MLA 8 Citation Formatting Notes
Each part of a citation has rules and conventions for formatting.
General Rules
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Capitalization
Capitalize the first letter of each word in a titles or subtitle. Do not capitalize articles (the, an), prepositions, or conjunctions unless one is the first word of the title or subtitle. Indented Lines Do not indent the first line of a citation. Do indent the second and subsequent lines of a citation. Line Spacing Double space all citations and spaces between each citation. Alphabetizing Entries Arrange the works cited list alphabetically by the authors’ last names. Alphabetize works with no known author by their title. Multiple Works by Same Author If you have more than one work by an author, list the first with a name and replace the name on remaining ones with 3 hyphens Example: ---. Stem Cells: The Controversy. . . |
Author
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Enter author name exactly as it appears on the source.
Examples One Author: Last Name, First Name. Two authors: Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name Three or More Authors: Last Name, First Name, et. al. If it is a username (e.g. a Twitter handle) and no other name is available, then use the username as it appears in the source. example: @bestsourceevah |
Title
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For sources that are part of a larger work (article, web page, short story or poem in an anthology), use quotation marks:
Example: “Title of the Work.” For sources that stand alone, put it in italics: Example: Title of the Work. |
Title of the Container
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A container is the larger whole or work of which your source is a part.
In other words, it is the book, website, magazine, journal, newspaper, etc. that contains your source. The container is formatted with italics: Example: The Journal of High School Studies An LMC database is a second container: Example: Opposing Viewpoints in Context |
Other Contributors
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Sometimes there are other contributors that are important to include in your citation.
Some examples include: book editors, translators, directors of films. Include their role and name. Example: edited by Laura Smith. |
Version
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Sources can have more than one form or version.
If this information is not listed, don’t worry about it. Examples Use ed. for edition: 2nd ed. or Updated ed. or Director’s Cut ed. |
Number
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A reference book source might have multiple volumes.
Academic journals are given volume and issue numbers. Examples Volumes use the abbreviation vol. : vol. 5 Issues use the abbreviation no. : no. 6 |
Publisher's Name
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The publisher is the company or organization responsible for making the source available.
If the publisher matches the name of its website, do not include it. Do not include a publisher for a magazine or journal. Publisher names are not in italics. Example: Cengage Gale |
Date of Publication
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There are no set rules for the date.
Just be consistent throughout your works cited page or ask your teacher. Names of months that use more than four letters are abbreviated. Examples: 5 May 2014 or Jan. 25, 1997 |
Location
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The location is the exact place you found the source (page # or URL).
Use p. for a single page or pp. for multiple pages. Do not include the http:// for a website. Examples: p. 87 or pp. 658-660 or stemcells.nih.gov/front-page/intro.html |