Name. Ar t i cl e Ti t l e. Ti t l e of Magazi ne Dat e: Page Number ( s) .
Name of Dat abase or Websi t e. Dat e Accessed <URL>.
B Leakey, Ri char d E. Uncover i ng Ear l i est Man. Ti me. 31
Mar ch 2003: 35. EbscoHost Advanced Pl acement Sour ce.
1 November 2006 <ht t p: / / sear ch. ebscohost . com/ >. *

Prepared by K.A.Gnerre and E. Styles 7
MLA Style Sheet for Bibliography and Footnote/Endnote Citations
(For Humanities)


F
1
Ri char d E. Leakey, Uncover i ng Ear l i est Man, Ti me,
31 Mar ch 2003: 35, EbscoHost Advanced Pl acement Sour ce, 1
November 2006 <ht t p: / / sear ch. ebscohost . com/ >. *

Newspaper Article (Electronic Database):

Aut hor s Name. Ti t l e of t he Ar t i cl e. Ti t l e of Newspaper or Websi t e

Dat e. Dat e Accessed <URL>.

B Gor don, Mi chael R. Mi l i t ar y Char t s Movement of Conf l i ct i n
I r aq Towar d Chaos. New Yor k Ti mes 1 November 2006. 3
November 2006 <ht t p: / / www. nyt i mes. com>. *
F
1
Mi chael R. Gor don, Mi l i t ar y Char t s Movement of
Conf l i ct i n I r aq Towar d Chaos, New Yor k Ti mes 1 November
2006, 3 November 2006 <ht t p: / / www. nyt i mes. com>. *

*Note: If the whole URL is of considerable length and will cause formatting errors, use a shortened URL of the
websites search page.


If you have any further questions on how to cite other types of works, consult the MLA
Handbook (cited at the end of this page) or ask a librarian for help.

Gibaldi, J oseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. New York: The Modern
Language Association of America, 2003. Reference Collection 808.02 M72
Gibaldi, J oseph. MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. New York: The Modern
Language Association of America, 1998. Reference Collection 808.02 G35
Hacker, Diana. A Writer's Reference. Boston: Bedford, 2003. Reference Collection
808.02 H11
Prepared by K.A.Gnerre and E. Styles 8