Significant changes with the 7th Edition include:
- No More Underlining! Titles are italicized.
- No More URLs! ... include a URL as supplementary information only when the reader probably cannot locate the source without it or when your instructor requires it.
- Continuous Pagination? Who Cares? For all scholarly journal entries, both volume and issue numbers are required, regardless of pagination.
- Publication Medium. Most entries will be listed as Print or Web, but other possibilities include Performance, DVD, or TV...these markers will appear at the end of entries; however, markers for Web sources are followed by the date of access.
- New Abbreviations. Many web source entries now require a publisher name, a date of publication, and/or page numbers. When no publisher name appears on the website, write N.p. for no publisher given. When sites omit a date of publication, write n.d. for no date. For online journals that appear only online (no print version) or on databases that do not provide pagination, write n. pag. for no pagination.
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The following examples (updated August 20, 2009) illustrate the style
used by the Modern Language Association to cite sources.
For more detailed information on the MLA Style, see: MLA
Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh Edition Call number: Ref
LB2369 G53 2009). Text
in green refers to MLA Handbook. Available
at the 1st floor Reference Desk.
Reference Citations in Text - Parenthetical Documentation
Reference citations in the text of your paper (instead of footnotes
or end notes) cite the author and page number(s) of the works
you used in your research. These references are brief but should give enough
information to enable the reader to find the full citation in the references
list at the end of the paper. See section 6 in the MLA Handbook for a detailed explanation and multiple examples.
The full citation for each parenthetical reference must be documented in the
references list at the end of your paper.
Examples:
The most pressing issue threatening gorilla survival is the
lack of support for gorilla conservation among government officials and local
resident groups (Garen 237). No
comma between last name and page number.
Schaller (35) stresses that rotational agriculture, which
promotes the growth of secondary forest, is strong factor in providing favorable
habitat for gorillas.
Works Cited: The list of "Works Cited"
identifies and makes it possible for the reader to retrieve all of the sources
you have referred to in the body of your paper.
Each entry in the reference list must also be cited in
text.
Basic Elements: Books
There are several basic elements that are usually included in each citation:
• author [complete first and
last name, middle initial or spell out middle name]
• title of book
• place of publication
• publisher
• year of publication
• NEW: Format (Print. Web.)
Basic Elements: Articles
There are several basic elements that are usually included in each citation:
• author [complete first and
last name, middle initial or spell out middle name]
• title of article [in quote marks]
• title of journal [italicized]
• date of publication [abbreviate months except for May, June, July]
• volume, issue number, etc. (for periodicals, newspapers, journals)
• NEW: Format (Print. Web.)
Format:
"The reference list must be double-spaced, and entries should have a hanging
indent" Italicize titles.
Here is an example of a correctly formatted entry:
| Garen, Eva J. "Appraising Ecotourism
in Conserving Biodiversity." Foundations of Natural Resources |
| |
Policy
and Management. Eds. Tim W. Clark, Andrew R.
Willard and Christina M. Cromley. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
221 - 251. Print. |
For items that are neither a book nor periodical,
consult MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers for required elements
(Available at the 1st floor Reference Desk - Call number: Ref LB2369 G53 2009).
Examples - Based on the MLA Handbook for Writers
of Research Papers , 7th ed.
Books and documents
| An anonymous book - no author: |
| World Development Report.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Print. |
| |
|
| |
This title is now published
on the web - use the following format: |
| WDR 2009: Reshaping Economic Geography, The World Bank, 2009. Web. 20 July 2009. |
| |
|
| One Author: |
| Schaller, George. The
Mountain Gorilla: Ecology and Behavior. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, |
| |
1963. Print. |
| |
|
| Two or More Authors: |
| Agnew, Clive, and Anderson, Ewan.W. Water Resources in the Arid Realm. New York: Routledge, |
| |
1992. Print. |
|
|
|
| Editor: |
|
Harris, Jonathan M., ed. Rethinking
Sustainability: Power, Knowledge, and Institutions. Ann Arbor: |
| |
University of Michigan Press, 2000. Print. |
| |
|
| Two or More Editors |
| Sherman, Paul W., Jarvis, Jennifer
U.M. and Alexander, Richard D., eds. The Biology
of the |
| |
Naked Mole-rat. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990. Print. |
| |
|
| Translated book: |
| Camara, Laye. The
Guardian of the Word. Trans. James Kirkup. New York: Vintage Books.
1984. |
| |
Trans. of Kouma Lafôlô Kouma. 1980. Print. |
| |
|
| Edition: |
| Ricklefs, Robert E. Ecology. 3rd ed. New York: W.H. Freeman. 1990. Print. |
| |
|
| Several Volumes: |
| Grzimek, Bernhard. ed-in-chief. Grzimek's
Animal Life Encyclopedia. 13 vols. New York:
Van |
| |
Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1972 -1975. Trans of Tierleben. Print. |
| |
|
| Article in an Encyclopedia |
| "Old World Porcupines, Mole Rats, Rock
Rats, and African Cane Rats." Grzimek's
Animal Life |
| |
Encyclopedia. Ed. Bernhard Grzimek.13 vols. New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold. 1972 - 1975.
|
| |
Print. |
|
See section 5.5.7 (pp. 160 -161) for additional information on citing an article in a reference book. |
| |
|
| Essay or Article in a Collection: |
|
Garen, Eva J.. "Appraising
Ecotourism in Conserving Biodiversity." Foundations
of Natural |
| |
Resources
Policy and Management. Eds. Tim W. Clark,
Andrew R. Willard and Christina M. Cromley.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000. 221 - 251. Print. |
| |
|
| Government Publications available from
GPO |
|
U.S. Dept. of Labor. Bureau of Statistics.
Dictionary of Occupational Titles
(4th ed.). |
| |
Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1977. Print. |
| |
| Suggested Citation for the Web version of this publication: |
| National Academy of Sciences, Committee on Occupational Classification and Analysis. Dictionary |
| |
of Occupational Titles (DOT): Part I - Current Population Survey, April 1971, Augmanted with DOT Characteristics, and Part II - Fourth Edition Dictionary of DOT Scores for 1970 Census Categories. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census [producer], 197?. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1981. Web. 20 July 2009. |
| |
| See 5.5.20. A Government Publication for additional information on citing these sources. |
| |
|
| Government Publications not available from
GPO |
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Known Distribution of the Barton Springs Salamander. Austin, |
| |
Texas: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1992. Print. |
| |
|
| Government Report |
| United States Environmental Protection
Agency. Air Quality Criteria for Ozone
and Related |
| |
Photochemical Oxidants (EPA Office of Health and Environmental Assessment, Report #EPA/600884020). Research Triangle Park, North Carolina: Author, 1986. Print. |
| |
|
| Signed Encyclopedia Article: |
| Peavy, Harry. "Environmental Engineering." In Encyclopeida of Physical Science and Technology. |
| |
Ed. Robert A. Meyers. 15 vols. Orlando: Academic
Press. 1987. Print. |
Periodicals (magazines,
journals, newspapers, newsletters)
In general, after the title of the article,
give the journal title (italicized), the volume number. Date of publication (for a scholarly journal, the year; for other periodicals, the day, month, and year, as available in parentheses), a colon, the inclusive page numbers and a period.
| Scholarly Journal (print) |
| Weaver, Jesse. "John and
Frank Craighead." Wildlife Society
Bulletin, 24.4 (1996): 767 - 769.
Print. |
| Scholarly Journal (online database) |
| Weaver, Jesse. "John and
Frank Craighead." Wildlife Society
Bulletin, 24.4 (1996): 767 - 769. JSTOR. |
| |
Web. 20 July 2009. |
| |
| Magazine Article, Signed: |
|
Begley, Sharon. "Beware of the Humans." Newsweek
(5 Feb. 1996): 52 - 54. Print.
|
| For magazines: "If the article is not printed on consecutive pages, write only the first page number and a plus sign, leaving no intervening space. Do not give volume and issue numbers even if they are listed." See 5.4.6 for additional information. |
| |
| Magazine Article, Unsigned: This article has a very long title. |
| "A River Runs Through It, Tearing
Down the Water Walls: 75,000 Dams Were Built. Now a Few Are |
| |
Coming Down. This Year, Dams Will Come Down from Maine to California. In August, Tourists Will Even Be Able to Watch the Demolition of the Cascade Dam in Yosemite Valley." Newsweek (12 July 1999): 46.
Print. |
| |
| Newspaper Article, Unsigned: |
| "Man is the Mane Meal." Scottish Daily Record & Sunday Mail Ltd. Daily Record (13 Feb. 2003): 15. |
| |
LexisNexis Academic.Web. 4 Mar. 2003.
|
| |
|
| Book Review in a print journal: |
| Bird, Maryanne. "Ecotourism or Egotourism: A Critic of "Green" Travel Finds It as Hazardous to |
| |
Ecosystems
and Cultures as Conventional Vacations." Rev.
of A Trip Too Far: Ecotourism, Politics
and Exploitation by Rosaleen Duffy. Time
International (26 Aug. 2002): 62. Print. |
Electronic Sources
| Book Review in a web journal based on a print source: |
| Bird, Maryanne. "Ecotourism
or Egotourism: A Critic of "Green" Travel Finds It As Hazardous to |
| |
Ecosystems and Cultures As Conventional Vacations." Rev. of A Trip Too Far: Ecotourism, Politics and Exploitation by Rosaleen Duffy. Time International (26 Aug. 2002): 62. Web. 2 Mar. 2003 |
| |
|
| Article in an Internet-only journal: |
| Magliocca, Florence. "1998 Update
on the Gorillas of the Odzala National Park, Popular Republic of |
| |
Congo." Gorilla Conservation News, 13 (May 1999). Web. 3 Mar. 2003. |
| |
|
| Electronic
copy of a journal article, retrieved from database: |
|
Schwartz, Katrina Z. S. "Wild Horses in a 'European
Wilderness': Imagining Sustainable Development |
| |
in the Post-Communist Countryside." Cultural Geographies, 2.3 (2005). 292-320. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Jan. 2006. |
| See the section on "aggregator" databases below for more information and additional examples. |
| |
|
| Electronic book - entire book |
| Jarrow, Gail and Paul
Sherman. Naked Mole-rats Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, 1996. |
| |
NetLibrary. Web. 22 July 2009. |
| |
|
| Child, L. Maria, ed. The Freedmen's Book. Boston, 1866. Google Book Search. Web. 15 May 2008. |
| |
|
| Electronic book - one page, one chapter, etc. |
| Whittier, John G. "A Prayer." The Freedmen's Book. Ed. L. Maria Child. Boston, 1866. 178. Google |
| |
Book Search. Web. 15 May 2008. |
| |
|
| Doctoral Dissertation - available full-text online |
Kord, JoLanna I. Understanding the Facebook Generation: A study of the relationship between online
|
| |
social networking and academic and social integration and intentions to re-enroll. Diss. University of Kansas, 2008. Dissertations & Theses: Full Text. ProQuest. Web. 4 Aug. 2008. |
| |
|
| Web Site (personal page): |
| Fine, Doug. The
Misty Future of Rwanda's Mountain Gorillas. (1995). Web. 3 Mar. 2003.
|
| |
|
| Document available on large Web site (like
university or government sites): |
|
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs
Travel Warnings & Consular Information Sheets |
| |
(2002). Consular Information Sheet, Rwanda. Web. 23 Feb. 2003. |
| |
|
| ERIC Documents: |
|
Allen, Cindi Nolen. Gorilla
Creativity: A Study Unit To Promote Critical and Creative Thinking. (1989). |
| |
Abstract: item ED405277. ERIC. Cambridge Scientific Abstracts.Web. 4 Mar. 2003. |
| The way you cite an abstract from ERIC will depend on which version of the ERIC database you use. This is an example from Cambridge Scientific Abstracts. |
| |
| Online Abstract: |
| Mcneilage, Arthur, John A. Plumptre,
Arnold Brock-Doyle and Alan Vedder. "Bwindi Impenetrable |
| |
National Park, Uganda: Gorilla Census 1997." Oryx. (January2001). 39 - 47. Abstract: item 4865597. Environmental Sciences and Pollution Mgmt. Cambridge Scientific Abstracts. Web. 23 Feb.2003. |
| "In scholarly research, it is preferable to read and cite primary sources [entire articles] whenever possible." |
Aggregator databases (EBSCOhost, etc.):
"...To cite online material
without a URL that you derive from a service to which a library subscribes,
complete the citation by stating:
• the name of the database and service used (italicized), if known (example: EBSCOhost Acadmic Search Premier)
• Web. (the format or medium used)
• the date of access (21 July 2009).
Attention UNC Charlotte
Students - these are the databases most of you will use to locate full-text
articles.
| EBSCOhost: magazine article |
| Wasserman, Elizabeth. "Facebook Journalism." CQ Weekly 66.27 (2008): 1832. EBSCOhost |
| |
Academic Search Premier.Web. 04 Aug. 2008. |
| |
|
| EBSCOhost: - scholarly article |
| Raacke, John, and Jennifer Bonds-Raacke.. "MySpace and Facebook: Applying the Uses and |
| |
Gratifications Theory to Exploring Friend-Networking Sites." CyberPsychology & Behavior 11.2 (2008): 169-174.EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier. Web. 04 Aug. 2008. |
| |
|
Seder, J. Patrick, and Shigehiro Oishi. "Ethnic/racial Homogeneity in College Students’ Facebook F |
| |
Friendship Networks and Subjective Well-being." Journal of Research in Personality 43.3 (2009): 438-443. EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 July 2009. |
| |
|
| EBSCOhost: - Conference Paper |
| Clark, Naeemah, Shu-Yueh Lee, and Lori Boyer. "A Place of Their Own: An Exploratory Study of |
| |
College Students' Uses of Facebook." Conference Papers -- International Communication Association (Annual Meeting 2007): 1-1. Communication & Mass Media Complete. EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier. Web. 01 Aug. 2008. |
| |
|
| LexisNexis: newspaper article |
| Von Radowitz, John. "Man-eating
Lions Dine on Ecotourists a la Carte." The
Evening Standard |
| |
(London) (13 Feb. 2003). LexisNexis Academic. Web. 4 Mar. 2003. |
| |
|
| LexisNexis - Transcript of radio news program: |
| Edwards, Bob and Martin Kaste. "Local
Galapagos Island Fishermen Resort to Violence in Protest of |
| |
Fishing Regulations There, Causing Concern about Conservation Efforts and Tourism on the Islands" National Public Radio: Morning Edition. (29 Nov. 2000). LexisNexis Academic. Web. 04 Mar. 2003. |
| |
|
| JSTOR |
| Cohen, Erik. "The Sociology of Tourism: Approaches, Issues, and Findings." Annual Review of |
| |
Sociology. 10 (1984). 373-392. JSTOR. Web. 23 Jan. 2006. |
| |
|
| Literature Resource Center |
| Brownson, Siobhan Craft, "Karen
Blixen: Overview" in Feminist Writers,
edited by Pamela Kester- |
| |
Shelton, St. James Press, 1996. Literature Resource Center. Gale Group Databases. Web. 07 Dec. 2003. |
| |
|
| Literature Resource Center (reprinted
journal article) |
| Foster, John Burt, Jr., "Cultural
Multiplicity in Two Modern Autobiographies: Friedländer's When |
| |
Memory Comes and Dinesen's Out of Africa," in Southern Humanities Review, Vol. XXIX, No. 3, Summer, 1995, pp. 205-18. Reprinted in Novels for Students, Vol. 9. Literature Resource Center. Gale Group Databases. Web. 07 Dec. 2003. |
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