Common Formats for Documentation of Print-based Sources

 

            To determine what format “shorthand” is appropriate for the Works Cited entries, use the following categories to find the formats closest to the sources you have selected.

 

1.      Book(s) by one author  

 

Garreau, Joel. Edge City:  Life on the New Frontier. New York:  Doubleday, 1991.

“Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Garreau 22).

 

Note:  If two selections in the same Works Cited list are by the same author, note formats:

 

 

Garreau, Joel. Edge City:  Life on the New Frontier. New York:  Doubleday, 1991.

 

- - -.  The Nine Nations of North America. Boston:  Houghton, 1981.

 

“Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Garreau, Edge 22).

 

“Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Garreau, The Nine 65).

 

 

2.      Book by two authors

 

Fulwiler, Toby J., Jr., and Alan Hayakawa.  The Blair Handbook. Boston: Blair-Prentice, 1994.

 “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Fulwiler and Hayakawa 24).

           

3.      Book by three or more authors

 

Britton, James, et al. The Development of Writing Abilities (11-18).  London: MacMillan Education, 1975.

“Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Britton et al 45).

 

Note:  MLA grants the writer an option to list all authors in Works Cited list OR use “et al.”  Use also for books, periodicals, website essays where more than two authors exist.

 

4.      Book by a corporation, organization, etc.

 

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Boating Skills and Seamanship.  Washington,

                DC: Coast Guard Auxiliary National Board, 1988.

 

           “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary 56).

 

5.      Revised edition of a book

Hayakawa, S. I. Language in Thought and Action, 4th ed. New York:

                                           Harcourt, 1978.

 

                        “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Hayakawa 33).

 

6.      Book with an editor

Hall, Donald, ed.  The Oxford Book of American Literary Anecdotes.  New

York: Oxford UP, 1981.

 

                             “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Hall 113).

 

7.            Book in more than one volume

Blotner, Joseph.  Faulkner: A Biography. 2 vols. New York: Random, 1974.

 

                       “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Blotner 2: 1346).

 

8.      Multivolume works and volume series

Churchill, Winston S. Triumph and Tragedy. Boston: Houghton, 1953. Vol. 6

                      of The Second World War. 6 vols. 1948-53.

 

         “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Churchill 1306).

9.  Introduction, foreword, preface, and afterword

Holroyd, Michael. Preface. The Naked Civil Servant. By Quentin Crisp. New

     York: Plume-NAL, 1983.

 

    “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Holroyd x).

 

10.  Articles from an anthology or collection

Hemingway, Ernest. “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.” Literature, Reading and

     Writing the Human Experience.  Shorter 7th ed. Eds. Richard

     Abcarian and Marvin Klotz.  Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000.

     92-95.

 

    “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Hemingway 92).

Note:  When you refer to more than one piece from the same anthology, the anthology and individual cross references for each piece are added to the Works Cited list:

 

Abcarian, Richard, and Marvin Klotz, eds. Literature, Reading and

Writing The Human Experience.  Shorter 7th ed.  Boston:

Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2000.

 

“Blah, blah, blah” (Abcarian and Klotz 16).

 

Hemingway, Ernest. “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.” Abcarian and Klotz.

92-95.

Hughes, Langston. “Harlem.” Abcarian and Klotz. 328.

 

 “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Hemingway 92).

 

 “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Hughes 328).


11.  Articles in a reference book

 “Suicide.” The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia. 1983 ed.

 

           “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (“Suicide” 234).

 

Miller, Peter L. “The Power of Flight.” The Encyclopedia of Insects. Ed.

Christopher O’Toole.  New York: Facts on File. 18-19.

 

“Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Miller 19).

 

12.  Government document

United States. Cong. House. Committee on the Judiciary.  Immigration
and Nationality Act with Amendments and Notes on Related Laws. 

7th ed. Washington: GPO, 1980.

 

“Blah, blah, blah, blah” (United States 57).

 

13.  Articles in periodicals

Barringer, Felicity. “Where Many Elderly Live, Signs of the Future.” New

York Times  7 Mar. 1993, nat. ed., A12.

 

                          “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Barringer).

 

Note:  MLA suggests where an article is only one page (as above), the parenthetical reference needs no page number.

 

“Infant Mortality Down; Race Disparity Widens.” Washington Post  12

      Mar. 1993: A12.

 

 “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (“Infant”).

 

Note:  When an article has no author (as above), use a word or two of the title as the reference, and include Quotation marks around them.

 

14.  Article from a scholarly journal paginated by volume

Harris, Joseph.  “The Other Reader.” Journal of Advanced Composition

12 (1992): 34-36.

 

 “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Harris 34).

 

15.  Article in a scholarly journal paginated by issue

Lofty, John. “The Politics at Modernism’s Funeral.” Canadian Journal of

Political And Social Theory 6.3 (1987): 89-96.

 

“Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Lofty 90).

 

16.  Article in a weekly magazine

Van Biema, David.  “Parodies Regained.” Time 21 Mar. 1994: 46.

“Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Van Biema).

 

17.  Article in a newspaper, signed and unsigned

Martin, Claire.  “Primary Care System Under Attack.” Denver Post 3 Jan.

2000: F1+.

 

“Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Martin).

 

“The Odds of  March.” Time 15 Apr. 1985: 20+.

 

“Blah, blah, blah, blah” (“The Odds”).

 

Note: A + next to a page number indicates a small continuation of the article on a page not in numerical sequence.

 

18.  A Review

Solinger, Rickie.  “Unsafe for Women.” Rev. of  Next Time, She’ll Be Dead:

Battering and How to Stop It. By Ann Jones.  New York Times

Book Review 20 Mar. 1994: 16.

 

“Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Solinger).

 

19.  An Editorial

“Price Support Goes South.”  Editorial.  Burlington Free Press 5 June

1990: A10.

 

 “Blah, blah, blah, blah” (“Price”).

 

20.  Letter to the editor

Kempthorne, Charles. Letter.  Kansas City Star 26 July 1992: A16.

 

“Blah, blah, blah, blah” (Kempthorne).

MLA Documentation Guidelines
English Department

Page maintained by : Marla DeSoto
Last edited: 4/4/2006