Siamese Dream. Smashing Pumpkins. Virgins Records America, 1993. CD. [Film]
(MLA 5.7.3). Title. Contributors. Distributor, Year of release. Medium viewed.
C I T A T I O N
G U I D E
MLA Style
PAREN TH ETI C AL
C I TATI ON S
Generally, a parenthetical citation includes the author's last name and the page number(s) of the information used.
Short Quotations Place the author’s name either in parentheses or within the sentence. For example: According to Jones, "Students often had difficulty using MLA style" (199). OR She stated, "Students often had difficulty using MLA style," but she did not offer an explanation as to why (Jones 199).
Long Quotations I NT R O D UCTION
The Modern Language Association (MLA) reference style is widely used in the humanities. In MLA style, you should first briefly credit sources with parenthetical citations in the text of your paper, and then include a complete citation to each source in works-cited list at the end of your paper. For additional information and examples, consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (available at the Reference Desk on Level 3 of the Main Library) or Ask a Librarian.
Place long direct quotations (more than four lines) in a block. Omit quotation marks. For example: Jones's study found the following: Students often had difficulty using MLA style, especially when it was their first time citing sources. This difficulty could be attributed to the fact that many students failed to purchase a style manual or to ask their teacher for help. (199)
T HE
L I ST
O F
W O RKS
CI T E D
Provide specific information to each source cited in preparing your research paper, such as author, title, and publication information, in “Works Cited” list.
BOOKS Last, First M. Title of Book. City Published: Publisher, Year. Format of Material. (Date of Access).
For an ebook
[A Book by One Author] (MLA 5.5.2) Flatley, Jonathan. Affective Mapping: Melancholia and the Politics of Modernism. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2008. Print.
[A Book by Two or Three Authors] (MLA 5.5.4) Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. The Craft of Research. 2nd ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2003. Print.
[A Book by More Than Three Authors] (MLA 5.5.4) Plag, Ingo, et al. Introduction to English Linguistics. Berlin: Mouton, 2007. Print.
[A Book with an Editor] (MLA 5.5.3)
Summary or Paraphrase If you are summarizing or paraphrasing an idea from another work, indicate the source by the author and the page number(s) in your parentheses. For example: According to Jones, MLA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners (199).
E b e r l e , Rox a n n e , e d . W o m e n a n d R o m a n t i c i s m , 1790-1830. London: Routledge, 2006. Print. Note: To cite a book with two editors, use “eds.”
[A Book Chapter] (MLA 5.5.6) Bromwich, David. "Literature and Theory." Beyond Poststructuralism: The Speculations of Theory and the Experience of Reading. Ed. Wendell V. Harris. University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 1996. 203-33. Print.
[An eBook] (MLA 5.6.2c) Hart, Kylo-Patrick R., ed. Film and Television Stardom. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars, 2008. MyiLibrary. Web. 16 Dec. 2009.
Hong Kong Baptist University Library
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PERIODICAL ARTICLES When citing an article from a full-text database such as EBSCOHost or ProQuest, provide the information about the original print article, and add information identifying the online database and the date of access. [A Magazine Article] (MLA 5.4.6 and 5.6.4) Last, First M. “Title of Article.” Title of Magazine Date: Page(s). Format of Material. Bartiromo, Maria. "Is China Leading a Global Recovery?" Business Week 10 Aug. 2009: 11-13. Print. Baird, Julia. "Privacy, a Forgotten Virtue: Tiger Is an Athlete, Not a Politician." Newsweek 14 Dec. 2009: n. pag. ABI/INFORM Global. Web. 16 Dec. 2009. Note: A periodical article from an online database may not include page numbers. If pagination is not available, give “n. pag.” as in example for Baird.
[A Scholarly Journal Article] (MLA 5.4.2 and 5.6.4) Last, First M. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Year): Pages. Format of Material.
WEBSITES (MLA 5.6.1 – 5.6.3) Contributors. “Title of Web Page.” Title of Overall Website. Website Publisher, Date. Web. Date of Access. Chen, Stephanie. "Growing up is Hard with Mom in Prison." CNN.com. Cable News Network, 7 May 2009. Web. 16 Dec. 2009. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com. eHow, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2009. Covey, Martin. "Introduction to Time and Families." Michigan Family Review 13.1 (2009): 1-4. Web. 16 Dec. 2009. Lehrman, Lewis E. Lincoln at Peoria. Lincoln Institute, n.d. Web. 17 June 2009. "The Norwegian Pirate Whaling Fleet." Sea Shepherd. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, 2009. Web. 17 June 2009. . Note: 1. MLA no longer requires the use of a URL. However, if required by your instructor, include it in angled brackets < > at the end of citation. 2. Use “n.p.” if no publisher is available. 3. Use “n.d.” if no publishing date is given.
Quincy, Bérnard. "Plato and Shakespeare on Love." History of Philosophy Quarterly 26.2 (2009): 103-20. Print. Butte, G. "Henry James and Deep Intersubjectivity." The Henry James Review 30.2 (2009): 129-143. Academic Research Library. Web. 16 Dec. 2009.
[Television/Radio Program] (MLA 5.7.1) “Title of Episode.” Contributors. Title of Program. Network. Call Letter, City, Date. Medium. "The Saudi Experience." Prod. Mary Walsh. Sixty Minutes. CBS. WCBS, New York, 5 May 2009. Television.
[Sound Recording] (MLA 5.7.2) Contributors. “Song.” Album. Band. Manufacturer, Year. Medium.
MP3, CD etc.
Corgan, Billy, and Butch Vig. "Today." Siamese Dream. Smashing Pumpkins. Virgins Records America, 1993. CD.
[Film] (MLA 5.7.3) Title. Contributors. Distributor, Year of release. Medium viewed.
DVD, Film etc.
The Dark Knight. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, and Aaron Eckhart. Warner Bros., 2008. DVD.
[Musical Score] (MLA 5.7.5)
If given
Composer. Title. Year. City Published: Publisher, Year Published. Medium.
[A Newspaper Article] (MLA 5.4.5 and 5.6.4)
Beethoven, Ludwig van. Symphonies nos. 8 and 9. New York: Dover, 1989. Print.
Last, First M. “ Title of Article.” Title of Newspaper Date, edition: Page(s). Format of Material.
NON-PRINT MATERIALS
If any
Broder, John M. "Climate Deal Likely to Bear Big Price Tag." New York Times 9 Dec. 2009, late ed.: A1. Print. Yau, Elaine. "Fine-tuning Gives English a Boost as Teaching Medium." South China Morning Post 23 Nov. 2009: CITY2. WiseNews. Web. 16 Dec. 2009. Note: If an article starts on B1, skips B2, and runs on to B3, write only the first page number, followed by a plus sign: B1+. 3
For further assistance, please visit the Reference Desk or call 3411-7363 (Main Library), 3411-2714 (CML) or 3411-3170 (SMCL). The HKBU Library’s homepage is . 4
REF/LL130/11-11/2000
Last updated: Nov 2011
