For a more complete guide to citing MLA 8th edition, please see our MLA 8th Edition Citation Guide. This “cheat sheet” is intended to clarify how certain types of sources are meant to be cited. However, it is not a complete guide, and there is more than one way to correctly cite a source since this edition of MLA is contextually based. What that means is, based on your purposes, you may be citing items differently than you have in the past or may cite them differently depending on what project you are working on. This cheat sheet is strictly covering how to cite SOME specific sources in the works cited page; it does not explain rules for formatting any of the core elements or in-text citations. Please check out the complete guide for these rules.

 

An Abbreviated View

All sources in MLA 8th edition follow the same pattern and require the same information (if given). There are two types of information sources: core elements and optional elements. Each term is defined in the complete guide, but the punctuation after each element is required across sources.

Core Elements

  • Author.
  • Title of source.
  • Title of container,
  • Other contributors,
  • Version,
  • Number,
  • Publisher,
  • Publication date,
  • Location.

Optional Elements

  • Date of Original Publication,
  • City of Publication,
  • Other Facts.
  • Date of Access.

Tip

Core elements are required for all sources. Some sources may not have these elements, but it is important to check if all the information is available. If it is not, skip that portion of the source.

Works Cited

 

Common Print Sources

Basic Book Citation

Last name, First name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date.

Example: Bradway, Becky. Pink Houses and Family Taverns. Indiana University Press, 2002.

Edition other than the First

Last name, First name. Title of Book. # ed., Publisher, Publication Date.

Example: Helfer, Meredith, et al. The Battered Child. 5th ed., University of Chicago Press, 1997.

Article or Chapter in a Book

Last name, First name. “Title of Chapter.” Title of Book. Edited by Editor’s First and Last name(s), Publisher, Publication Date, pp. #-#.

Example: Boquet, Edith. “Intellectual Tug-of-War: Snapshots of Life in the Center.” The St. Martin’s Sourcebook for Writing Tutors, 3rd edition, edited by Christina Murphy and Steve Sherwood. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008, pp. 116-29.

Journal Articles

Last name, First name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, vol. #, no. #, Publication Date, pp. #-#.

Example: Tyson, Phyllis A., and Michael G. Gordon. “The Psychology of Women.” Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, vol. 46, 1998, pp. 361-64.

Bernstein, Barton J.  “Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” Diplomatic History, vol. 28, no. 3, 1991, pp. 126-129.

Magazine/Newspaper Article

Last name, First name. “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical, Edition, Publication Date, pp. #-#.

Example: Kramer, Cosmo F.  “A Health Threat Baffling for Its Lack of a Pattern.”  New York Times, national edition, 22 June 2003, p.A14.

Peterman, Jay S.  “Eat This Now!”  US News and World Report, 28 Mar. 2005, p. 56-58.

Special Notes about Core and Optional Elements for Print Sources

Title of Source/Container

For books, the title of the source may be the book itself or a chapter/article title. If citing a chapter/article, then the container is the book in which it is stored. For journal and magazine articles, the article’s name will be the title of the source while the name of the journal or periodical will be the container of the source.

Other Contributors

Other contributors are most likely going to be editors. Put the phrase “edited by” in lower case and the editor’s first and last name when adding this information.

Version/Number

If a book is an edition other than the first, that information will be placed under the version portion of the citation. It would also indicate what edition it is using the #th edition format. In journal articles, it will often include a volume number and issue number. The volume number will be printed first, and then the issue number when applicable.

Optional Element: City of Publication

The city of publication is not necessary unless it is from a city that might be unexpected. For example, if you are studying in the US and are using the US version of a book, there is no need to put the city of publication. However, if you are studying in the US and you are using a version of a book from another country, then it would be relevant to put the city of publication before the publisher information.

Location

If you are citing a chapter/article title, put the page range that it is available in the following format: pp. #-# or p. # if it is just one page.

 

Common Electronic Sources

Entire Websites

Name of Site. Publisher, Publication Date, URL/DOI. Accessed day mon. year.

Example: The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University, 15 Jan. 2015, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017.

A Page on a Website

Last name, First name. “Name of Page.” Name of Site, Website Publisher, Date Posted/Last Updated. URL/DOI. Accessed day mon. year.

Example: National Institute of Mental Health. “Panic Disorder Among Adults.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2017. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/ statistics/prevalence/panic-disorder-among-adults.shtml. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017.

Magazine/Newspaper Articles

Last name, First name. “Title of Article.” Title of Online Publication, Website Publisher, Publication Date, URL/DOI.

Example: Bernstein, Mark. “10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.” A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites, 16 Aug. 2002, http://alistapart.com/article/writeliving.

Journal Articles Not Accessed Through a Library Database

Last name, First name. “Title of Article.” Title of Publication, vol. #, no. #, Publication Date, Location (page range and/or URL/DOI).

Example: Jackson, Gabriel. “Multiple Historic Meanings of the Spanish Civil War.” Science and Society, vol. 68, no. 3, 2004, pp. 272-76. JSTOR, 10.1521/siso.68.3.272.40301.

Journal Articles Accessed Through a Library Database

Last name, First name. “Title of Article.” Title of Publication, vol. #, no. #, Publication Date, pp. #-#. Name of Database, URL/DOI.

Example: Jackson, Gabriel. “Multiple Historic Meanings of the Spanish Civil War.” Science and Society, vol. 68, no. 3, 2004, pp. 272-76. JSTOR, 10.1521/siso.68.3.272.40301.

Hongmei, Yu. “From Kundun to Mulan: A Political Economic Case Study of Disney and China.” Asianetwork Exchange, vol. 22, no. 1, 2014, pp. 13-22. Academic Search Complete, http://ezproxy.uis.edu:2048/.

YouTube Video

Last name, First name or YouTube handle name. “Title Name of Video.” YouTube, Publication Date, URL/DOI.

Example: robcanter. “‘Shia LaBeouf’ Live.” YouTube, 21 Oct. 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0u4M6vppCI.

Special Notes about Core and Optional Elements for Electronic Sources

Multiple Containers

Particularly for online sources, you may have to indicate the original publishing information (one container), while also referencing the database used to access that source (another container). In other words, you might have a source that is from a journal but is stored in a library database like JSTOR, Academic Search Premier, or LexisNexis. When this happens, you will want to include information for the journal, and then the database information (see Journal Articles Accessed Through a Library Database for example).

Title of Container/Publisher

Publishers are often very close to the website title. When this happens, it is not necessary to repeat that information. Only cite them when they are significantly different.

For example: The New York Times is published by The New York Times Company, which is not significantly different, so we would not need to repeat the publisher. However, a network like WGN, which is produced by the Tribune Company, may need that publisher information.

Version/Number

Use the URL or DOI. DOIs are preferable when available.

Optional Element: Access Dates

Access dates can be important to describe the version examined since the content and URLS can often change. Access dates go after the location but are not required. Cite when relevant.

 

Common Film and TV Sources

Entire Films

Title of Film. Directed by First and Last name, performance(s) by First and Last name(s), Production Company, Release Date.

Example: Kill Bill (Vol. 1). Directed by Quentin Tarantino, performances by Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, and Daryl Hannah, Miramax, 2003.

Film with Emphasis on Contributor

Last name, First name of Contributor, role. Title of Film. Performance/Created/Directed by First and Last names of Other Contributors, Production Company, Release Date.

Example: Thurman, Uma, performer. Kill Bill (Vol. 1). Directed by Quentin Tarantino, Miramax, 2003.

Entire Television Series

Name of Show. Created by Name of Creator, performances by First and Last names of Relevant Actors, season #, Production Company, Release Date.

Example: Mad Men. Created by Matthew Weiner, performances by John Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, January Jones, John Slattery, and Vincent Kartheiser, season 1, Lionsgate, 2008.

Television Series with Emphasis on Contributor

Last name, First name of Contributor, role. Name of Show. Performances by First and Last names of Relevant Actors, season #, Production Company, Release Date.

Example: Weiner, Matthew, creator. Mad Men. Performances by John Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, January Jones, John Slattery, and Vincent Kartheiser, season 1, Lionsgate, 2008.

Television Show Episode from DVD/Blu-ray

Name of Episode.” Name of Show. Created by First and Last Name, performances by First and Last names of Relevant Actors, season #, episode #, Production Company, Release Date, Disc #.

Example: “Heaven and Hell.” Supernatural, created by Eric Kripke, performances by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, season 4, episode 10, Warner Bros. Television, 2008, disc 3.

Television Show Episode from Online Streaming Service (Hulu, Netflix, HBO GO, etc.)

“Name of Episode.” Name of Show, created by First and Last name, performances by First and Last names of Relevant Actors, season #, episode #, Production Company, Release Date. Online Server, URL.

Example: “Not Everything is About Annalise.” How to Get Away with Murder, created by Peter Nowalk, performances by Viola Davis and Alfred Enoch, season 3, episode 11,ABC, 2 Feb. 2017. Hulu, https://www.hulu.com/watch/1030716.

Special Notes about Core and Optional Elements for Film and TV Sources

Author

If your source is talking about contribution of a specific individual to a film or movie, then put that name in the author spot and then add a comma and describe their role (performer, creator, director, narrator, etc.).

Title of Source/Container

If citing an entire film or an entire series without discussing the contribution of a specific individual, then the title will be placed in italics and will take up the Title of Source/Title of Container areas.

If citing an episode in a series, then the title of the episode will go in quotes and the series name will go in italics.

Other Contributors

Other contributors are most likely going to be relevant actors, but other roles can include directors, editors, narrators, and performers. To indicate these different roles, use the following terms before listing the contributor’s names: adapted by, directed by, edited by, narrated by, and performance by. Put down relevant information depending on how you are using the source (if talking about the acting, cite the actors).

Version/Number

For television shows in particular, the version will be the season and the number will be the number of the cited episode.

Publisher

TV and movies are produced by several entities; however, do your best to name the name the distributor primarily responsible for its creation in this area.

Location

The disc number or URL will be the likely locations for these sources.

 

Interviews

Recorded/Published Interviews (not an interview you conducted)

Interviewee Name. Name of Show. Interviewed by Interviewer Name, Distributor/Network, Date Broadcasted. Other Facts.

Example: Wiesel, Elie. Nightline. Interviewed by Ted Koppel, WABC, 18 Apr. 2002. TV Broadcast.

Personal/Original Interview (an interview you conducted)

Interviewee Name. Type of interview. Date Conducted. Other Facts.

Example: Johnson, Jacob. Interviewed by Alex Ayers, 25 Mar. 2012. Telephone interview. Barry, Michael. Interviewed by Alex Ayers, 9 Aug. 2014. Personal interview.

Special Notes about Core and Optional Elements for Interviews

Author/Other Contributors

For interviews, the author is the person interviewed. Name the interviewer in the “other contributors” section preceded by the phrase “interviewed by” in lower case.

Location

The location could be a URL, DOI, disc number, or may not be applicable depending on where you viewed the interview.

 

Example Works Cited Page

Works Cited

Barry, Michael. Interviewed by Alex Ayers, 9 Aug. 2014. Personal interview.

Bernstein, Barton J. “Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” Diplomatic History, vol. 28, no. 3, 1991, pp. 126-129.

Bernstein, Mark. “10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.” A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites, 16 Aug. 2002, http://alistapart.com/article/writeliving.

Bradway, Becky. Pink Houses and Family Taverns, Indiana University Press, 2002.

Boquet, Edith. “Intellectual Tug-of-War: Snapshots of Life in the Center.” The St. Martin’s Sourcebook for Writing Tutors, 3rd edition, edited by Christina Murphy and Steve Sherwood. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008, pp. 116-29.

“Heaven and Hell.” Supernatural, created by Eric Kripke, performances by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, season 4, episode 10, Warner Bros. Television, 2008, disc 3.

Helfer, Meredith, et al. The Battered Child. 5th ed., University of Chicago Press, 1997.

Hongmei, Yu. “From Kundun to Mulan: A Political Economic Case Study of Disney and China.” Asianetwork Exchange, vol. 22, no. 1, 2014, pp. 13-22. Academic Search Complete, http://ezproxy.uis.edu:2048/

Jackson, Gabriel. “Multiple Historic Meanings of the Spanish Civil War.” Science and Society, vol. 68, no. 3, 2004, pp. 272-76. JSTOR, 10.1521/siso.68.3.272.40301

Johnson, Jacob. Interviewed by Alex Ayers, 25 Mar. 2012. Telephone interview.

Kill Bill (Vol. 1). Directed by Quentin Tarantino, performances by Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, and Daryl Hannah, Miramax, 2003.

Kramer, Cosmo F.  “A Health Threat Baffling for Its Lack of a Pattern.”  New York Times, national edition, 22 June 2003, p. A14.

Mad Men. Created by Matthew Weiner, performances by John Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, January Jones, John Slattery, and Vincent Kartheiser, season 1, Lionsgate, 2008.

National Institute of Mental Health. “Panic Disorder Among Adults.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2017, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/panic-disorder-among-adults.shtml. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017.

“Not Everything is About Annalise.” How to Get Away with Murder, created by Peter Nowalk, performances by Viola Davis and Alfred Enoch, season 3, episode 11, ABC, 2 Feb. 2017. Hulu, https://www.hulu.com/watch/1030716.

Peterman, Jay S.  “Eat This Now!”  US News and World Report, 28 Mar. 2005, p. 56-58.

robcanter. “‘Shia LaBeouf’ Live.” YouTube, 21 Oct. 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0u4M6vppCI.

Rowling, Joanne Kathleen. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. London, Bloomsbury, 1997.

The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University, 15 Jan. 2015, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017.

Tyson, Phyllis A., and Michael G. Gordon. “The Psychology of Women.”  Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, vol. 46, 1998, pp. 361-64.

Wiesel, Elie. Nightline. Interviewed by Ted Koppel, WABC, 18 Apr. 2002. TV Broadcast.