MLA Citation: Works Cited

For ONE author list the author’s last name, followed by a comma and the given name(s) as shown in the work. 

EXAMPLE:

Creese, Gillian Laura.

For TWO authors, put them in the order in which they appear in the work. Begin the entry with the last name of the first author, followed by a comma and the given name(s). Follow this with a comma, the word and, and then write the second name in normal order. 

EXAMPLE:

Tellis, Gerard J., and Tim Ambler.

For MORE THAN TWO authors, list the first author as described above, and follow it with a comma and the words et al. (meaning "and others")

EXAMPLE:

Gilbert, David G., et al.

If there is NO author, skip the author element, and start the citation with the title

EXAMPLE:

Beowulf.

Note: the term author is used loosely. It refers to any main person(s) of a source, such as: editor(s), creator(s), director(s), performer(s), translator(s), etc. Add the respective word after the name(s), separated by a comma. Example:

Green, William A., and Tom B. Moss, editors.

Note: An author can also be an organization, association, company or government. No additional descriptive word is needed. Example:

Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

The title identifies the work, and you must ALWAYS include this element in a citation.

Titles are given in full as they appear in the source. If there is a subtitle, it follows after the main title, separated by a colon and a space. Capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and all principal words (for more details on capitalization and punctuation see MLA 1.2.1).

Italicize titles of sources that are independent and self-contained, such as books, journals/magazines/newspapers, websites, movies, a TV series, a CD, etc.

EXAMPLE PRINT BOOK:

Creese, Gillian Laura. The New African Diaspora in Vancouver: Migration, Exclusion, and Belonging. U of Toronto P, 2011.

Place the “title in quotation marks” if a source is part of a larger work, such as a chapter in a collection of works, an article in a journal/magazine/newspaper, a posting on a website, an episode of a TV series, a song on an album, etc.

EXAMPLE PRINT ARTICLE:

Commito, Mike, and Ben Bradley. “Beyond Winnie.” Canada's History, Feb.-Mar. 2017, pp. 40-45.

If there is no title, give a generic description of the source in normal typescript (i.e. neither italicized nor enclosed in quotation marks). Capitalize proper nouns (MLA, p. 29)

EXAMPLE PHOTOGRAPH:

Couleur. Photograph of a young Polar Bear. Pixabay, 2017, pixabay.com/en/polar-bear-predator-animal-white-1888038/.

For emails, use the subject line as the title (use standardized capitalization), for short untitled messages (tweets, etc.), use the whole message as the title (capitalize as it appears).  (MLA, p. 29)

EXAMPLES: 

Sanderson, William M. “Re: Workshop Ideas.” Received by Miriam Willis, 10 June 2013. 

A source may be part of a larger whole, in which case this larger whole is a container. The title of a container is italicized

EXAMPLES:

Frideres, James. “Aboriginal Identity in the Canadian Context.” The Canadian Journal of Native Studies,, vol. 28, no. 3, 2009, pp. 313-342.

Note: a container can also be contained within another container.

EXAMPLES:

Good for Grapes. "Skipping Stone." Man on the Page, Pheromone, 2013. SoundCloud, soundcloud.com/good-for-grapes/skipping-stone

Note: a website is NOT ALWAYS a container. It is a container when it is the platform of publication for the particular version of the work you consult.

EXAMPLES:

This refers to other people who were involved with the work in addition to the author/main person(s), such as a director, an editor, an illustrator, a narrator, performer, translator, etc. Include the one(s) most relevant to your project. Precede the contributor(s) with a description of the role, such as: adapted by, directed by, edited by, illustrated by, narrated by, performed by, translated by, general editor.

EXAMPLE PRINT BOOK:

EXAMPLE SERIES EPISODE (various options possible, depending on emphasis): 

If a source indicates that it is a different version from the original, identify the version, such as:

• descriptive editions: rev. ed. (revised edition), expanded ed., updated ed., etc.
• numbered edition: 2nd ed., 3rd ed., 4th ed., etc.
• other versions: unabridged version, version 1.2, director's cut, etc. 

EXAMPLE PRINT BOOK:

A source may be part of a numbered sequence. This core element refers to volume numbers in books, volume and issue numbers in journals, seasons and episodes in television series, etc.

EXAMPLE PRINT BOOK: 

EXAMPLE PRINT ARTICLE: 

EXAMPLE SERIES EPISODE: 

The publisher is the organization responsible for making the source available to the public. Cite only the main publisher, but if two or more organizations are equally responsible for publication, cite each of them, separating the names with a forward slash /. Write publishers’ names in full, but omit words and abbreviations like Company (Co.), Corporation (Corp.), Incorporated (Inc.), and Limited (Ltd.). For academic institutions, abbreviate university with U and press with P.

EXAMPLE PRINT BOOK: 

EXAMPLE SERIES EPISODE: 

EXAMPLE WEBSITE: 

Generally, give the date as detailed as given in your source. Names of months that are longer than four letters, are abbreviated.  If a source shows more than one date, cite the most relevant one. If there is no date, give your best estimate in square brackets with a ?, for example: [2018?]

EXAMPLE PRINT BOOK: 

EXAMPLE MAGAZINE ARTICLE: 

EXAMPLE SERIES EPISODE: 

EXAMPLE TWEET: 

The location of your source depends on the medium of publication. In print sources, it is generally a page number/range of page numbers. In an online only source it is the DOI or URL. In a nested container, you may have two locations (one per container). Copy URLs in full, but omit http:// or https://

EXAMPLE PRINT ARTICLE: 

EXAMPLE ONLINE ARTICLE (not from a database): 

EXAMPLE ONLINE ARTICLE (from a database, no DOI): 

EXAMPLE ONLINE ARTICLE (from a database, with DOI):