by Heinz Sladek

Created on: August 01, 2008

The Modern Language Association (MLA) citation guide is one of the most commonly used guides for those writing academic and research papers. The most important thing to remember when writing a bibliography in MLA style is that your citation list must appear at the end of the paper and start on its own page. The heading Works Cited should be centered, and all citations should be alphabetized according to author's last name (if it is known), or title (if author is not known).

There are precise rules when it comes to abbreviations, punctuation, and capitalizations in MLA citations. Lower case abbreviations are required to be used to name the part of a work with the exception of when the part is following a period, for example, vol. for volume, ed. for editor. Use the appropriate abbreviation for the names of all months for the exception of the months of May, June, and July. Make sure to be consistent in how dates are presented throughout the bibliography. Do not switch the way dates are written from citation to citation. When using punctuation, divide the author, title, and publication information with a period. Use a colon to split a title from a subtitle. Use quotation marks to signify the titles of short articles within longer publications, and for unpublished works and songs. You will also always use title case capitalization for all citations. The following is a list of examples of the proper way to use MLA style when doing a bibliography.

1. Book with one author or editor:

Ferdinand, Carlos, ed. A History of the Spanish Inquisition. New York: Hyperion, 2004.

Thomas, Sydney. Singing in the Rain: Before the Sunshine. Toronto: Random, 2000.

2. Book with two authors or editors:

Ferdinand, Carlos, and Phillip Hall, eds. A History of the Spanish Inquisition.
New York: Hyperion, 2004.

Thomas, Sydney, and Cheryl Theiss. Singing in the Rain: Before the Sunshine.
Toronto: Random, 2000.

3. Book with three authors or editors:

Ferdinand, Carlos, and Phillip Hall, and Henry Spelling, eds. A History of the
Spanish Inquisition. New York: Hyperion, 2004.

Thomas, Sydney, and Cheryl Theiss, and Calli Tomas. Singing in the Rain:
Before the Sunshine. Toronto: Random, 2000.

4. Book with no author or editor stated:

Pacific Northwest High Spots: A Guide to the Pacific Coast. San Francisco:
Travelers' Tales, 1999.

5. Article in an encyclopedia with no author stated:

"Rocky Mountains." New Encyclopedia Britannica. 2001 ed.

"Lake Meade." World Book Encyclopedia of People and Places. 1998 ed.

6. Article

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