MLA Rules for Documentation

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SHS Media Center MLA Quick Tips

Author. “Title of article.” Title of Container (title of book, website, publication, etc.), Supplemental contributors (such as editor), Version (edition), Number (volume/issue), Publisher, Publication date, Location (page numbers). Name of database, URL. Date Accessed. 

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Citing a Book

Author. “Title of Chapter.” Title of Book, Editor, Edition, Publisher, Publication year, Page numbers. ebook platform, URL.

  • Always include: title of book, publisher, publication year
  • Whole book
    • Cohen, Jon. Shots in the Dark. W. W. Norton & Company, 2001.
  • Article or chapter 
    • Nichols, Roy F. “Election of 1856.” History of American Presidential  Elections, edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger, vol. 3. Chelsea House Publishers, 2002, pp. 1007 - 63. 
  • Reference eBook
    • "Fourteenth Amendment To The U.S. Constitution." Defining Documents in American History: Capital Punishment, edited by David Simonelli, Salem Press, 2019. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=DDCapital_0007.

 

Citing Article on a Website Or Encyclopedia Database 

Author. “Title of Article.” Title of Website, Publisher (if different from website name), Publication date, URL. Date accessed.

  • Always include: title of website, date accessed, and publication date (if not found could affect credibility)
  • Website: 
    • Métraux, Julia. “Why Mystery Fiction is So Engaging.” JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2021, https://daily.jstor.org/why-mystery-fiction-is-so-engaging. Accessed 27 Oct. 2021.
  • Encyclopedia Database:
    • Includes: Britannica, ABC-CLIO, or Infobase
    • Copy from the database. 
    • "The Dream of Equality." American History, ABC-CLIO, 2021, https://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1187586?cid=41&sid=1187586. Accessed 28 Oct. 2021.

 

Citing an Article from an Article Database

Author. “Title of article.” Title of original publication, Volume and issue, Publisher, Publication Date, Page numbers. Title of Database, URL.  Date accessed. 

  • Always include: title of article, title of original publication, publisher, publication date, title of database, URL, and date accessed. 
  • Includes: Gale, JSTOR, PubMed, etc. 
  • Copy from the database 
  • Example 
    • "Research provides clear evidence of human-caused climate change." Oceanus, vol. 59, no. 2, winter 2024, p. 3. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A820017502/OVIC?u=mlin_c_shrewhs&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=f805f732. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.

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