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MLA Style Guide, 8th ed.

This guide provides tips and examples for MLA style formatting of papers and citations.

Articles

Newspaper Article in Print

Examples

MacDonald, Cameron. "School Board Approves Boundaries for Two Elementary Schools." Elk Grove Citizen, 14 Sept. 2016, p. A5.

Kalb, Loretta. "Interim UCD Chancellor Urges Civility in Dialogue." Sacramento Bee, 21 Sept. 2016, p. 3A.


Newspaper Article in Database

If the city of publication is not included in the newspaper's name, add it in square brackets after the name. This is not necessary for nationally published newspapers (e.g. The Wall Street Journal).

Examples

Marks, Rusty. "West Virginia Law Enforcement Keeping Eye on New Concealed Carry Law." State Journal [West Virginia], 05 Aug. 2016, p. 1+. Newspaper Source Plus, https://flclosrios.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=n5h&AN=117502386&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 22 Sept. 2016.

Morris, J.D. "Las Vegas to Host General Election Presidential Debate Next Year." Las Vegas Sun, 23 Sept. 2015. Newspaper Source Plus, https://flclosrios.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=n5h&AN=2W62688226883&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed. 22 Jan. 2016.


Newspaper Article on Website

If the city of publication is not included in the newspaper's name, add it in square brackets after the name. This is not necessary for nationally published newspapers (e.g. The Wall Street Journal).

Examples

Siders, David. “Jerry Brown Compares Fighting Climate Change to Building Noah’s Ark.” Sacramento Bee, 19 Sept. 2016, www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article102749097.html. Accessed 19 Sept. 2016.

Perlroth, Nicole. “Yahoo Says Hackers Stole Data on 500 Million Users in 2014. The New York Times, 22 Sept. 2016, nyti.ms/2crtUMA. Accessed 22 Sept. 2016.


Article in a Print Magazine

Examples

Deresiewcz, William. “The Death of the Artist - and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur.” The Atlantic, Jan.-Feb. 2015, vol. 315, no. 1, pp. 92-97.

Taibi, Matt. "How Trump Lost His Mojo." Rolling Stone, 22 Sept. 2016, no. 1270, pp. 46-52.


Magazine Article in a Database

Examples

Powell, Bill. "Can Europe Save Itself?." Newsweek Global, vol. 167, no. 2, 2016, pp. 12-16. MasterFILE Complete, https://flclosrios.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=116566526&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 22 Sept. 2016.

Altman, Alex, et al. "Bold, Brash and Under Renovation Donald Trump Hits Reset." Time, vol. 188, no. 1, 2016, pp. 28-32. MasterFILE Complete, https://flclosrios.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=116342663&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 22 Sept. 2016.


Magazine Article on a Website

Examples

Tribble, Ivan. “Bloggers Need Not Apply.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 8 July 2005, chronicle.com/article/Bloggers-Need-Not-Apply/45022. Accessed 5 May 2016.

Deresiewcz, William. “The Death of the Artist - and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur.” The Atlantic, 28 Dec. 2014, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/01/the-death-of-the-artist-and-the-birth-of-the-creative-entrepreneur/383497/. Accessed 15 June 2016.


Journal Article in Print

Examples

Kincaid, Jamaica. “In History.” Callaloo, vol. 24, no. 2, Spring 2001, pp. 620-26.

Baron, Naomi S. “Redefining Reading: The Impact of Digital Communication Media.” PMLA, vol. 128, no. 1, Jan. 2013, pp. 193-200.


Journal Article in a Database

Some publishers assign a digital object identifier (DOI) to online publications. Because URLs are sometimes not stable, it’s desirable to use the DOI if it is available.

Examples

Mahmood, Sajid, et al. "Effectiveness of School-Based Intervention Programs in Reducing Prevalence of Overweight." Indian Journal Of Community Medicine, vol. 39, no. 2, 2014, pp. 87-93. Academic Search Complete, doi:10.4103/0970-0218.132724. Accessed 3 July 2016.

Inskip, Charles. "Making Information Literacy Relevant In Employment Settings." Online Searcher, vol. 39, no. 4, 2015, pp. 54-57. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, https://flclosrios.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=108501387&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 16 Sept. 2016.


Journal Article from a Website

Some publishers assign a digital object identifier (DOI) to online publications. Because URLs are sometimes not stable, it’s desirable to use the DOI if it is available.

Examples

MacKean, Peter Reagh, et al. "Psychosocial Diagnoses Occurring after Patients Present with Fatigue.” Canadian Family Physician, vol. 62, no. 8, 2016, pp. e465–e472. National Center for Biotechnology Information, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4982745/. Accessed 5 Sept. 2016

Mahmood, Sajid, et al. "Effectiveness of School-Based Intervention Programs in Reducing Prevalence of Overweight." Indian Journal Of Community Medicine, vol. 39, no. 2, 2014, pp. 87-93. Pub Med Central, doi:10.4103/0970-0218.132724. Accessed 3 July 2016.