Citing Sources: APA, MLA & Chicago Styles

When using outside sources or others’ ideas to strengthen an argument in your paper, you must give the author(s) credit to avoid any charges of plagiarism (see John Jay College’s policy on Academic Integrity).

MLA (Modern Language Association) is one style of formatting citations for outside sources for BOTH your Works Cited page (list of your sources at the end of your paper) and in-text citations (references, within the body of your paper, that refer to a specific source you have listed on your Works Cited page).

This guide provides citation examples to the most common sources.  Use the tabs on the left for help with formatting your paper, citing different types of source and creating in-text citations.

If you need more guidance, contact your instructor, a Lloyd Sealy librarian or the John Jay Writing Center.

MLA 9th edition is the most current edition of the Modern Language Association's style guide.  There are some changes from the 8th edition style guide, so please make sure to ask your professor what MLA edition they require.

Print copies of the MLA Handbook 9th edition may be found both by request at the Reference Desk (2nd floor) and on Reserve (1st floor) under the call number LB2369 .M52 2021.

MLA's Style Center is a MLA's homepage for information on formatting research papers, as well as creating works cited and in-text citations. Their site also provides helpful Citations by Format examples.

If your professor is requesting you use MLA style, please ask if MLA 8 or MLA 9. 

Click below to see our MLA Handouts:

MLA 9           

MLA 8

This libguide for MLA 9 (the most current MLA style) is in process. Feel free to consult other MLA 9 Style sources below for information not found in this guide: 

MLA's Style Center is a MLA's homepage for information on formatting research papers, as well as creating works cited and in-text citations. Their site also provides helpful Citations by Format examples.

MLA (9th ed.) Citation Style (Douglas College Library)

MLA Style (Excelsior Online Writing Lab)

MLA Formatting and Style Guide (Purdue Online Writing Lab)

Many databases now create a citation for you.  Watch our video, How to Use Citation Tools in Databases and read the screen carefully in each database to locate the citation tool.  ALWAYS check the database citation for errors by checking it against our Library citation guides--learn how by watching our video Creating Flawless Citations.

For further assistance, contact a John Jay librarian or the John Jay Writing Center.

MLA 9 sets rules and standards for formatting writing projects such as research papers and essays.  Here are some online sources that provide an easy to understand guide for spacing, indenting, headings, etc. in MLA 9 format:

MLA's Introduction to Formatting Your Research Project

View sample papers directly from the MLA website: SAMPLE ESSAYS: Writing with MLA Style

MLA Formatting Guide, Excelsior Online Writing Lab (PowerPoint instructions).

MLA-9 Sample Paper, Liberty University (instructions for layout and formatting your paper MLA 9 style).

* List sources on separate page at end of your paper with title, Works Cited (centered)

* List sources alphabetically by author (last name or group/organization) OR title when there is no author (ignoring initial articles like "A," "An," or "The")

* Follow examples for citing different forms of sources using the tabs on the left side of this guide

* Double space throughout

* Format entries with a hanging indent

Here is a sample Works Cited page:

 

Quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing are three ways to incorporate outside sources into your paper. When incorporating external sources in the body of your paper you must include in-text citations to give credit to those sources.

In-text citations refer the reader to a particular source listed on your Works Cited page.  It, therefore, helps to first complete your Works Cited page--the alphabetical listing of all sources used in writing your paper.

Quoting

Quoting is reproducing text verbatim (exactly as written) from another source. You must include an in-text citation for direct quotes in order to give credit to the author/source.  The in-text citation should also refer the reader exactly to where in the source they may find the particular quote you've included. 

There are 2 different formats for incorporating quotations into your paper:

Short Quotations (no more than 4 lines in your paper): 

Incorporate the quote into the narrative of your text using quotation marks. MLA does not require the year of the publication you are citing.  Place the citation in parentheses without any punctuation inside and before the punctuation that ends the sentence.

When mentioning an author by name: add the page number where the quote can be found either after the author's name or at the end of the sentence after the end quotation mark but before the period:

According to Geppert (116), "it is imperative that development economists extend their research beyond purely economic factors and focus their attention on creating more inclusive, and hence more accurate, measures of development and national well-being." 

According to Geppert, "it is imperative that development economists extend their research beyond purely economic factors and focus their attention on creating more inclusive, and hence more accurate, measures of development and national well-being" (116).

Quote without mentioning an author by name: provide the author's name and page number within parentheses without any punctuation before the punctuation that ends the sentence:

According to some, "it is imperative that development economists extend their research beyond purely economic factors and focus their attention on creating more inclusive, and hence more accurate, measures of development and national well-being" (Geppert 116).

When your work has no author (Works Cited entry begins with the title of the work) provide a shortened version of the title beginning with the first word, ignoring initial articles such as the, an, a.

In ancient Egypt, black pigment “was the best-known form of makeup…used by people of all classes” (Egyptian 39).

When the author has more than one work in your Works Cited page, add a shortened version of the title (NOT date) to distinguish the work.

We must remember that "culture is public because meaning is" (Geertz Interpretation 12).

Long or Block Quotations (quote that runs more than 4 lines in your paper): Separate the quote by creating a double-spaced indented block without quotation marks. Indent 5 spaces from the left margin. Place the in-text citation in parentheses after the author's name or at the end of the quote after the punctuation:

As Clifford Geertz reminds us:

From one point of view, that of the textbook, doing ethnography is establishing rapport, selecting informants, transcribing texts, taking genealogies, mapping fields, keeping a diary, and so on. But it is not these things, techniques and received procedures, that define the enterprise. What defines it is the kind of intellectual effort it is: an elaborate venture in, to borrow a notion from Gilbert Ryle, “thick description.” (Interpretation 6)

 

Paraphrasing and Summarizing

Paraphrasing is using your own words to present someone else's work/idea(s). Summarizing is stating the essence of another's idea(s). You need an in-text citation each time you paraphrase or summarize another's idea.  The citation refers the reader to that source listed on your Works Cited page and may include the specific page, chapter, section, etc. of the source being discussed.

Use quotation marks for original words or phrases that come directly from the author or source.

According to Zapf & Jung, “criminal responsibility” can be evaluated by referring to information from the defendant’s interview and forensic test results (340).

 

MLA citations often begin with an author(s) name.  An author is the primary creator(s) of the work you are citing.  An author may be a writer, painter, filmmaker, Instagram producer; an author may be an individual, group of individuals, or an organization or government agency.

Follow the examples below:  

Single author:  Format names of individual authors in reverse order (lastname, firstname), including any middle name and/or initials exactly as it is written in the work. 

Alibhai, Naznin

Flynn, Leisa Reinecke

Schutt, Russel K. 

2 authors: List authors in the order they are presented in the work.  Use a comma after the first author's name (written in reverse order) followed by the word "and" and the second author's name written in normal order (firstname lastname).

Bachman, Ronet D., and Russell K. Schutt.

Furnham, Adrian, and Naznin Alibhai.

3 or more authors: List the first author listed in the work (in reverse order) followed by a comma and the abbreviation for "and others," "et al."

Delong, Marilyn, et al.

Anderson, Judith L., et al.

MLA 9 defines specific rules for publishers names in a citation:

1. include Publishing or Publishers in publisher name (Blackwell Publishing)

2. omit Company (or Co.), Corporation (or Corp.), Incorporated (or Inc.) and Limited (or Ltd.)

3. abbreviate "\University Press with UP (Oxford University Press to Oxford UP) or U of P (State University of New York Press to State U of New York P)

4. change ampersand to "and" (Farrar & Rinehart changes to Farrar and Rinehart)

 

*Some examples directly from MLA Handbook*

Scholarship is becoming more and more available online.  Online academic sources are often assigned a DOI or "digital object identifier." A DOI is a unique alphanumeric string and persistent link to a permanent location on the internet. 

MLA recommends using online locations in the following order of preference:

1. DOIs: they remain fixed over a publication's lifetime where URLs (uniform resource locator) may change over time.

2. Permalinks: a stable, permanent or persistent URL.

3. URL (uniform resource locator): an online location to where a source can be found although this location can change.

 

Not every publication has a DOI but many databases do include them. You may also find DOIs online by viewing the publication's webpage or searching here: https://doi.crossref.org/simpleTextQuery 

DOIs may look like any of the following formats (“xxxxx” refers to the DOI number): 

https://doi.org/xxxxx

http:/dx.doi.org/xxxxx 

doi:xxxxx or DOI:xxxxx

Whatever version you find, MLA recommends using or converting the DOI to this format:

https://doi.org/xxxxx

Formating In-text Citations

See the Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing: Incorporating External Sources box in this guide for how to properly incorporate outside sources within the body of your paper.  For information and examples of how to cite parts of a source other than page numbers, see the box in this guide labeled Citing Sources without Page Numbers or consult the MLA Handbook 9th edition (at the Reference or Reserve Desk under the call number LB2369 .M52 2021) or the MLA Style Center's website Using MLA Format.

*Provide the date you accessed an online work if there is no publication date or if that site is likely to be revised or deleted.

**Use quotation marks when title appears in quotation marks in your Works Cited page citation.  Use italics when the title appears in italics in your Works Cited page citation.  You may shorten titles as long as your in-text citation clearly points to the correct source.

 

You may need an in-text citation for a source that does not have page numbers.  There are many types of sources without page numbers such as some ebooks, webpages, PowerPoint presentations, videos, recorded music, etc. 

Here are some common alternatives to identify a particular location/section of a source that does not have page numbers*:

paragraph(s): 

(Smith par. 17) OR (Smith pars. 2-13)

line(s) of a poem/speech:

(Smith line 57)  OR (Smith lines 23-24)

chapter(s): 

(Smith ch. 18) OR (Smith chs. 1-3)

video/audio source use the start and end timestamp:

(Dahl 00:03:49--00:5:13)  

PowerPoint sources use author's name and slide number(s):

(Smith slide 2)  OR  (Smith slides 3-5)

major heading: (Forward of a book): 

(Smith Forward)

 

*Please consult the MLA Handbook 9th edition (at the Reference or Reserve Desk under the call number LB2369 .M52 2021) or the MLA Style Center's website Using MLA Format  for additional abbreviations.

 See Works Cited: Basic Format, Author Format and Format for Publisher Name in this guide for additional information.  Include DOI if available.

  Author Lastname, Firstname Initial(s). Title of Book: Subtitle of Book. Publisher, Date, DOI. (if available)

  Single Author

Saunders, George. Pastoralia: Stories. Riverhead Books, 2000.

  Two Authors

Anaya, Rudolfo, and Antonio C. Márquez. Cuentos Chicanos: A Short Story Anthology. Rev. ed., University of New Mexico P, 1984.

  Three or More Authors

Adler, Freda, et al. Criminal Justice. McGraw-Hill, 1994.

  Group Author (include DOI if available for print books)

Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies. Library Standards for Adult Correctional Institutions. American Library Association, 1992.*

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5. 5^th ed., American Psychiatric Association, https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.104.**

  Additional Contributors

Weber, Max. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Translated by Talcott Parsons, Routledge, 1992. 

 

 * From MLA Style Center

** When an organization is both the author and publisher, skip naming them as an author and begin with the title.  Name the organization as publisher.

 

 See Works Cited: Basic Format, Author Format, Format for Publisher Name and DOIs and How to Find Them in this guide for additional information.  Include DOI if available. 

          MLA distinguishes between an electronic version of a book with a specific online location (DOI, URL or permalink such as to a specific database) AND an ebook version of a book read on or downloaded to a personal device (e-reader, app or computer) that requires specific software.

Author Lastname, Firstname Initial(s). Title of Book: Subtitle of Book. Publisher, Date. Location, DOI/Permalink/URL. (electronic location, if available.  See below when there's no online location available.)

  eBook with DOI (DOI, if available, is preferred over URL)

Thomas, Helen, and Jamiliah Ahmed, editors. Cultural Bodies: Ethnography and Theory. Blackwell Publishing, 2014. Wiley Online Library, https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470775837.

  eBook with Permalink (from database or website providing a permalink) 

Akou, Heather Marie. Politics of Dress in Somali Culture. Indiana UP, 2011. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/johnjay-ebooks/detail.action?docID=713686.

Haffner-Ginger, Bertha. California Mexican-Spanish Cook Book: Selected Mexican and Spanish Recipes. 1914. Project Gutenberg, 2012, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39586*

  eBook with URL (no DOI or Permalink, add accession date)

Saunders, George. Pastoralia: Stories. Riverhead Books, 2000. J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, http://ereserve.library.utah.edu/Annual/ENGL/2500/McCarty/engl2500pastoralia.pdf. Accessed 5 May 2023.**

   eBook without DOI, Permalink or URL (add "e-book ed." after a comma or "E-book ed." after a period to books that lack a specific online location or were published as an electronic book) 

 See Works Cited: Basic Format, Author Format, Format for Publisher Name and DOIs and How to Find Them in this guide for additional information.

  Editor Lastname, Firstname Initial(s)., editor(s). Title of Book: Subtitle of Book. 

          Publisher, Date. Location, DOI/Permalink/URL (if online).

  One Editor

Ellwood, David W., editor. Movies as History: Visions of the Twentieth Century. History Press, 2000.

  Two Editors

Boyd, C. Clifford, and Donna Boyd, editors. Forensic Anthropology : Theoretical Framework and Scientific Basis. John Wiley and Sons, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/johnjay-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5191222.

Bowers, Jane, and Judith Tick, editors. Women Making Music: The Western Art Tradition, 1150-1950. U of Illinois P, 1986.

  Three or More

Cullen, Francis T., et al., editors. Criminological Theory: Past to Present: Essential Readings. 7th ed., Oxford UP, 2022.

  Edited eBook with DOI

Thomas, Helen, and Jamiliah Ahmed, editors. Cultural Bodies: Ethnography and Theory. Blackwell Publishing, 2014. Wiley Online Library, https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470775837.

 See Works Cited: Basic Format, Author Format, Format for Publisher Name and DOIs and How to Find Them in this guide for additional information.

See Works Cited: Basic Format, Author Format, Format for Publisher Name and DOIs and How to Find Them in this guide for additional information.

Encyclopedia with Named Author:

     Author Lastname, Author Firstname. "Title of Entry." Encyclopedia Title, edited by Editor Firstname Lastname, vol. #(if multivolume), Publisher, Date, pp. xx-xxx. Location, URL/DOI/Permalink. (if online)

Collins, Elizabeth Fuller. "Tattooing and Piercing." Encyclopedia of Global Religion, edited by Mark Juergensmeyer and Wade Clark Roof, vol. 2, SAGE Reference, 2012, pp. 1265-1267. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX1958900692/GVRL?u=cuny_centraloff&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=f9671dee.

Speaks, Jeff. "Theories of Meaning."  The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N. Zalta, Stanford University, Winter 2019, https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2019/entries/meaning/. Accessed 5 May 2023.*

Encyclopedia with No Author

    "Title of Entry." Title of Encyclopedia, edited by Editor Firstname Editor Lastname, edition(if not first), vol. #(if multivolume), Publisher, Date, pp. xx-xx. Location, URL/DOI/Permalink. (if online)

"Egyptian Body Decorations." Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and  Footwear Through the Ages, edited by Sara Pendergast, et al., 2nd ed., vol. 1, The Ancient World, Gale, 2013, pp. 39-45. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2760000020/GVRL?u=cuny_johnjay&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=c4b3aa28. 

"New York." The Hispanic Databook: Detailed Profiles of States and 782 Places with Hispanic Population, including 23 Ethnic Backgrounds from Argentinean to Venezuelan, with Rankings and Comparisons of States, Counties and Places, 3rd ed., Grey House Publishing, 2013, pp. 741-744. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2715900596/GVRL?u=cuny_johnjay&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=12b412aa.

Individually Titled Volume

"Egyptian Body Decorations." Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and  Footwear Through the Ages, edited by Sara Pendergast, et al., 2nd ed., vol. 1, The Ancient World, Gale, 2013, pp. 39-45. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2760000020/GVRL?u=cuny_johnjay&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=c4b3aa28. 

St. George, Joyce, and Francis P. Canavan. "Crisis Intervention." Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement, edited by Larry E. Sullivan, et al., vol. 1, State and Local, SAGE Reference, 2005, pp. 122-125.

Wikipedia: (date of last revision at bottom of page)

    "Title of Entry." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Date page last modified, URL. Date Accessed.*

"Eyewitness Testimony." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, 17 June 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyewitness_testimony. Accessed 26 July 2024.

"Folk Music." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, 3 July 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_music. Accessed 26 July 2024.

Dictionary:

     PRINT: "Title of Entry." Title of Dictionary, Publisher, Date Published, p. xx.   

"Goat." Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed., Merriam-Webster, 1977, pp. 499-500.

      ONLINE:  "Title of Entry." Title of Dictionary, Publisher, Date (published or last revised/updated), URL.  

"Phobic Avoidance." APA Dictionary of Psychology. American Psychological Association, 19 Apr. 2018, https://dictionary.apa.org/phobic-avoidance.

 

* Although access dates are not required, MLA suggests adding the date you viewed an online source if it lacks a permanent location (DOI or permalink), there is no publication date, the site may change or be revised frequently or perhaps may be deleted. 

See Works Cited: Basic Format, Author Format, Abbreviations for Months of the Year and DOIs and How to Find Them in this guide for additional information.

Author Lastname, Firstname, Initial(s). "Title of Article: Subtitle of Article." Title of Journal, vol. #, no. #, Date, pp. x-xx. Location (database name or website w/o DOI), DOI/URL/Permalink (if online).

Print Article:

Lawson, Nicole. "It’s a Man’s Prison: How the Traditional Incarceration Model Fails Female Offenders in Kansas." Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy, vol. 25, no. 2, spring 2016, pp. 273–288.*

  Article from a Database: (add database name, use DOI if available, if not use the permalink)

Laitala, Kirsi, and Ingun Grimstad Klepp. "Motivations For and Against Second-Hand Clothing Acquisition." Clothing Cultures, vol. 5, no. 2, June 2018, pp. 247-262. Gale OneFile: Contemporary Women's Issues, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A561511709/CWI?u=cuny_johnjay&sid=bookmark-CWI&xid=b8d57d1f.

Ramos, Aida I., et al. “The Strategic Practice of ‘Fiesta’ in a Latino Protestant Church: Religious Racialization and the Performance of Ethnic Identity.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, vol. 59, no. 1, Mar. 2020, pp. 161–79. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ez.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/10.1111/jssr.12646.

Article from an Online Journal:

Abraham, Martin, et al. "Gender Differences in Willingness to Move for Interregional Job Offers. Demographic Research, vol., 40, no. 53, 2019, pp. 537-1602, https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2019.40.53.

PDF of an Online Article: (with a DOI)

Geppert, Katharina. "Does Money Buy Happiness? A Cross-Country Look at the Relationship Between Income and Happiness. Issues in Political Economy, vol. 28, no. 2, Sept. 2019, pp. 102–121. https://blogs.elon.edu/wp-content/blogs.dir/456/files/2021/02/v28-2-Geppert-2019.pdf. PDF download. Accessed 5 May 2024.**

Article in Special Issue of Journal:

Young, Allison. "From Object to Encounter: Aesthetic Politics and Visual Criminology." Visual Culture and the Iconography of Crime and Punishment, special issue of Theoretical Criminology, edited by Michelle Brown and Eamonn Carrabine, vol. 18, no. 2, May 2014, pp. 159-175. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362480613518228.

 

*According to MLA9, seasons, when part of the publication date, appear lowercase.

** Access date given because the source is a blog and thus, the online location may change or article may be deleted.

See Works Cited: Basic Format, Author Format, and Abbreviations for Months of the Year in this guide for additional information.

 Author Lastname, Firstname, Initial(s). "Article Title." Magazine Title, vol. #, 

           no. #, Date, pp. xx-xxx. Location (if database or website), Permalink/URL. (if online)

There may be different versions of the same article: online and in print.  These versions may differ in title and date of publication.  Provide all relevant information for the specific version you actually viewed: provide or exclude date, volume/issue numbers, and page numbers as available.

 Two different versions of the same article: one published online, the other in print (from a database)*

Gregory, Sean.  "'Without Empathy, Nothing Works.’ Chef Jose Andres Wants to Feed the World Through the Pandemic." Time, 26 March 2020, https://time.com/5810564/without-empathy-nothing-works-chef-jose-andres-wants-to-feed-the-world-through-the-pandemic/.

Gregory, Sean. “A Chef’s Mission: In the Community Formed by Catastrophe, Jose Andres Sees a Way to Serve." Time, vol. 195, no. 12/13, 6-13 Apr. 2020, pp. 68–75. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=142419636&site=ehost-live.

  Article in Print:

Shell, Ellen Ruppel. "Obesity on the Brain." Scientific American, vol. 321, no. 4, pp. 38-45.

  Article from a Database:

Crabapple, Molly. “How the Taxi Workers Won.” Nation, vol. 313, no. 13, Dec. 2021, pp. 14–25. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=154065372&site=ehost-live.

  Online Article without Volume/Issue and Page Numbers:

Austen, Ben. "Peace Officers." New Republic, 21 June 2018,  https://newrepublic.com/article/148854/peaceofficers. 

Gregory, Sean.  "'Without Empathy, Nothing Works.’ Chef Jose Andres Wants to Feed the World Through the Pandemic." Time, 26 March 2020, https://time.com/5810564/without-empathy-nothing-works-chef-jose-andres-wants-to-feed-the-world-through-the-pandemic/.

 

*This article was published online before it was released in print.

See Works Cited: Basic Format, Author Format, and Abbreviations for Months of the Year in this guide for additional information.

There may be different versions of a newspaper article: online and in print.  These versions may differ in title or publication date.  Provide all relevant information for the specific version you actually viewed: provide or exclude date, volume/issue numbers, and page numbers as available.

Author Lastname, Firstname, Initial(s). "Article Title." Newspaper Title, vol. #, no. #, Date, pp. xx-xxx. Location, Permalink/URL. (if online)

Two different versions of the same article: first one published online, second in print (from a database):

Johnson, Carolyn Y. "Excessive Brain Activity Linked to a Shorter Life." The Washington Post, 16 Oct. 2019. Gale OneFile: News, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A602898820/STND?u=cuny_johnjay&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=09afaa49.

Johnson, Carolyn Y.  "'Use it or Lose it?' Study Links Excessive Brain Activity to Shortened Life. The Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2019, p. A3. 

  Article in Print:

Johnson, Carolyn Y.  "'Use It or Lose It?' Study Links Excessive Brain Activity to Shortened Life. The Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2019, p. A3. 

  Article from Database: (with original publication information provided)

Ahuja, Anjana. "Use It or Lose It: How Crosswords Can Beat Alzheimer's." Times [London], 1 Feb. 2005, p. 5. GaleOneFile: News, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A127998074/STND?u=cuny_johnjay&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=0dbbf7bd.*

Online Article: (with original publication information provided)

Hilts, Philip J. "In Forecasting Their Emotions, Most People Flunk Out." The New York Times, 16 Feb. 1999, p. F2. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/16/science/in-forecasting-their-emotions-most-people-flunk-out.html. 

Online Article: (without page numbers and with special contributor)

Wilson, Korsha. "A Family Reunion Menu Over 150 Years in the Making." Photographs by Andrew Cenci. The New York Times, 5 Aug. 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/05/dining/kentucky-family-reunion-menu.html

  Editorial or Opinion Piece: (no need to specify "Editorial" if author is stated as Editorial Board)

Appelbaum, Binyamin, and Peter Coy. "Why Is Everyone So Grumpy?" The New York Times, 23 Nov. 2023. Op-ed. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/23/opinion/bidenomics-inflation.html.

Editorial Board. "A Way Back From Campus Chaos." The New York Times, 11 May 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/11/opinion/campus-protests.html.

“It’s Subpoena Time.” The New York Times, late ed., 8 June 2007, p. A28. Editorial.**

 

* Add location in brackets (without italics) if not stated in newspaper's title.

** From MLA Style Center

See Works Cited: Basic Format, Author Format, and Abbreviations for Months of the Year in this guide for additional information.

This is the format for websites or a page on a website.  Use other formats in this guide such as books, journal/magazine articles and/or audiovisual material, etc. for those types of sources that are available online.

Read “About Us” section for author and publisher information---it may be a person, institution, association, organization, government agency, etc. 

Author Lastname, Firstname Initial(s). "Webpage Title: Webpage Subtitle." Website Name, Publisher, Date, URL.

Here are some general rules to follow:

1. If there is a named author(or authors), add name(s) in the author element. See Author Format in this guide.

2. If name of a website and publisher are essentially the same, omit the publisher element. Use only the website name element.

3. If there is a corporate/group author (institution, association, etc.) that is also the publisher, omit the author element (begin citation with title) and name the institution/association as the publisher. 

4. If a corporate/group author is essentially the same as the publisher and the name of the website, omit both author and publisher elements and just add the website name.

5. If the webpage is lacking a publication date, you may use the copyright date.  If the copyright date is a range of years, use last year in that range.

6. If there is neither a publication nor copyright, omit the date element and add the date you accessed the website/webpage (see below).

  Entire Website

The Lloyd Sealy Library, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, https://www.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/. Assessed 5 May 2024.

The MLA Style Center, Modern Language Association of America, https://style.mla.org/. Assessed 5 May 2024. 

  Named Author(s) (omit publisher if same as website name; omit author and publisher if similar to website name)

  Brown, Mary, and Nikhita Mendis. "The Separation of Immigrant Families: Historical Anecdotes." Center for Migration Studies, 25 July 2018, http://cmsny.org/from-the-cms-archive-separation-of-families/.

  Yeromiyan, Tania. "An Introduction to Traditional Chinese Clothing." CLI, 13 Dec. 2023, https://studycli.org/chinese-culture/traditional-chinese-clothing/.

  Corporate/Group Author with Date (if corporate/group author is also publisher, begin with title and place name as publisher)

  "Five Essential Facts to Know about Femicide." UN Women, United Nations, 22 November 2023, https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2022/11/five-essential-facts-to-know-about-femicide.

  Corporate/Group Author without Date (add accessed date; same author and publisher name--start with title; website name and publisher same--omit website name)

  "Food Safety." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/index.html. Accessed 5 May 2024.

"Cuba." Amnesty International, https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/americas/cuba/. Accessed 5 May 2024.

"U.S. and World Population Clock." United States Census Bureau, https://www.census.gov/popclock/. Accessed 5 May 2024.

See Works Cited: Basic Format, Author Format, Abbreviations for Months of the Year and Audiovisual Materials in General for additional information.

AUTHOR: artist or other types of creator(s).  Audiovisual sources may have one creator or multiple creators and/or one or multiple producers, in addition to other various contributors. Key contributors should be listed with a label describing their role.  Some common author, producer and contributor categories for audiovisual works:

Film (Director)

Television Series (Executive Producer)

Television Episode (Writer and/or Director)

Performance (Choreographer, Performer, Director, Conductor, Composer)

Music Album or Song (Recording Artist or Composer)

Artwork (Photographer, Painter, Illustrator, etc.)

YouTube or Streaming Video (Uploader, Narrator or Speaker)

Podcast (Host)

Webinar (Speaker or Instructor)

Conference/Presentation (Presenter)

PowerPoint (Creator)

TITLE: Cite exactly as it appears in source.

PUBLISHER: Individual or group responsible for producing and/or making work available.  Some examples are:

Film or television (Studio, Production Company, Distributor, Network)

Performance (Theater Company)

DATE: Date made available. May be a range (2001-2003 or 2017-present)

LOCATION: URL or permalink if online OR location of physical object (piece of art in a museum) or event (such as a play or dance performance)

FILM/VIDEO/DVD/MOVIE:  It is not necessary to list every contributor.  Most commonly mentioned are director, producer and/or writer.

 

See Works Cited: Basic Format, Author Format, Abbreviations for Months of the Year and Audiovisual Materials in General for additional information.

Films are collaborative works. Your citation depends on your discussion of the film. 

1. Discussing film in general or numerous aspects of the film viewed in theater or on DVD:

Begin your entry with the title of the film, copying it exactly as it appears. Add "Directed by" followed by director's name, producer(s) name, release date:

Film Title. Directed by Name of Director, Name of Producer, Date.

Opening Night. Directed by John Cassavetes, Faces Distribution, 1977.*

Harold and Maude. Directed by Hal Ashby, Paramount Pictures, 1971. DVD.

2. Focus on specific contributor (such as the director or screenwriter):

Begin with contributor's name as author, adding title/role:

Dahl, Ronald, screenwriter. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Directed by Mel Stuart, Wolper Pictures/The Quaker Oats Company, 1971.**

Puzo, Mario, screenwriter, and Francis Ford Coppola, director. The Godfather. Paramount Pictures/Alfran Productions, 1972.**

Stevens, Cat, songwriter. Harold and Maude. Directed by Hal Ashby, Paramount Pictures, 1971. DVD.

 3. Include additional contributors (such as performers) after director name if meaningful to your discussion:

The Godfather. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, performances by Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, Paramount Pictures/Alfran Productions, 1972.**

4. Add location if accessed online through database, website or App:

Film from Library Database:

 Women in Blue. Directed by Deirdre Fishel, Mind's Eye Productions/Inmatt Productions, 2020. Docuseek 2, https://docuseek2.com/gd-wib.**

Film from Website:

  Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story. Directed by Jennifer Takaki, produced by George and Hillary Hirose and Lily M. Fan, 13 May 2024. PBS.org, https://www.pbs.org/video/photographic-justice-the-corky-lee-story-jptcqb.

Film viewed on App:

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Universal Studios, 1982. Netflix app.*

5. Upload to Shared Streaming Site (including YouTube):

If creator is clearly stated, name them as author. If not, begin citation with title, add uploader account after location.  Titles are written exactly as they appear.  

Chance The Rapper. "Chance the Rapper All Day Long (Ft. John Legend)." YouTube, uploaded by Chance The Rapper, 26 July 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V846b5ETp-c.

"Still I Rise by Maya Angelou (Official Lyric Video)--Caged Bird Songs." YouTube, uploaded by Caged Bird Songs, 23 Sept. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watchv=_UFMB4i1AJo&feature=emb_title.

 

 *Example from MLA's Style Center

** Use forward slash with more than one producer