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Modern Language Association (MLA) Citation Style: Citing Other Resources

This is a guide on how to use the Modern Language Association citation style. It provides examples of basic formats for sources using MLA Style.

Indirect Sources

Only cite indirect sources when you are unable to obtain the original. When you are quoting or paraphrasing information by someone who was quoted in another source (indirect), and you have not read the original, you should cite the original source within the text as "quoted in", and then cite the indirect source in the reference list.  You should attempt to find and read the original work, if possible. 
 

Citing original work within text:

...as noted by Michael Wolff (qtd. in Fleishman 64)

 

Citing indirect source in in Works Cited list:

Fleishman, Avrom. George Eliot's Intellectual Life. Cambridge.
 

      Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print.

Government Documents

Government publication in print:

Format:

      Country or State. Agency. Title of publication. Place
 

            of publication: Publisher, Date of publication. Medium.
 

Example:

      United States. Department of Census.  Retail Trade:
 

            Geographic area series: Summary statistics for the United
 

            States, States,  Metro areas. counties, and places: 2007.
 

            Washington: GPO, 2007. Print.
 

Government publication on Web:

Format:

      Title of publication and title of Web site are the same: 

      Country or State. Agency. Title of publication. Publisher.
 

            Date of publication. Medium. Date of access.
 

      Title of publication is different from title of Web site:

      Country or State. Agency. "Title of publication." Title of
 

            Web site. Publisher. Date of publication. Medium.
 

            Date of Access.
 

Example:

      United States. Department of Census. "Hennepin County, 
 

            Minnesota--Income in the Past 12 Months." American
 

            FactFinder. 2008. Web. 12 January 2012.

Dissertations and Theses

Print Dissertation:

Format:

Author. Title. Diss. Name of University, Date of publication.
 

         Place of publication: Publisher, Date. Print.
 

Example:

Threinen, Noni. Ways of Learning and Leadership: Midlife Women
 

         in Communities of Practice. Diss. U of St. Thomas, 2009.
 

         St. Paul, MN: University of St. Thomas, 2009. Print.
 

Online Dissertation:

Format:

Author. "Title." Diss. Name of University, Date of publication.
 

         Name of Database. Web. Access date.
 

Example:

Threinen, Noni. "Ways of Learning and Leadership: Midlife Women
 

         in Communities of Practice." Diss. U of St. Thomas, 2009.
 

         ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Web. 23 Jan. 2012.

ERIC Documents

For more information on citing resources from the Web, see section 6.7.2 in the MLA Style Manual and Guide...

Format:

         Author(s). Title. Publisher. Date of publication.
 

                  Medium. Title of database. Date of access.
 

Example:

         Sales, Amos. Preventing Substance Abuse: A guide for School
 

                  Counselors. ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and
 

                  Student Services. 2004. Web. ERIC. 11 April 2012.

Powerpoint Presentation

Format:

Author. Presentation title. Course/Conference/Workshop title. Date. Format.

 

Examples:

Anderson, Mary. Writing styles. Local Writing Workshop. 15 April 2015. PowerPoint file.

 

Seton, James. Summarizing reviews. ENGL 292, Blackboard. 20 April 2015. PowerPoint file.

Films/Videorecordings/DVDs

For more specific information on how to cite a film, a video recording, or a DVD see section 6.8.3 in the MLA Style Manual and Guide...

Format:

         Title. Director. Distributor. Year of release. Medium.
 

Example:

         Downton Abbey. Dir. Brian Percival. PBS Distribution,
 

               2011. DVD.

Television/Radio Broadcast

For more specific information on citing radio and television broadcasts, see 6.8.1 in the MLA Style Manual and Guide...

Format:

         "Title of episode or segment". Title of program or series.
 

                  Name of network. Call letters of local  station, City
 

                  of local station, Broadcast date. Medium.
 

Example:

            "Downton Abbey." Masterpiece Theater. PBS. KTCA, St. Paul,
 

                  19 Februrary 2012. Television.

Personal Communication/Interviews

For information on how to cite interviews conducted by other sources (published in print or broadcast), see section 6.8.7 inthe MLA Style Manual and Guide...

Below are examples of how to cite interviews conducted by you:

Format:

         Person interviewed. Type of interview. Date of interview.
 

Examples:

         Johnson, James P. Personal interview. 23 January 2012.

 

         Richardson, Thomas A. Telephone interview. 2 February 2012.

SimplyMap

For information on citing Maps from Web resources, see section 6.7.2 in the MLA Style Manual and Guide....  For print Maps, see section 6.8.8.

Format:

         "Title of map." Resource type. Title of resource. 
 

                  Publisher, Date of publication. Medium.
 

                  Date of access.
 

Examples:

         "Geographic Research. Imported Beer/Ale: Drank
 

                  in Last 6 Months." SimplyMap. Mediamark, 2010.
 

                  Web. 12 January 2012. 

 

         "Geographic Research. Map base on Family Income:
 

                  $150,000+." SimplyMap. U.S. Department of Census,
 

                  2010. Web. 20 February 2012.

Visual Art

For more specific information on citing visual art, see section 6.8.6 in the MLA Style Manual and Guide....  For works of art on the Web, see section 6.7.2d and for work on CD, see 6.8.17.

Format:

         Artist's name. Title of work. Date of composition. Medium
 

                  of composition. Name of institution that houses the 
 

                  work, and City.
 

Example:     

         Poussin, Nicolas. Death of Germinicus. 1627. Oil on canvas.
 

                  Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN.

 

Class Lectures

Here are examples of citing lecture notes.  The first cite identifies lectures attended.  The second indicates lecture notes that have been posted in classroom management systems.

Format:

Author. "Title." Course number. Date. Format.
 

Example:

Jones, Samuel. "Introduction to English literature." ENGL 131.

            7 February 2015. Lecture.
 

Course management Format:

Author. "Title." Course number. Course management software.

            Date. Format.
 

Example:

Jones, Samuel. "English Literature Criticism."  ENGL 131. Blackboard. 

            3 March 2015. Lecture.