Introduction
The new (2009) MLA Seventh Edition has important differences from the Sixth Edition upon which this page is based. Be sure you know which your instructor wishes you to use.
When preparing a research paper in MLA style, you need to create a Works Cited list at the end of the paper. The MLA has created a different format for each type of book, article, and almost every other conceivable source.
The example below shows the different styles for the same magazine article in three different formats: in print, online through a library database, and online from a Web site.
Example information of a monthly magazine article from EBSCOhost:
Will human aging be postponed? By: Rose, Michael R.; M. R. R.. Scientific American, Jun2004 Special Edition, Vol. 14 Issue 3, p24, 6p, 1 diagram, 3 graphs, 4c; (AN 13256918) Notes: This title is held locally; HTML Full Text
This article happens to be available both in print ‘locally’ at the CBC Library and online in ‘HTML Full Text’ in EBSCOhost.
1. Follow the basic MLA format for a monthly magazine in print if you choose to read the print version (note that for magazine and newspaper articles you do not cite the volume and issue numbers):
Author’s name. “Title of the Article.” Name of the Periodical Date of publication: page numbers.
Example citation of a print article
Rose, Michael R. “Will Human Aging Be Postponed?” Scientific American June 2004: 24-29.
2. Add information about the library database at the end of the citation if you chose to read the electronic copy of the magazine article (full text) from EBSCO:
Author’s name. “Title of the Article.” Name of the Periodical Date of publication: page numbers. Database name. Name of the service. Name of the library, city, and state. Date of access <URL of the service’s home page if known>.
Example citation of a monthly magazine article from a library database:
Rose, Michael R. “Will Human Aging Be Postponed?” Scientific American June 2004: 24- . Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Columbia Basin Coll. Lib., Pasco, WA. 24 Feb. 2005 <http://search.ebscohost.com>.
3. Follow the basic format for an Internet document if you read the same article on the magazine's own Web site, Author’s name. “Title of the Document.” Information about print publication if available.
Title of the Web site. Date of the latest update of the site. Site sponsor(if not cited earlier). Date of access <URL>.
Example citation of a Web article
Rose, Michael R. “Will Human Aging Be Postponed?” Scientific American June 2004. Scientific American.com. 2004. 10 June 2004 <http://www.sciam.com/>.
Basic MLA format for a scholarly journal (note that you include the volume and issue numbers. “25.2” signifies volume 25, issue 2. Then give the year of publication in parentheses.):
Author’s name. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title Volume.Issue (Year of publication): page numbers. Database name. Name of the service. Name of the library, city, and state. Date of access <URL>.
Example citation of a scholarly journal article (EBSCOhost gives the total number of pages but not the ending page number, just cite the starting page number, a hyphen, a space, and period for any article over one page):
Ottenheimer, Harriet. "Changing Institutional Culture: Ethnic Studies in the Monocultural Midwest." Kansas Quarterly 25.2 (2004): 121- . Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Columbia Basin Coll. Lib., Pasco, WA. 7 Apr. 2005 <http://search.ebscohost.com>.
NOTE: EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier and ProQuest are databases that contains journal articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles, editorials, book reviews, etc. Please choose the appropriate formats for different types of articles.
WARNING: Many of our databases now offer an automatic citation creation feature. These can save you some work, but you must check the citations carefully – they don’t always get it entirely right.
- Be sure the author is last name first.
- Check titles – it should capitalize only the first letter of each principal word.
- Most importantly, make sure it didn’t use the scholarly journal form (volume.number – i.e. 47.2) when it should show a magazine form (day mon. year – i.e. 7 Apr. 1998).
More Example MLA Citations from CBC Library’s Online Databases:
ProQuest: given below are examples from a magazine and newspaper, requiring you to use a date, not the volume and issue numbers even if they are listed. You abbreviate the month, except for May, June, and July. If you don’t have the name of an individual database, just identify the service (ProQuest).
Monthly Magazine
Mitchell, E. Mark. "Numerous Citations." Analog Science Fiction & Fact Jan.-Feb. 2007: 149-183. Humanities Module. ProQuest. Columbia Basin Coll. Lib., Pasco, WA. 6 Dec. 2006 <http://proquest.umi.com/login>.
Daily Newspaper
Pesznecker, Scott. "Thousands Caught in Speed Trap." Herald [Everett] 16 Nov. 2006: 1. Washington State Newsstand. ProQuest. Columbia Basin Coll. Lib., Pasco, WA. 6 Dec. 2006 <http://proquest.umi.com/login>.
CQ Researcher (weekly magazine): Each issue of the CQ Researcher is devoted to a particular topic, so the issue title is underlined. If citing a section, give the author (if listed) and the section/article title in quotes before the issue title.
Clark, Charles S. The FBI Under Fire. CQ Researcher. 11 Apr. 1997. 26 Oct. 2001 <http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher>.
FACTS.com: this service offers two main databases. Facts on File World News Digest holds mostly articles from the print publication (a weekly magazine) of the same name, requiring you to cite both the print title and the database. Issues & Controversies in American History is published exclusively online, so only the database name is included.
"Awards: Wallace Stevens Award." Facts On File World News Digest 21 Sept. 2006. Facts On File World News Digest @ FACTS.com. Facts On File News Services. 6 Dec. 2006 <http://www.2facts.com>.
Hill, Raymond P. "Scopes Trial." Issues & Controversies in American History @ FACTS.com. 31 Mar. 2006. Facts On File News Services. 6 Dec. 2006 <http://www.2facts.com>.
Gale Databases: We receive a customized package of reference databases from Gale, so citations must include the library name, as with EBSCOhost and ProQuest.
Polk, James. “American Odyssey.” New York Times Book Review 13 July 1997: 14. Contemporary Literary Criticism Select. Gale. Columbia Basin Coll. Lib., Pasco, WA. 9 May 2000 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com>.
netLibrary: netLibrary provides an electronic copy of the book, including page numbers as they appeared in the original. The copy is transcribed, however, so information regarding the database must be included in your citation.
Long, Judy A. Legal Research Using The Internet. Albany, N.Y. : Delmar Health Care Publishing, 2000. NetLibrary. Columbia Basin Coll. Lib., Pasco, WA. 26 Oct. 2001 <http://www.netlibrary.com>.
Oxford Reference Online Premium provides both signed and unsigned articles in reference books. Unsigned articles are listed without the author, and familiar reference books don’t require full publication info, only edition and year.
Unsigned /Familiar
"Schizophrenia." The Concise Oxford English Dictionary. 11th ed. 2006. Oxford Reference Online Premium. 6 Dec. 2006 <http://www.oxfordreference.com>.
Signed/Less Familiar
Colman, Andrew M. "Schizophrenia." A Dictionary of Psychology. Oxford UP, 2006. Oxford Reference Online Premium. 6 Dec. 2006 <http://www.oxfordreference.com>.
Additional Resources: