Use this template to cite an entire book, pamphlet, or report. Also, use this template to cite part of a book or encyclopedia, such as an article, chapter, essay, play, poem, or short story. This applies to all formats: print, audio, online, or e-book.
Example – e-book, downloaded to a device
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. E-book, HarperCollins, 2014.
Example – poem in a book, 1 author
Medina, Pablo. "The Secret." Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States, Holt, 1994, p. 48.
Example – article in an encyclopedia, library database, no author, 2 editors, no pages listed
"Eating Disorders." UXL Encyclopedia of Science, edited by Amy Hackney Blackwell and Elizabeth Manar, 3rd ed., UXL, 2015. Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CV2644300374/SUIC?u=port&xid=6c46c891.
Source Type
- Book or Encyclopedia, E‑book, Audiobook
- Periodical Article(Journal, Magazine, Newspaper)
- Web Site Article or Blog
- Video Recording
- Audio Recording
- Image, Artwork, Object, Artifact
- Personal Interview
- Live Performance, Lecture, or Event
- Social Media
- Other
Example – newspaper article, print, local (not national), city not already in newspaper’s name
Theen, Andrew. "Oregon’s Newest College Offers a Path to Unconventional Education." The Oregonian [Portland], 17 Aug. 2016, pp. A8-A9.
Example – magazine article, Internet
Mason, Betsy. "Lunar Probe Sends First High-Res Images." Wired, 2 July 2009, www.wired.com/wiredscience /2009/07/Iroimages/.
Example – journal article, Internet, 3 authors, with DOI instead of URL
Hubbard, Ruth E., et al. "Effect of Parental Age at Birth on Accumulation of Deficits, Frailty and Survival in Older Adults." Age and Ageing, vol. 38, no. 4, July 2009, pp. 380-385. doi:10.1093/ageing/afp035.
Example – journal article, library database, non-consecutive page numbers
Nierengarten, Mary Beth. "Dying to Be Thin: Body Image and Disordered Eating." Contemporary Pediatrics, vol. 32, no. 9, Sept. 2015, pp. 31+. Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A435793205/SUIC?u=port&xid=ae8524c7.
Use this template for Web site articles and blogs. If you found another type of source online, use the appropriate template. For example, for a journal, magazine, or newspaper article that is in a database or on a Web site, use the Periodical Article template. For an e-book in a database or on a Web site, use the Book template. For a video clip that you watched online, use the Video Recording template, etc.
Example – entire Web site, author same as publisher
"Crater Lake." National Park Service, 2016, www.nps.gov/crla/.
Example – page on a Web site, different author and publisher, Web site title same as publisher
Forsha, Emily. "7 Wonders of Oregon: Crater Lake." Travel Oregon, 28 Sept. 2015, www.traveloregon.com/trip-ideas/oregon-stories/7-wonders-of-oregon-crater-lake/.
Example – blog on a Web site; different author, Web site, and publisher
Scharping, Nathaniel. "Fish Fins and Fingers: A Surprising Cellular Connection." D-brief, Discover, 17 Aug. 2016, blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2016/08/17/fish-fins-fingers-connection.
Example – film, viewed on DVD (or on television or in a theater)
Super Size Me. Directed by Morgan Spurlock, Showtime Independent Films, 2004.
Example – film, viewed on Hulu
The Paper Chase. Directed by James Bridges, performances by Timothy Bottoms and John Houseman, Twentieth Century Fox, 1973. Hulu, www.hulu.com/the-paper-chase.
Example – episode of television program, viewed on publisher’s own Web site
"Inside Einstein’s Mind." Nova, PBS, 25 Nov. 2015, www.pbs.org/video/2365615918/.
Example – episode of video podcast series, viewed on YouTube, includes date of creation and date of upload
"Stephen Hawking: Questioning the Universe." TED Talks, Feb. 2008. YouTube, uploaded by TED, 4 Apr. 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjBIsp8mS-c.
(For audiobooks, use the Book template.)
Example – song on an album, listened to on artist’s own Web site, performer as author
Beyoncé. "Sandcastles." Lemonade, Parkwood Entertainment, 2016, www.beyonce.com/album/lemonade-visual-album/?media_view=songs.
Example – song on an album, listened to on Spotify
Morris, Rae. "Skin." Cold, Atlantic Records, 2014. Spotify, open.spotify.com/track/0OPES3Tw5r86O6fudK8gxi.
Example – album, listened to on a CD, composer as author, with featured artists
Mozart, Wolfgang A. Cosi Fan Tutte. Performances by David Randall and Philippe Huttenlocher, RCA, 1978.
Example – speech, listened to on a Web site
Kennedy, John F. "Ich Bin Ein Berliner." U of Virginia Miller Center, 26 June 1963, millercenter.org/president/speeches/speech-3376.
Images, artwork, and objects can be experienced in person or seen in a resource such as a book, periodical, database, or Web site.
For citing artwork or objects that you experienced in person, use this template.
For citing images (of artwork or objects) that you saw in a book, periodical, database, or Web site, MLA gives you two options.
MLA says it is usually enough to identify the author and title of the image, artwork, or object in the body of your paper, followed by an in-text citation for the source you found it in. Then only cite that source (not the image) in your works cited list. For that option, use the Book, Periodical Article, or Web Site Article template to create the citation instead of using this template.
The second option is to start a citation with the information about the image, artwork, or object, and then add the information about the container. The container is the resource -- book, periodical, database, and/or Web site -- in which you found the image. For that option, use this template.
If you are unsure which option to choose, ask your teacher.
Example – artifact, untitled (you provide a description), unknown creator, estimated date, viewed in a museum
Covered wagon. Circa 1860, Oregon Historical Society, Portland.
Example – painting, titled, viewed in a museum
Monet, Claude. Garden at Sainte-Adresse. 1867, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Example – painting, titled, viewed in a book, found in a library database
Monet, Claude. Garden at Sainte-Adresse. 1867. Monet, by Christoph Heinrich, Taschen, 2015, p. 21. Gale Virtual Reference Library, www.gale.com/gvrl.
Example – painting, titled, viewed in a book, found on a Web site that is not the painter’s
Monet, Claude. Garden at Sainte-Adresse. 1867. Monet, by Christoph Heinrich, Taschen, 2015, p. 21. Free Art eBooks, www.freeartebooks.org/monet142.
Only use this template to cite an interview that you conducted or experienced firsthand, including face-to-face, over the telephone, or using video chat. If you read or otherwise saw an interview, cite it using the template for the source that included the interview: book; magazine, newspaper, or journal article; audio or video recording; Web site.
Example – students interview an author, by video chat
Kinney, Jeff. Interview. By Mrs. Hernandez’s 6th grade class. 3 Oct. 2015.
Example – personal interview of the conductor of a local symphony, by telephone
Kalmar, Carlos. Interview. By Jane Smith. 24 Jan. 2016.
Example – personal interview of a school principal by two students, in person
Brown, Jennifer. Interview. By Maria Lopez and Ivan Petrov. 15 Sept. 2016.
Example – class lecture, attended in person, city already included in venue’s name
Lawson, James. "Gettysburg." AP U.S. History, 14 Jan. 2016, North Salem High School.
Example – lecture, with known series name, attended in person
Erdrich, Louise. "Louise Erdrich." Portland Arts & Lectures, Literary Arts, 20 Oct. 2016, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland.
Example – dance performance, attended in person
Diavolo. "Volo." 4 Oct. 2016, Collier Center for the Performing Arts, Medford.
Example – concert performance, attended in person
The Who. "Hits 50!" 17 May 2016, The Moda Center, Portland.
Example – e-mail, title is subject line
Smith, Sandy. "Seattle Viaduct Alternatives." Received by Emily Chang, 17 Sept. 2015.
Soja, Julie. "Re: Hubble Space Telescope image enhancement techniques." Received by John Hernandez, 23 Jan. 2016.
Example – tweet from Twitter, pseudonym (unknown real name), title is entire tweet, with timestamp
@persiankiwi. "We have report of large street battles in east & west of Tehran now - #Iranelection." Twitter, 23 June 2009, 11:15 a.m., twitter.com/persiankiwi/status/2298106072.
Example – tweet from Twitter, pseudonym (real name added), title is entire tweet, no timestamp given
@Pontifex (Pope Francis). "Let us carry Mother Teresa’s smile in our hearts and give it to those whom we meet along our journey." Twitter, 4 Sept. 2016, twitter.com/Pontifex/status/772396413258903552.
Example – post from Facebook, pseudonym (real name added), title is excerpt, no timestamp given
@potus (President Obama). "…At Sherman's sentencing, even the judge couldn't believe he was bound by law to hand down a punishment that didn't fit the crime…" Facebook, 3 Aug. 2016, https://www.facebook.com/potus/posts/517526568437188.