MLA 8th ED.

CITATION GUIDE

ü Unlike the previous version of MLA, the 8th ed. uses a

container system for creating citations (pictured left).
ü The container system presents core elements of the
source. The author and title are most important.
They are emphasized by being placed first and
separated by periods. The other container elements
are separated by commas to show their connection.
ü Not all of these elements will apply to every source.
Skip the ones that you don’t need and move to the
next element in the list.
ü Because of the flexibility of this system, generating a
citation will depend both on source type and how the
writer accessed the source.
ü The following pages in this guide provide examples of
many of the most common types of source citations.
Consult the MLA Handbook (8th ed.) for other source
types.
*see the MLA Handbook 8th ed., p. 20 for more
details.

1
 SOURCE WORKS CITED CITATION IN-TEXT PARENTHETICA MORE INFO
MATERIAL CITATION L CITATION
TYPE
Advertiseme Michael Kors advertisement. Harper’s Bazaar, In this In-text citation is MLA Handbook
nt 2015, p. 34. advertisement, preferred. pp. 118-119
Michael Kors
targets… (34).
Article in a “Azimuthal Equidistant Projection.” Merriam- Merriam- (“Azimuthal pp. 24, 27, 39
Reference Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Webster’s Equidistant
Book ed., 2003, p. 340. Collegiate Projection” 340).
*ed.=edition Dictionary
defines… (340).
Book Dorris, Michael, and Louise Erdrich. The In their novel, (Dorris and p. 21
*if more than Crown of Columbus. HarperCollins Dorris and Erdrich Erdrich 21). *for institution or
two authors, Publishers, 1999. describe… (21). government
follow the first authors, refer to
author with a p. 25
comma and et
al. (p. 22)
Book Nunberg, Geoffrey, editor. The Future of the Nunberg (Nunberg 15). p. 23
(specific Book. U of California P, 1996. organizes… (15).
editor)
*for citing
edited work as
a whole
(otherwise see
Chapter
below)

2
Book Pevear, Richard, and Larissa Volokhonsky, Pevear and (Pevear and p. 23
(translation) translators. Crime and Punishment. By Volokhonsky Volokhonsky 56).
*citation Feodor Dostoevsky, Vintage eBooks, emphasize… (56).
focuses on the 1993.
translation
itself (Dostoevsky pp. 24-25
Dostoevsky 100).
*citation Dostoevsky, Feodor. Crime and Punishment. describes… (100).
focuses on Translated by Richard Pevear and
original Larissa Volokhonsky, Vintage eBooks,
authorship 1993.

Chapter Bazin, Patrick. “Toward Metareading.” The Bazin advocates (Bazin 65). p. 30
within an Future of the Book, edited by Geoffrey for… (65).
edited book Nunberg, U of California P, 1996, pp.
or anthology 153-68.
(specific
author)
Tweet @persiankiwi. “We have report of large street @persiankiwi (@persiankiwi). pp. 24, 29
*for sources battles in east & west of Tehran now - tweeted…
without page #Iranelection.” Twitter, 23 June 2009,
numbers, see 11:15 a.m.,
p. 56 twitter.com/persiankiwi/status/229810
6072.
Film Tarantino, Quentin, director. Pulp Fiction. Tarantino’s film (Tarantino). pp. 24, 38, 41
Miramax, 1994. displays…
Graphic Soule, Charles, et al. She-Hulk. No. 1, Marvel Soule et al. (Soule et al. 8). pp. 31, 40
Novel Comics, 2014. depict… (8).
Interview Walcott, Derek. Interview. By Susan Lang. 22 Walcott claims in (Walcott). style.mla.org
(personal) Oct. 2002. the interview...

Interview Gaitskill, Mary. Interview with Charles Bock. Gaitskill explains (Gaitskill). owl.english.purdu
(published) Mississippi Review, vol. 27, no. 3, in the interview… e.edu
1999, pp. 129-150.

3
Lecture or Roach, Mary. Guest Lecture. UW Tacoma, 15 Roach discussed… (Roach). pp. 50-52
Public Talk June 2017.

Atwood, Margaret. “Silencing the Scream.” Atwood (Atwood).

Boundaries of the Imagination Forum. emphasizes…
MLA Annual Convention, 29 Dec. 1993,
Royal York Hotel, Toronto.

Magazine or Deresiewicz, William. “The Death of the Deresiewicz (Deresiewicz). pp. 27-28, 30,
Newspaper Artist—and the Birth of the Creative writes… 42-43
article Entrepreneur.” The Atlantic, 28 Dec.
*for a source 2014,
found in a www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archiv
database, see e/2015/01/the-death-of-the-artist-
pp. 31-32 and-the-birth-of-the-creative-
entrepreneur/383497/.
Scholarly Goldman, Anne. “Questions of Transport: Goldman asserts… (Goldman 72). pp. 30-32
article Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante.” (72).
*for a source The Georgia Review, vol. 64, no. 1,
found in a 2010, pp. 69-88. JSTOR,
database, see www.jstor.org/stable/41403188.
pp. 31-32

Television or Sapochnik, Miguel, director. “The Winds of Sapochnik uses In-text citation is p. 38
radio show Winter.” Game of Thrones, created by lighting to… preferred.
*author David Benioff and D.B. Weiss,
changes performance by Lena Headey, season
depending on 6, episode 10, HBO, 26 July 2016.
intended HBO GO,
emphasis. For play.hbogo.com/episodes/GoS7.
instance, this
citation
emphasizes
the director as
the author.

4
Visual art or Bearden, Romare. The Train. 1975, Museum Bearden affects In-text citation is pp. 49, 29
physical of Modern Art, New York. the viewers by… preferred.
object
Mackintosh, Charles Rennie. Chair of stained
oak. 1897-1900, Victoria and Albert
Museum, London.
Webpage Vaynerchuk, Gary. “How to Taste Wine.” Vaynerchuk In-text citation is pp. 28, 48
(one page) Gary Vaynerchuk, 2017, advises… preferred.
*individual garyvaynerchuk.com/how-to-taste-
author wine.

*corporate or The National (National Center

gov’t author National Center for Chronic Disease Center for Chronic for Chronic
Prevention and Health Promotion. Disease and Disease
“National Diabetes Statistics Report, Prevention Prevention and
27: Estimates of Diabetes and Its Promotion Health Promotion
Burden in the United States.” CDC, estimates that… 6).
Division of Diabetes Translation, (6).
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2017,
*no author cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/n In-text citation is
(use title ational-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf, “Hypertension/Blo preferred.
instead) pp. 1-20. od Pressure
Guide” identifies…
“Hypertension/High Blood Pressure Guide.”
WebMD, 2017,
webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-
pressure/guide/default.htm.