Citations: how and why

Scholarly Journal
Page numbers refer to the MLA Handbook ninth edition

Articles in a Scholarly Journal (pages 319 - 321)

Examples:

Journal article in a Database with a DOI (page 320)

Bockelman, Brian. "Buenos Aires Bohème: Argentina and the Transatlantic Bohemian Renaissance, 1890 - 1910."

Modernism/Modernity, vol. 23, no. 1, Jan. 2016, pp. 37-63. Project Muse, https://doi.org/10.1353/mod.2016.0011.

Article in a Print Scholarly Journal (page 319)

With a Volume Number and Issue Number (page 319)

Boggs, Colleen Glenney. "Public Reading and the Civil War Draft Lottery." American Periodicals, vol. 26, no. 2, 2016,

pp. 149-66.

By and Organization (Corporate Author) (page 319)

MLA ad Hoc Committee on Foreign Languages.  "Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a

Changed world." Profession, 2007, pp. 234-45.
 

Two Authors (page 313) - example is for a book, but use the same author format for other sources.

Dorris, Michael, and Louise Erdrich. The Crown of Columbus. HarperCollins Publishers, 1999.
 

By More Than Two Authors (page 313) - example is for a book, but use the same author format for other sources.

Charon, Rita, et al. The Principles and Practice of Narrative Medicine. Oxford UP, 2017.
 

Article in a Print Magazine (page 323)

Examples:

Magazine With Season, Volume Number ,and Issue Number (page 323)

Riis, Jacob. "huddled Masses." 1890. Lapham's Quarterly, vol. 10, no. 1, winter 2017,

www.laphamsquarterly.org/home/huddled-masses.

Citation for examples:

MLA Handbook Ninth Edition. Modern Language Association of America, 2021.

Examples from: The Quick Guide to Citing in... MLA 9th edition by CSUN University Library

Magazine, Newspaper, & Journal Articles Found in a database...

MLA:

Last, First M. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, vol., no., Publication date, pp. page range. Database, shareable URL or DOI.

Example:

Parihar, Vipan K. “What Happens to Your Brain on the Way to Mars.” Science Advances, vol. 1, no. 4, 2015, pp. 1-6. PubMed,

https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0816-4.

Found in print...

MLA:

Last, First M. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, vol., no., Publication date, pp. page range or location.

Example:

Glionna, John M. "They Put a New Face on Crime Fighting: Self-Styled Superheroes Don Masks to Patrol their Cities'

Streets." Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2012, p. A16.

Citation for examples:
J.J. "Quick Guide to Citing in... MLA 9th edition." CSUN University Library, 2021, 

https://libguides.csun.edu/ld.php?content_id=61886733.

In-Text Citations
Page numbers refer to the MLA Ninth Edition Handbook.

Example 1: Standard options (page 227)

Citation in prose 

Naomi Baron Broke New Ground on the Subject.

Parenthetical citation

At least one researcher has broken new ground on he subject (Baron).

Work cited

Baron, Naomi S. "Redefining Reading: The Impact of Digital Communication Media." PMLA, vol. 128, no. 1, Jan. 2013,

pp. 193-200.

Example 2: Coauthors (page 232)

Citation in prose

Others, like Jay Lemery and Paul Auerbach, note that doctors have not yet adequately explained the effects climate change will have on human health (4-5). Lemery and Auerbach's book focuses on the human, not the environmental risks.

Parenthetical citation (Surnames Only)

Others note that doctors have not yet adequately explained the effects climate change will have on human health (Lemery and Auerbach 4-5)

Works cited

Lemery, Jay, and Paul Auerbach. Enviromedics: The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health. Rowman and

Littlefield, 2017.

Example 3: Corporate Authors (page 233 - 234)

Citation in prose

According to a study by the National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society, the "speed of warming is more than ten times that at the end of an ice age, the fastest known natural sustained change on a global scale" (9).

Parenthetical citation

According to one study of climate change, the "speed of warming is more than ten times that at the end of an ice age, the fastest known natural sustained change on a global scale" (National Academy 9).

Work Cited

National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society. Climate Change: Evidence and Causes: Update 2020. National

Academies Press, 2020, https://doi.org/10.17226/25733. PDF download.

Citation for examples:

MLA Handbook Ninth Edition. Modern Language Association of America, 2021.

Examples from: The Quick Guide to Citing in... MLA 9th edition by CSUN University Library

• In-Text citations should be placed directly after the quote or paraphrase MLA: (Author’s Last Name page number)

Example:

(Furlong 95)

• In-text continued: If the author is mentioned in the sentence then only provide the page number (95)

Citation for examples:
J.J. "Quick Guide to Citing in... MLA 9th edition." CSUN University Library, 2021, 

https://libguides.csun.edu/ld.php?content_id=61886733.

Books, eBooks, Anthologies, Reference Books 
Page numbers refer to the MLA Handbook Ninth Edition

Examples:

Book with one Author (page 313)

Davis, Angela Y. Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday.

Pantheon, 1998

Editor (page 314)

Milton, John. The Riverside Milton. Edited by Roy Flannagan, Houghton Mifflin, 1998.

Two Authors (page 313)

Dorris, Michael, and Louise Erdrich. The Crown of Columbus. HarperCollins Publishers, 1999.

More than two authors (page 313)

Charon, Rita, et al. The Principles and Practice of Narrative Medicine. Oxford UP, 2017.

Electronic Books (page 316)

O'Connor, Patricia. Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English. E-book ed., Riverhead

Books, 2009.

Work in an Anthology - Essay (page 318)

Dewar, James A., and Peng Hwa Ang. "The Cultural Consequences of Printing and the Internet." Agent of Change:

print Culture Studies after Elizabeth L. Eisenstein, edited by Sabrina Alcorn Baron et al., U of Massachusetts P / Library of Congress, Center fo the Book, 2007, pp. 365-77.

Citation for examples:

MLA Handbook Ninth Edition. Modern Language Association of America, 2021.

Example from Purdue Online Writing Lab:
"Article in a Reference Book ( E. G. Encyclopedias, Dictionaries)

For entries in encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works, cite the entry name as you would any other work in a collection but do not include the publisher information. Also, if the reference book is organized alphabetically, as most are, do not list the volume or the page number of the article or item.

"Ideology." The American Heritage Dictionary. 3rd ed. 1997. " 

Citation for example:

"MLA Works Cited Page: Books." Purdue Online Writing Lab, 2021, 

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_page_books.html. 
Accessed 01 September 2021.

Examples from: The Quick Guide to Citing in... MLA 9th edition by CSUN University Library

Book

MLA:

Last, First M. Title of book. Publisher, Publication date.

Example:

Lepore, Jill. The Secret History of Wonder Woman. Alfred A. Knopf, 2014.

Chapter in a Book

MLA:

Last, First M. “Title of Chapter.” Title of book, edited by First M. Last, Publisher, Publication date, pp. page range.

Example:

Furlong, Michael. “Gendered Power: Comics, Film, and Sexuality in the United States.” Ages of Heroes, Eras of Men:

Superheroes and the American Experience, edited by Julian Chambliss, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013, pp. 92-105.

How to cite multiple editors:

• One editor example: edited by First M. Last,
• Two editor example: edited by First M. Last and First M. Last,
• Three or more editors: edited by First M. Last et al.,

E-Book

MLA:

Last, First M. Title of book. Publisher, Publication date. Database name, shareable URL.

Example:

Brown, Jeffrey. Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and their Fans. UP of Mississippi, 2001. Ebrary Academic Complete,

site.ebrary.com/lib/csun/detail.action? docID=10432102.

Citation for examples:
J.J. "Quick Guide to Citing in... MLA 9th edition." CSUN University Library, 2021, 

https://libguides.csun.edu/ld.php?content_id=61886733.

Websites (pages 324 - 327) 
Page numbers refer to the MLA Handbook Ninth Edition

Websites are not the same as subscription databases. Include the author, and other information, if you can find it, if not leave it blank. Always include the web address of the web page unless your instructor tells you not to.

Note: If your URL is broken between two lines make sure that no additional hyphens (-) appeared at the break.

Examples:

Site with Author and Publisher (page 324)

Bauch, Nicholas. Enchanting the Desert: A Pattern Language for the Production of Space.  Stanford UP, 2016,

www.enchantingthedesert.com/home/.

Site with Editors and No Publisher (page 324)

Eaves, Morris, et al., editors. The Williams Blake Archive. 1996 - 2014, www.blakearchive.org.

Site Written and Published by and Organization (page 324)

Folgerpedia. Floger Shakespeare Library, 17 July 2018, folgerpedia.folger.edu/Main_Page.

From a Blog (page 326)

Hayes, Terrence. "The Wicked Candor of Wanda Coleman." The Paris Review, 12 June 2020,

www.theparisreview.org/blog/2020/06/12/the-wicked-candor-of-wanda-coleman/. The Daily.

On Social Media - Facebook (page 327)

World Wildlife Fund. "Five Things to Know on Shark Awareness Day." Facebook, 14 July 2020,

www.facebook.com/worldwildlifefund/videos/

Citation for examples:

MLA Handbook Ninth Edition. Modern Language Association of America, 2021.

Example from: The Quick Guide to Citing in... MLA 9th edition by CSUN University Library

MLA:

Last, First M. “Title of Page.” Title of Overall Website, Date Published, URL.

Example:

Mansharamani, Vikram. “Superbugs: The $100 Trillion Risk.” Fortune, 16 Jun. 2016, https://fortune.com/2016/06/01/antibioticsuperbugs-bacteria-e-coli/.

Citation for example:
J.J. "Quick Guide to Citing in... MLA 9th edition." CSUN University Library, 2021, https://libguides.csun.edu/ld.php?content_id=61886733.

Visual Examples 

Page numbers refer to the MLA Handbook Ninth Edition

Painting - Viewed firsthand (page 332)

Bearden, Romare. The Train. 1975, Museum of Modern Art, New York City.

Painting - Viewed online (page 332)

Bearden, Romare. The Train. 1975. MOMA, www.moma.org/collection/works/65232?locale=en

Painting - Viewed in a book (page 332)

Velázquez, Diego. An Old Woman Cooking Eggs. Circa 1618, Scottish National Gallery.  The Vanishing Velázquez: A

Nineteenth-Century Bookseller's Obssession with a Lost Masterpiece, by Laura Cumming, Scribner, 2016, p. 27.

Photograph - Viewed online (page 332)

Sheldon, Natasha. Photograph of The Muleteer. "Human Remains in Pompeii: The Body Casts," by Sheldon, 23 Mar.

2014. Decoded Past, decodedpast.com/human-remains-pompeii-body-casts/7532/.

Citation for examples:

MLA Handbook Ninth Edition. Modern Language Association of America, 2021.

Figure Example

In-text reference:

Some readers found Harry’s final battle with Voldemort a disappointment, and recently, the podcast, MuggleCast debated the subject (see fig. 2).

Figure caption (below an embedded podcast file for a document to be viewed electronically):

Fig. 2. Harry Potter and Voldemort final battle debate from Andrew Sims et al.; “Show 166”; MuggleCast; MuggleNet.com, 19 Dec. 2008, www.mugglenet.com/2015/11/the-snape-debate-rowling-speaks-out.

Citation for examples:

"MLA Tables, Figures, and Examples." Purdue Online Writing Lab, 2021, 

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_
and_style_guide/mla_tables_figures_and_examples.html. Accessed 31 August 2021.

An Image (Including a Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph)

Provide the artist's name, the work of art italicized, the date of creation, the institution and city where the work is housed. Follow this initial entry with the name of the Website in italics, and the date of access.

Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid. Museo Nacional del Prado,

www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-family-of-carlos-iv/f47898fc-aa1c-48f6-a779-71759e417e74. Accessed 22 May 2006.

Klee, Paul. Twittering Machine. 1922. Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Artchive,

www.artchive.com/artchive/K/klee/twittering_machine.jpg.html. Accessed May 2006.

If the work cited is available on the web only, then provide the name of the artist, the title of the work, and then follow the citation format for a website. If the work is posted via a username, use that username for the author.

Adams, Clifton R. “People Relax Beside a Swimming Pool at a Country Estate Near Phoenix, Arizona, 1928.” Found,

National Geographic Creative, 2 June 2016, natgeofound.tumblr.com/.

Citation for examples:

"MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications)" Purdue Online Writing Lab, 2021, 

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_
and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_electronic_sources.html. Accessed 31 August 2021.

On Social Media

Page numbers refer to the MLA Handbook Ninth Edition

Facebook (page 327)

World Wildlife Fund. "Five Things to Know on Shark Awareness Day." Facebook, 14 July 2020,

www.facebook.com/worldwildlifefund/videos/

 Tweet  (page 326)

Chaucer Doth Tweet [@LeVostreGC]. "A daye wythout anachronism ys lyke Emily Dickinson wythout her

lightsaber." Twitter, 7 Apr. 2018, twitter.com/LeVostreGC/status/982829987286827009.

TikTok  (page 326)

Lilly [@uvisaa]. "[I]f u like dark academia there's a good chance you've seen my tumblr #darkacademia." TikTok,

2020, www.tiktok.com/@uvisaa/video/6815708894900391173.

Citation for examples:

MLA Handbook Ninth Edition. Modern Language Association of America, 2021.

Example from: The Quick Guide to Citing in... MLA 9th edition by CSUN University Library

Tweet

MLA:
Twitter name [handle]. “Tweet.” Twitter, Date of tweet, URL.

Example:
Neil DeGrasse Tyson [@neiltyson]. “Schools often fail to simultaneously train students how to be skeptical of claims & how to embrace the weight of the evidence.” Twitter, 31 July 2016, twitter.com/neiltyson/status/759777990343593984.

Citation for example:
J.J. "Quick Guide to Citing in... MLA 9th edition." CSUN University Library, 2021, https://libguides.csun.edu/ld.php?content_id=61886733.

The Core Elements (MLA Handbook Ninth Edition, page 105)

"Entries in the Works=cited list are created using the MLA template of core elements - facts common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date." (MLA 105)

1. Author.
2. Title of source.
3. Title of container,
4. Other contributors,
5. Version,
6. Number,
7. Publisher,
8. Publication date,
9. Location.

Citation for quote:

MLA Handbook Ninth Edition. Modern Language Association of America, 2021.

Citation for image:

"The MLA Template of Core elements." MLA Handbook Ninth Edition, Modern Language Association of America, 2021,

p. 105.