Skip to Main Content

Reusable Content 2024

MLA Printable Guides

MLA 9 Citation Examples

BOOKS

A Book with One Author

Basic format:

Author’s Last name, First name. Title of the Book. Publisher, Date of publication.

Example:

Mead, Rebecca J. How the Vote Was Won: Woman Suffrage in the Western United States, 1868-1914. New York UP, 2004.

A Book with Two or More Authors

Note: For two authors, only reverse the first author’s name; for three or more authors, follow the first author with a comma and et al.

Basic format:

Author's Last name, First name, and Second Author’s First name Last name Title of the Book.

Publisher, Date of publication.

Example 1:

LeJuan, James, and Cecilia Molinari. Definitely Hispanic: Growing Up Latino and Celebrating What Unites Us. Atria Books, 2019.

Example 2:

Murray, Elisabeth A., et al. The Evolutionary Road to Human Memory. Oxford UP, 2020.

 

An Electronic Book from a Cerritos College Library Database

Note: Similar to the regular format for citing a book in MLA with added information of the name of the database, and the Permalink or URL. Do not include the http:// or https://.

Basic format:

Author’s Last name, First name. Title of the book. Publisher, Date of publication. Name of database or eBook provider, Permalink or URL.

Example:

Levenstein, Harvey. Fear of Food: A History of Why We Worry about What We Eat. U of Chicago P, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central,

ebookcentralporoquest.com/lib/cerritos-ebooks/detail.action?docID=867813.

An Electronic Book from the Web

Basic format:

Author’s Last name, First name. Title of the book. Publisher, Date of publication, Name of database or eBook provider, Permalink or URL.

Example:

Gikandi, Simon. Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Cambridge UP, 2000. ACLS Humanities E-Book, hdl.handle.net/2027/heb.07588.0001.001.

An Article in a Reference Book

Basic format:

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of Article.” Title of reference book. Edition. Date of Publication, Page(s).

Example:

Hong, Maria. “Guatemalan Americans.” Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. 5th ed.

2000, pp. 153-68.

Basic format: (with an editor)

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of article.” Title of reference book, edited by Editor’s name(s), Edition, Volume number, Publisher, Date of publication, Page(s).

 

Example:

Tiffin, Jessica. “Harry Potter Films.” The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales, edited by Donald Haase, vol. 2, Greenwood Press, 2008, pp. 332-43.

An Article in an Anthology

Basic format:

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of work." Title of anthology, edited by Editor's Name(s), Edition, Publisher, Date of publication, Page(s).

Example:

Hutchinson, Janis Faye. “Racism” Medical.” Encyclopedia of Race and Racism, edited by Patrick L. Mason, 2nd ed., vol. 3, Macmillan Reference USA, 2013, pp. 330-35.


PERIODICAL ARTICLES

A Print Scholarly Journal Article

Basic format:

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of article.” Journal title, Volume number, Issue number, Date of publication, Page(s).

Example:

Craner, Paul M. “New Tool for an Ancient Art: The Computer and Music.” Computers and the Humanities, vol. 25, no. 5, 1991, pp. 303-13.

A Scholarly Journal Article from a Database

Note: A DOI is preferred; if it’s not available look for a permalink or URL. Include the http:// or https:// only for DOIs. Omit http:// or https:// for URLs.

Basic format:

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of Article.” Journal Title, Volume number, Issue number, Date of publication, Page number(s). Name of Database, DOI or stable URL if provided.

 

Example 1:

Howell, David R., and Arne L. Kalleberg. “Declining Job Quality in the United States: Explanations and Evidence.” RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, vol. 5, no. 4, 2019, pp. 1-53. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.7758/rsf.2019.5.4.01.

Example 2:

Herzog, Daniela, et al. “Does Inadequate Sleep Increase Obesity Risk in Children?” Journal of Family Practice, vol. 70, no. 10, Dec. 2021, pp. E1-2. Academic Search Complete, https://doi.org/10.12788/jfp.0319.

Example 3:

Julien, Jabari. “Leveraging Title VI and the Administrative Complaint Process to Challenge Discriminatory School Dress Code Policies.” Columbia Law Review, vol. 119, no. 8, Dec. 2019, pp. 2205-38. Academic Search Complete, cerritoscoll.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=b sh&AN=153517774&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

A Print Magazine Article

Basic format:

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of article.” Magazine title, Volume number, Issue number, Date of publication, Page(s).

Example 1:

Camera, Lauren. “GAO: Hate on the Rise in U.S. Schools.” U.S. News & World Report - The Report, Dec. 2021, p. C1.

Example 2:

Sparks, Sarah D. “Bullying Dropped as Students Spent Less Time in In-Person Classes During Pandemic.: Education Week, vol. 41, no. 20, Feb. 2022, p. 5.

A Magazine Article from a Database

Note: A DOI is preferred; if it’s not available look for a permalink or URL. Include the http:// or https:// only for DOIs. Omit http:// or https:// for URLs.

 

Basic Format:

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of article.” Name of magazine, Volume number, Issue number, Date of publication, Page number(s). Name of Database, DOI or stable URL if provided.

Example:

Voulgarides, Catherine K. “The Promises and Pitfalls of Mandating Racial Equity in Special Education.” Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 103, no. 6, Mar. 2022, pp. 14-20. MasterFile Complete, https://doi.org/10.117700317217221092804.

An Article from an Online Periodical (not from a database)

Note: Accessed date is generally provided when an online source lacks a publication date, or if you suspect that the source may be changed or removed.

Basic format:

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of article.” Title of web magazine, Volume number, Issue number, Date of publication, Page(s), URL. Access date (if applicable).

Example:

Bianchi, Stephanie. “Peerless Pathways to Find Peer Reviews.” Info Today, vol. 33, no. 4, Jul.-Aug.

2009, www.infotoday.com/online/jul09/Bianchi.shtml.

OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES

A Web Site or Page

Note: MLA uses the phrase, “Accessed” to denote which date you accessed the web page when available or necessary. It is not required to do so, but it is encouraged (especially when there is no copyright date listed on a website).

Basic format:

Author’s Last name, First name “Title of the web page or article.” Name of Site, Version numbers if available including editions, revisions, volumes or issue numbers. Publisher, Date of publication, URL. Access date (if applicable).

 

Examples:

Alperin, Elijah and Jeanne Batalova. “Vietnamese Immigrants in the United States.” Migration Policy Institute, 13 Sept. 2018, migrationpolicy.org/article/vietnamese-immigrants-united-states-5.

Accessed 29 Sept. 2022.

Howard, Jacquline. “What is Rainbow Fentaytl? Colorful Pills Drive New Warnings About Deadliest Drug in the US.” CNN, 25 Sept. 2022,

www.cnn.com/2022/09/25/health/rainbow-fentanyl-pills-wellness/index.html. Accessed 20

Sept. 2022.

VIDEOS

Kanopy Video

Basic format:

Title of Video. Contributor(s) First name Last name, Publisher/Production company, Date of publication. Name of database; streaming platform, URL.

Example:

Muriel Matters. Directed by Sonia Bible, Ronin Films, 2013. Kanopy, www.kanopy.com/en/cerritos/video/109399.

A YouTube Video

Note: Sometimes, you may be able to find out who created the video, and in that case, you would list that person as the author.

Basic format:

Last name, First name [or single username]. "Title of video." Title of website, uploaded by Publishing website, Date uploaded, URL.

Examples:

Hill Kyle. “Is Ant-Man Secretly the Most Powerful Avenger?: YouTube, uploaded by Because Science, 5 July 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7DryiA60nY

 

“Mabel Ping-Hua Lee Fought for Voting Rights on Horseback.” YouTube, uploaded by Smithsonian, 2 Aug. 202, www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-uSgYqIvHA.

 

For detailed information on documenting your research using the Modern

Language Association (MLA) style, please consult the MLA Handbook  9th ed.,

REF LB2369 .M52 2021.  There is also a circulating copy LB2369 .M52 2021.

Refer to the printable MLA 9 Documentation for additional examples and

explanation.

Cerritos College Library | 11110 Alondra Blvd., Norwalk, CA 90650 | 562-860-2451 | Reference ext 2425 | Circulation ext 2424