Revised August 2016 1
MLA Style Quick Guide
Based on the MLA Handbook, 8th edition, 2016
Provided by YOUR MHS Library, adapted from handouts by the Lane Community College Library, Eugene, Oregon
For the Works Cited Page(s) at the End of the Paper
BOOKS AND EBOOKS
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Publisher, year.
One author
Picoult, Jodi. The Storyteller: A Novel. Emily Bestler, 2013.
2-3 authors or editors
Posamentier, Alfred S., Daniel Jaye, and Stephen Krulik. Exemplary Practices for Secondary MathTeachers. Assn. for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2007.
Article in a reference book
Kolb, Charles C. "Turkmen." Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities. Vol. 3, Routledge, 2005, pp. 1223-24.
ARTICLES (from databases or newspaper/journal/magazine websites)
Lastname, Firstname. "Article Title." Journal Title, volume, issue, year, pp. (page numbers). DatabaseName. Day month year accessed.
Lastname, Firstname. "Article Title." Newspaper Title, day month year, pp. (pages). Database Name. Day month year accessed.
Online magazine articles
Duplet, Franc. "How to Duplicate the Success of a Business." Successful Jobs, Oct. 2003, pp. 55-58. General Business File. Accessed 28 Dec. 2008.
Online journal articles
Liller, Karen D. "Let's Sell Health." Journal of School Health, vol. 75, no. 5, 2005, pp. 187-88. AcademicSearch Premier. Accessed 20 Aug. 2009.
WEB PAGES
Include as much of the following as possible: author or editor's name, title of web page, title of broader website, sponsoring organization, last updated day month year (1st date listed), format, and day month year visited (2nd date listed). Include the URL if the page might be difficult to relocate.
Culligan, John, editor. "Biofuels and University Economics." School of Natural Sciences, U of Western Oregon, Oct. 2008. 25 Mar. 2009. Accessed 20 Aug. 2015.
For the In-Text Citations within the Body of the Paper
Direct Quotes
A direct quote is a word-for-word copy of source material. The quote is enclosed in quotation marks. Include the author's last name and date of publication as well as page numbers if available.
Examples
Joseph Conrad writes of the company manager in Heart of Darkness, "He was obeyed, yet he inspired neither love nor fear, nor even respect" (87).
"The red tree vole is a crucial part of the spotted owl's diet" (Moone 15).
Block Quotes
The block quote is used for direct quotations that are longer than 4 lines. Indent the entire quote 1 inch or 12-16 spaces.
Example
At the conclusion of Lord of the Flies, Ralph and the other boys realize the horror of their actions:
He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. (186)
Paraphrase/Summary
A paraphrase is a quotation rewritten in your own words. A summary is a condensed version of a longer passage from an outside source. Both require citations. Include the author's name and the page number.
Examples
Oregon salmon populations have dramatically declined in the past decade (Lenz 27).
Kafka describes the insecurities of his youth and his rocky relationship with his father (44-46).
Indirect Quote
When possible, cite information directly. If you must cite a source that was cited in another source, name the original source in your signal phrase. Include the secondary source in parentheses with the abbreviation "qtd. in" (quoted in). Include the indirect source in your works cited list.
Example
Jackson stated that... (qtd. in Johns 14).
In this example, "Johns" should appear in your works cited list.
Multiple Authors
2-3 Authors
Studies have shown that more teachers are changing careers. (Posamentier, Jaye, and Krulik 55).
3+ Authors
Stutts el al. argue for the impact of language development on the brain (339).
More Bibliographic Examples
BOOKS
Book with one author
Thiess, Derek J. Embodying Gender and Age in Speculative Fiction: A Biopsychosocial
Approach. Routledge, 2015.
Book with two or three authors or editors
Espenson, Jane, and Glenn Yeffeth, editors. Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherdsand
Space Hookers in Joss Whedon'sFirefly. BenBella, 2005.
Book with more than three authors or editors
Wilcox, Rhonda V., et al., editors. Investigating Firefly and Serenity: Science Fiction on the
Frontier. Tauris, 2008.
EBOOKS
Espenson, Jane, editor. Serenity Found: More Unauthorized Essays on Joss Whedon's
Firefly Universe. Smart Pop, 2007.
ESSAYS, ENTRIES, OR CHAPTERS IN A BOOK OR ENCYCLOPEDIA
Essay from an essay collection
Anderson, Lisa. "Can't Stop the Serenity: Joss Whedon's Shows and Fan Activism." Joss
Whedon: The Complete Companion: The TV Series, the Movies, the Comic Books and More. 2nd rev. ed., Titan, 2015, pp. 258-61.
Entry from an encyclopedia
"Whedon, Joss (1964- )." Encyclopedia of Comic Books and Graphic Novels. Vol. 2, edited by M. Keith
Booker, Greenwood, 2010, pp. 696-98.
JOURNAL ARTICLES (ONLINE)
Journal article from a library database
Canavan, Gerry. "Fighting a War You've Already Lost: Zombies and Zombis in
Firefly/Serenity and Dollhouse." Science Fiction Film & Television, vol. 4, no. 2, 2011,pp. 173-203. Communications and Mass Media Collection. Accessed 26 Apr. 2016.
NEWSPAPER & MAGAZINE ARTICLES (ONLINE)
Magazine article from a library database
Kushner, David. "Revolt of a TV Genius." Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2009, pp. 38-39. MasterFILE
Premier. Accessed 26 Apr. 2016.
Newspaper article from a library database
Salem, Rob. "The Final Frontier: Joss Whedon Mixes Six-guns and Spaceships in Firefly, His New
Science-fiction Western." Toronto Star, 21 Sept. 2002, p. A23. NewspaperSource. Accessed 26 Apr. 2016.
MAGAZINE & JOURNAL ARTICLES (PRINT)
Magazine article from a print version
Kushner, David. "Revolt of a TV Genius." Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2009, pp. 38-39.
Journal article from a print version
Rowley, Christina. "Firefly/Serenity: Gendered Space and Gendered Bodies." BritishJournal of Politics &
International Relations, vol. 9, no. 2, 2007, pp. 318-325.
WEBSITE ARTICLES
"Serenity Named Top Sci-fi Movie." BBC, 2 Apr. 2007,
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6517155.stm. Accessed 28 Apr. 2016.
Townsley, Steve. "Music in the 'Verse: Firefly and Serenity." Tracksounds, 3 June 2009,
Accessed 26 Apr. 2016.
MOVIES, TV, & ONLINE AUDIO/VIDEO
Movie/TV Series on Broadcast/Cable TV
Firefly. Created by Joss Whedon, performance by Nathan Fillion, Twentieth Century Fox,
2002.
Serenity. Directed by Joss Whedon, Universal Studios, 2005.
TV Episode on Streaming Service
"Out of Gas." 2002. Firefly, created by Joss Whedon, performance by Nathan Fillion,
episode 8, Twentieth Century Fox, 2002. Netflix.
Movie on DVD
Serenity. Directed by Joss Whedon. 2005. Universal Studios, 2009.
Online Video, Video Podcast, and Web Television
Rhodes, Sonny. "The Ballad of Serenity." Vimeo, Jan. 2013. Accessed 4 May 2016.
Podcast
"Episode 5: The Last Show." The Signal, signal.serenityfirefly.com. Accessed 3 Nov. 2015.
OTHER FORMATS
Artwork or Image
"Firefly Serenity Blueprint: Technical Drawings." Big Blue Canoe,
Accessed 27 Apr. 2016.
Blog Post
Anders, Charlie Jane. "The Firefly Episode We're Really Glad Joss Whedon Didn't Get To Make." io9, 12
Dec. 2011, io9.gizmodo.com/5959794/the-firefly-episode-were-really-glad-joss-whedon-didnt-
get-to-make. Accessed 26 Apr. 2016.
Comic Book
Whedon, Joss, and Will Conrad. Serenity, Vol. 1: Those Left Behind. Dark Horse, 2006.
Online Review
Jensen, Jeff. "Firefly's Peculiar Afterlife." Review of Firefly: Browncoats United.
Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2012, p. 88.MasterFILE Premier. Accessed 26 Apr.2016.
Social Media Post
"No one from the Whedon clan endorses the idea." Help Nathan Buy Firefly, Facebook, 7
Mar. 2013. Accessed 26 Apr. 2016.
Wiki
"Firefly." The Firefly and Serenity Database, 2009, firefly.wikia.com/wiki/Firefly. Accessed26
Apr. 2016.
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