Guide to MLA Bibliography

Sample MLA bibliography entries, based on the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th edition.  [Note:  Updating of this material is in progress.  Examples in blue are formatted according to the latest MLA documentation style.]

For a discussion of the principles behind creating an MLA Style bibliography, see the "Building an MLA Bibliography" tutorial.

The examples included here are only the basic forms of MLA bibliography entries.  If you cannot find the information that you need here, you can

• ask the tutors at the Writing Center.  Use the "Ask Question" link to email us a question or come to the Writing Lab in person.

• ask your instructor.

• refer to the most recent MLA Handbook.  Copies are available at the Reference Desk in Kent Library and in the Writing Lab.

Books | Periodicals | Miscellaneous | Electronic

BOOKS

• Book by a Single Author

  • Morris, James. Venice. London: Faber and Faber, 1960. Print.

  • O'Conner, Patricia T. Words Fail Me:  What Everyone Who Writes Should Know about Writing. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1999. Print.

• An Anthology or Compilation

  • Henderson, Bill, ed. Pushcart Prize XXVIII Best of the Small Presses.  Wainscott: Pushcart P, 2004. Print.

  • Klaus, Carl, and Nancy Jones, eds. Courses for Change in Writing. Upper Montclair: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1984. Print.

• Two or More Books by the Same Author

  • Boyle, T. Coraghessan. Water Music.  Boston: Little, Brown, 1981. Print.

  • ---. World's End.  New York: Viking, 1987. Print.

• A Book by Two or More Authors

  • Hogan, Michael, and David Reinheimer. From Sources to Purpose: A Guide to Researched Writing. Fort Worth: Harcourt College Publishers, 2001. Print.

• A Book by a Corporate Author

  • American Medical Association. The American Medical Family Medical Guide. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2004. Print.

• A Work in an Anthology

  • North, Stephen. "The Idea of a Writing Center." College English 46 (1984): 433-46. Rpt. in The St. Martin's Sourcebook for Writing Tutors. 3rd ed. Ed. Christina Murphy and Steve Sherwood. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin's, 2008. 32-46. Print.

  • Thomson, John, and William McCarron. "Writing, Learning, and Military Training." Courses for Change in Writing. Ed. Carl H. Klaus and Nancy Jones. Upper Montclair: Boynton/Cook, 1984. Print.

• An Article in a Reference Book

  • "Mann, Thomas." Cyclopedia of World Authors. 3rd ed. 1997. Print.

• An Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterword

  • Frampton, Kenneth. Foreword. Louis H. Sullivan: The Banks. By Lauren S. Weingarden. Cambridge: The MIT P, 1987. viii-xi. Print.

• Cross-References

  • Klaus, Carl H. Introduction. Klaus and Jones xv-xxi.

  • Klaus, Carl, and Nancy Jones, eds. Courses for Change in Writing. Upper Montclair: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1984. Print.

  • White, Jack. "Writing and Regional Experience: A View from the Delta." Klaus and Jones 49-56.

• An Anonymous Book

  • MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2009. Print.

• An Edition

  • Twain, Mark. Life on the Mississippi. Ed. Willis Wager.  New York: Heritage P, 1944. Print.

• A Translation

  • Bernanos, Georges. The Diary of a Country Priest. Trans. Pamela Morris. New York: Macmillan, 1937.  Print.

• A Book Published in a Second or Subsequent Edition

  • Root, Robert L., Jr., and Michael Steinberg. The Fourth Genre. 5th ed. New York: Longman-Pearson, 2010. Print.

  • Foss, Sonja K., Karen A. Foss, and Robert Trapp. Contemporary Perspectives on Rhetoric. 2nd ed. Prospect Heights: Waveland P, 1991. Print.

• A Multivolume Work

  • Smither, Howard E. A History of the Oratorio. 3 vols. Chapel Hill: U of NC P, 1977. Print.

• A Book in a Series

  • Neruda, Pablo. Canto General. Trans. Jack Schmitt.Berkeley: U of California P, 1991. Print. Latin Amer. Lit. and Culture 7.

• A Republished Book

  • Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. 2001. New York: HarperCollins-Perennial, 2002. Print.

• A Publisher's Imprint

  • Preston, Richard. The Hot Zone. New York: Anchor-Doubleday, 1995. Print.

  • Root, Robert L., Jr., and Michael Steinberg. The Fourth Genre. 5th ed. New York: Longman-Pearson, 2010. Print.

• A Book with Multiple Publishers

  • Wells, H.G. The Time Machine. London: Dent; Rutland: Tuttle, 1992. Print.

• A Pamphlet

  • London. New York: Trip Builder, 1996. Print.

  • Easy Appetizers. Cabot: Cabot Cheese, n.d. Print.

• A Government Publication

  • United States. Dept. of Labor. Child Care: A Workforce Issue. Washington, GPO, 1988. Print.

  • United States. Government Printing Office. Style Manual. Washington, GPO, 1984. Print.

• Published Proceedings of a Conference

  • Freed, Barbara F., ed. Foreign Language Acquisition Research and the Classroom. Proc. of Consortium for Lang. Teaching and Learning Conf., Oct 1989, U of Pennsylvania.  Lexington: Heath, 1991. Print.

• A Book in a Language Other Than English

  • Sagan, Francoise. Bonjour Tristesse. Paris: Julliard, 1954. Print.

• A Book Published Before 1900

  • Clay, Henry. The Speeches of Henry Clay, Delivered in the Congress of the United States. Philadelphia, 1827. Print.

• A Book without Stated Publication Information or Pagination

  • Malachi, Zvi, ed. Proceedings of the International Conference on Literacy and Linguistic Computing. [Tel Aviv]: [Fac. of Humanities, Tel Aviv U.], n.d. Print.

  • Eom, InJu. Scenes through the Window of Missouri. [Cape Girardeau]: [Print by Publishers' Graphics], n.d. Print.

• An Unpublished Master's Thesis or Dissertation

  • Begley, Carolyn Hopkins. "Evaluating Writing: A Survey for New Teachers." MA thesis. Southeast Missouri State U, 1984. Print.

  • Gaskins, Jake. "Sense of Self and the Aims of Discourse." Diss. U of Iowa, 1979. Print.

  • Teachenor, Sheryl F. "The Relationship between Spirituality and Work-related Stress among Rural Registered Nurses in Southeast Missouri." MS thesis. Southeast Missouri State U, 2006. Print.

Books | Periodicals | Miscellaneous | Electronic | Top

PERIODICALS

• Article in a Scholarly Journal with Continuous Pagination

  • Jost, Walter. "Conversation in Robert Frost's 'Death of the Hired Man.'" College English 58.4 (1996): 397-422. Print.

  • Isaacs, Emily, and Sean A. Molloy. "Texts of Our Institutional Lives: SATs for Writing Placement: A Critique and Counterproposal." College English 72.4 (2010). Print.

• Article in a Scholarly Journal that Pages Each Issue Separately

  • Schick, Kurt, et al. "The Idea of a Writing Center Course." The Writing Lab

  •      Newsletter. 34.9-10 (2010): 1-6. Print.

• Article in a Scholarly Journal that Uses Only Issue Numbers

  • Bowering, George. "Baseball and the Canadian Imagination." Canadian   Literature 108 (1986): 115-24. Print.

• Article in a Scholarly Journal with More than One Series

  • Daniels, John. "Indian Population of North America in 1492." William and Mary Quarterly 3rd ser. 49 (1992): 298-320. Print.

• Article in a Newspaper

  • Armour, Stephanie. "More Parents Hover When Kids Job Hunt." USA Today
         24 Apr. 2007: B1. Print.

  • Metelski, Julia. "SEMO Series Features Talks by Survivors of Holocaust."
         Southeast Missourian 19 Apr. 2004: 1+. Print.

• Article in a Magazine

  • Braun, William R. "Reverberations. Opera News Nov. 2009: 32-35. Print.

  • Rosin, Hanna. "The End of Men:  How Women Are Taking Control--of
         Everything." The Atlantic July-Aug. 2010: 56-72. Print.

  • Walsh, Bryan. "The Spreading Stain." Time 21 June 2010: 50-59. Print.

• A Review

  • Gilbert, Sandra M. "The Casserole Inquisition." Rev. of The Tenth Muse: My
         Life in Food, by Judith Jones. American Scholar 77 (Winter 2008): 125-
         130. Print.

• Abstract in an Abstracts Journal

  • Ferguson, Tamara J., and Susan L. Crowley. "Gender Differences in the Organization of Guilt and Shame." Sex Roles 37 (1997): 19-44. Psychological Abstracts 85 (1998): item 4265. Print.

• An Anonymous Article

  • "Briefly Noted." New Yorker 2 Aug. 2010: 86. Print.

• An Editorial

  • "Fix the Gun Law." Editorial. Southeast Missourian 19 Apr. 2004: 6A. Print.
    Will, George. "Winning the 'Three-block War.'" Editorial. Southeast
        Missourian 19 Apr. 2004: 6A. Print.

• Letter to the Editor

  • Summer, Paul. Letter. Southeast Missourian 19 Apr. 2004: 6A. Print.

Books | Periodicals | Miscellaneous | Electronic | Top

MISCELLANEOUS PRINT SOURCES

• A Television or Radio Program

  • "Death and Society." Narr. Joanne Silberner. Weekend Edition Sunday. Natl. Public Radio. WUWM, Milwaukee. 25 Jan. 1998. Television.

  • "Frederick Douglass." Civil War Journal. Narr. Danny Glover. Dir. Craig Haffner. Arts and Entertainment Network. 6 Apr. 1993. Television.

  • "Battle for the Atlantic:  Brink of Defeat." Battle for the Atlantic. Smithsonian Channel. 21 June 2010. Television.

  • "A Horse Ate My Steering Wheel." Car Talk. Natl. Public Radio. KRCU, Cape Girardeau, 19 June 2010. Radio.

• A Sound Recording

  • Haskell, Dale. Small Items. Sunrise Recording, 2002. CD.

• A Film or Video Recording

  • Edward Scissorhands. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, and Dianne Wiest. Twentieth Century Fox, 1990. DVD.

• A Performance

  • Hamlet. By William Shakespeare. Dir. John Gielgud. Perf. Richard Burton. Shubert Theater, Boston. 4 Mar. 1964. Performance.

• A Musical Composition

  • Chopin, Frederic. Mazurka. No. 4, Op. 17. N.d. New York: G. Schirmer, 1934. Print.

• A Painting, Sculpture or Photograph

  • Bearden, Romare. The Train. Carole and Alex Rosenberg Collection, New York.

• An Interview

  • Blackmun, Harry. Interview with Ted Koppel and Nina Totenberg. Nightline. ABC. WABC, New York. 5 Apr. 1994. Television.

  • Pei, I.M. Personal Interview. 22 July 1993.

  • Phillips, Marge. Personal Interview. 1 July, 2010.

• A Map or Chart

  • Washington. Map. Chicago: Rand, 1995. Print.

• A Cartoon

  • Weber, Robert. Cartoon. New Yorker 2 Aug. 1999: 63. Print.

• An Advertisement

  • Air Canada. Advertisement. CNN. 15 May 1998.

  • Gillette Odor Shield. Advertisement. Details June-July. 2010: 59. Print.

• A Lecture, Speech, Address, or Reading

  • Gere, Ann Ruggles. Conf. on Coll. Composition and Communication Convention. Sheraton Harbor Island Hotel, San Diego. 1 Apr. 1993. Address.

• A Legal Source

  • 21 US Code. Sec. 1401a. 1988.

  • Pesticide Monitoring Improvements Act of 1988. Pub. L. 100-418. 23 Aug. 1988. Stat. 102.1412.

  • Stevens v. National Broadcasting Co. 148 USPQ 755. CA Super. Ct. 1966.

Books | Periodicals | Miscellaneous | Electronic | Top

ELECTRONIC SOURCES

• A Complete Scholarly Project or Information Database

  • Britannica Online. Vers. 98.2. Apr. 1988. Encyclopedia Britannica. 8 May 1998 <http://www.eb.com/>.

• A Document within a Scholarly Project or Information Database

  • "Catalan." Si, Espana. Ed. Jose felix Barrio. Vers. 2.0. Oct. 1996. Embassy of Spain, Ottawa. 3 Feb. 1998 <http://www.docuweb.ca/SiSpain/spanish/language/

  • language/catalan.html>.

• A Professional or Personal Site; a Short Work on a Web Site

  • CBS.com. CBS Interactive, 2010. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.

  • Harris, Sam. Sam Harris. Sam Harris, 2010. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.

  • Kent Library. Southeast Missouri State U, 14 Nov. 2008. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.

  • The Walters Art Museum. The Walters Art Museum, 2010. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.

  • WebMD. WebMD, LLC, 2010. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.

  • The Writing Center. U of Iowa, 2009. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.

  • A SHORT WORK ON A WEB SITE:

  • Allebrand, Cheryl. "Half of Families Can't Afford College." Bankrate.com. N.p., 10 May 2010. Web. 23 June 2010.

  • Christensen, Sue, and Ann Rosen. "Teenage Pregnancy." Information about Children and Families. The Family Connection of St. Joseph County, Inc. and Memorial Health System, South Bend, 2006. Web. 23 June 2010.

  • "Teen Pregnancy." AyurvedicCure.com. Ayurvedic.com., 2008. Web. 23 June 2010.

• An Online Book Available Independently

  • Chopin, Kate. A Pair of Silk Stockings. 1897. PBS Electronic Library. 10 Dec. 1998. PBS. Web. 21 June 2010.

• An Online Book within a Scholarly Project

  • Keats, John. Poetical Works. 1884. Project Bartleby. Ed. Steven van Leeuwen. May 1998. Columbia U. 5 May 1998 <http://www.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/keats/>.

• A Part of an Online Book

  • Barsky, Robert F. Introduction. Noam Chomsky: A Life of Dissent. By Bersky. Cambridge: MIT P, 1997. 8 May 1998 <http://mitpress.mit.edu/e-books/chomsky/intro.html>.

• An Online Government Publication

  • Lee, McGraw Hoffman. Overview of Elementary and Secondary Schools and Districts: School Year 2001-02.  United States. Dept. of Education. Educational Resources Information Center. May 2005. Web. 21 June 2010.

  • United States. Cong. Research Service. Burma's 2010 Elections; Implications of the new Constitution and Election Laws. By Michael F. Martin. 29 Apr. 2010. Web. 21 June 2010.

• An Online Article in a Scholarly Journal

  • Calabrese, Michael. "Between Despair and Ecstasy: Marco Polo's Life of the Buddha." Exemplaria 9.1 (1997). 22 June 1998 <http://web.english.ufl.edu/english/ exemplaria/calax.html>.

• An Online Article in a Newspaper or on a Newswire

  • Tomich, Jeffrey. "Supreme Court Tlifts [sic] Ban on Genetically Engineered Alfalfa." stltoday.com. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 21 June 2010. Web. 24 June 2010.

• An Online Article in a Magazine

  • Levenson, Michael. "Aspects of the Novelist." Slate. Washington Post. Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC. 21 June 2010. Web. 23 June 2010.

  • Hertzberg, Hendrick. "Spilled Oil." The New Yorker. Conde Nast Digital, 21 June 2010. Web. 24 June 2010.

• An Online Review

  • Angelo, Gretchen V. Rev. of The Book of the Body Politic, by Christine de Pizan. Bryn Mawr Medieval Review 96.1.7 (1996). 26 Jan. 1997 <gopher://gopher.lib.virginia.edu:70/ 00/alpha/bmmr/v96/96-1-7>.

• An Online Abstract

  • Bullough, Vern J. "Medieval Concepts of Adultery." Arthuriana 7.4 (1997): 5-15. Abstract. 26 June 1998 <http://dc.smu.edu/Arthuriana/Abstract/AB_list1.htm>.

• An Online Anonymous Article

  • "Fleeting Consciousness." Us News Online 29 June 1998. 1 July 1998 <http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/ 980629/29brai.htm>.

• An Online Editorial

      Brooks, David. "Trim the 'Experts,' Trust the Locals." Editorial. New York
          Times. New York Times, 17 June 2010. Web. 18 June 2010.

      "Common Sense and Private Property."  Editorial. New York Times. New
           York Times, 17 June 2010. Web. 18 June 2010.

      "St. Louis Needs an Engaged, Independent Police Board." Editorial.

           stltoday.com. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 15 June 2010. Web. 18 June

           2010.

• An Online Letter to the Editor

  • Bill, Larry. "Analyzing Military Spending." Letter to the Editor. seMissourian.com. Southeast Missourian, 17 June 2010. Web. 24 June 2010.

  • Simpson, Heather. Letter to the Editor. New York Times. New York Times, 15 June 2010. Web. 21 June 2010.

• An Online Serialized Article

  • Dugger, Celia W. "Wedding Vows Bind Old World and New." New York Times on the Web 20 July 1998. Pt. 2 of a series, Here and There: Immigration Now, begun 19 July 1998. 5 Aug 1998 <http://www.nytimes.com/library/ national/regional/072098.immigration.html>.

• A Nonperiodical Publication on CD-ROM, Diskette, or Magnetic Tape

  • Braunmuller, A.R., ed. Macbeth. By William Shakespeare. CD-ROM. New York: Voyager, 1994.

• Material from a Periodically published Database on CD-ROM

  • Coates, Steve. "Et Tu, Cybernetica Machina User?" New York Times 28 Oct. 1996, late ed.: D4. New York Times Ondisc. Cd-Rom. UMI-ProQuest. Dec. 1996.

• A Multidisc Publication

  • Perseus 2.0: Interactive Sources and Studies on Ancient Greece. Cd-Rom. 4 discs. New Haven: Yale UP, 1996.

• A Work in More Than One Publication Medium

  • Perseus 1.0: Interactive Sources and Studies on Ancient Greece. CD-ROM, laser disc. New Haven: Yale UP, 1992.

• A Work from an Online Service

  • "Table Tennis." Compton's Encyclopedia Online. Vers. 2.0. 1997. America Online. 4 July 1998. Keyword: Compton's.

  • Begley, Sharon, Ian Yarett, and Daniel Stone. "What the Spill Will Kill." Newsweek 14 June 2010: 24-28. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 June 2010.

  • Brunsma, David, and J. Steven Picou. "Disasters in the Twenty-First Century: Modern Destruction and Future Instruction." Social Forces 87.2 (2008): 983-92. ProQuest. Web. 21 June 2010.

  • Guarino, Mark. "Gulf Seafood Safety Inspections Ramp Up as Oil Spill Spreads." Christian Science Monitor 15 June 2010: n. pag. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 June 2010.

  • "Southeast Missouri State University." Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 21 June 2010.

• A Work in an Indeterminate Medium

  • Bartlett, John. Familiar Quotations. 9th ed. Boston, Little, 1901. New York: Columbia U, Academic Information Systems, 1995. Electronic. ColumbiaNet, Columbia U. 2 July 1998.

• A Television or Radio Program

  • "Battle for the Atlantic:  Brink of Defeat." Battle for the Atlantic. Smithsonian Channel. 21 June 2010. Television.

  • "A Horse Ate My Steering Wheel." Car Talk. Natl. Public Radio. KRCU, Cape Girardeau, 19 June 2010. Radio.

• A Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph

  • Munch, Edvard. The Scream. 1893. Oyvind Solstad.com. Oyvind Solstad, 5 Aug. 2007. Web. 22 June 2010.

  • Van Gogh, Vincent. Starry Night. Webmuseum, Paris.  Webmuseum, Paris. 4 Sept. 1995. Web. 22 June 2010.

• An Interview

  • Sullivan, Andrew. Interview by John Hawkins. Right Wing News.  Right Wing News, 2010. Web. 24 June 2010.

• A Map

  • "Saint Louis Metropolitan Map." Map. Saint Louis Front Page. Moore Design Group. 2010. Web. 23 June 2010.

• A Cartoon

  • Summers, Dana. "Are You Guys Watching Soccer?" Cartoon. Slate 22 June 2010. Web. 22 June 2010.

• An Advertisement

  • AT & T. Advertisement. MSNBC.com. 22 June 2010. Web.

• An E-Mail Communication

  • Cinco, Jessica M.  "Redhawk Writing:  Online Draft Submission."  Message to James W. Foster. 9 Feb. 2010. E-mail. 

• Downloaded Computer Software

  • MacCase. Vers 1.0. 1 Aug. 1998 <ftp://ftp.adfa.oz.au/pub/ mac/macCASE/>.

  •