ASIJ CITATION GUIDE  - MLA STYLE

Click on these shortcuts to get information on specific formats
Books   Legal Sources/Government Documents  General Encyclopedia Articles  Periodical  Electronic Resources  Email and Interviews Forums, Chats, Listservs, Bulletin Boards and Blogs  Multimedia (songs, videos, images etc. including YouTube   Parenthetical Documentation  Annotated Bibliographies  Footnotes and Endnotes 
Translations   Abbreviations used in MLA style  Indirect Sources
 

Citation Machine                                                             
With Citation Machine and KnightCite you can create bibliographic citations in MLA or APA by simply filling in the required fields. These nifty tools will do all the required formatting in no time!
KnightCite
A project of the Hekmann Library at Calvin College.
MLA Formatting and Style Guide - The OWL at Purdue
Using MLA Style to Cite and Document Sources
Citations for Telnet, FTP sites, gopher sites, newsgroup and listserv messages and Web discussion forum postings. From Bedford/St. Martin's.
Frequently Asked Questions about MLA Style
Modern Language Association
Study Guide.Org (Good examples of parenthetical citations)
Citing and Blending Quotations Using MLA Format
How to Write Footnotes and Endnotes in MLA Style
From the OWL resource MLA Formatting and Style Guide at Purdue University
MLA Model for Footnotes and Endnotes
 
(includes examples from databases)
Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board

Note; Book titles in MLA are either underlined or italicized. Just be consistent. Do not mix them up.

Books

Book with One Author

Cobb, Jodi. Geisha. 2nd ed. New York: Knopf, 1997

Parenthetical within text:   (Cobb 45)

Endnote:  
      1
Jodi Cobb, Geisha 2nd ed. (New York: Knopf, 1997)
127-8.


Book with Two Authors


Treib, Marc and Ron Herman. A Guide to the Gardens of Kyoto. Tokyo: Shufunotomo, 1980.

Parenthetical within text: (Treib and Herman 62)

Endnote:
 
        2
Marc Treib and Ron Herman,
A Guide to the Gardens of Kyoto (Tokyo: Shufunotomo,1980) 210:112.
 

Book with Three  Authors

Kimbell, Irene, Judy Isom, and Benjamin Cater. France Today. Boston: Houghton, 1985.

Parenthetical within text: (Kimball, Isom and Cater 99)

Endnote:
         3 Irene Kimbell et al., France Today (Boston: Houghton, 1985) 43.
 

Book with Four or More Authors

Carr, Jan, et al. Endangered Species. New York: Random, 1987.

Parenthetical within text:
(Carr et al. 47)

Endnote:

        7 Jan Carr, et al. Endangered Species (New York: Random, 1987) 47.

Book with an Editor

Davis, Malcolm B., ed. Insight Guides: Japan. Singapore : APA, 1995.

Parenthetical within text: (Davis 215)

Endnote:
          1 Malcolm B. Davis, ed. Insight Guides: Japan (Singapore : APA, 1995 ) 20-22.
 

Book with Multiple Editors

Wilson, Jackson et al., eds. Hiking India. London : Arnold, 1997.

Parenthetical within text: (Wilson 345)

Endnote:

               3
Jackson Wilson et al., eds., Hiking India (London :
Arnold, 1997) 17.

Literary Work from an Anthology 

Jones, Thom. "Cold Snap." The Best American Short Stories. ed. Tobias Wolff and Katrina Kenison. Boston:
   
         Houghton, 1994. 

Parenthetical within text: (Jones 53)

Endnote:

            6 Thom Jones, "Cold Snap," The Best American Short Stories, ed. Tobias Wolff and Katrina Kenison (Boston:
   
         Houghton, 1994) 53. 

Book with an Edition

Coyle, William. Research Papers. 5th ed. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1980.

Parenthetical within text:: (Coyle 21)

Endnote:
       8 William, Coyle, Research Papers, 5th ed. (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1980) 21.
 

Book with No Author or Editor Given  

Webster's Medical Desk Dictionary
. 3rd ed. Springfield: Mirriam, 1980.

Parenthetical within text:
(Webster's 22)

Endnote:
       4 Webster's Medical Desk Dictionary, 3rd ed. (Springfield: Mirriam, 1980) 39.


Books with more than one volume (Multivolume Works)

If the books in the set all have the same title and you use the entire set, put the number of volumes in the citation.

Johnson, Maria. The Life of Marie Curie. 3rd ed. 4 vols. New York: Random, 2002.

Parenthetical within text: (Johnson Vol. 2, 215)

Endnote:

               3
Maria
Johnson, The Life of Marie Curie 3rd ed. Vol. 2. (New York: Random, 2002) 215.

**********

If the books in the set all have the same title and you use only one volume, put the volume number in the citation.

Johnson, Maria. The Life of Marie Curie. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: Random, 2002.

Parenthetical within text: (Johnson 215)

Endnote:

               3
Maria
Johnson, The Life of Marie Curie 3rd ed. Vol. 2. (New York: Random, 2002) 215.

**************** 

If the books in the set all have different titles and you use only one volume, treat it like a regular book with the name of the series first, then a colon, followed by the title.

Reynolds, Michael.  Literary masters : Ernest Hemingway.  Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2000.

Another book in the same set would be:

Baughman, JudithLiterary masters : F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2000.

Parenthetical within text: (Baughman 99)

Endnote:

               7
Judith Baughman
, Literary masters : F. Scott Fitzgerald. (Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2000) 99.

Book with a Foreign Title
 

Kanehara, Hitomi. Hebi ni Piasu (Snakes and Earrings).trans. David Karashima. Tokyo: Shueisha, 2004.

Parenthetical within text: (Kanehara 15)

Endnote:
        3
Hitomi Kanehara, Hebi ni Piasu (Snakes and Earrings),
trans. David Karashima (Tokyo: Shueisha, 2004) 45-46.


Sacred Texts

The Holy Bible. Revised Standard Version. New York: New American Library, 1962.

Parenthetical within text: (Revised Standard Version, Jer.32.42) 

For the next citation just put (Jer.32.42)

Endnote:
       7 The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version (New York: New American Library, 1962) Jer.32.42

For the next endnote just put  8 Jer.32.42


Holy Qur'an. Trans. Rev. John Mason. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1974.

Parenthetical within text: (Holy Qur'an, al-Baqarah, 2:177.4)

For the next citation just put (al-Baqarah, 2:177.4)

Endnote:
        4
Holy Qur'an. Trans.Rev. John Mason (New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1974) al-Baqarah, 2:177.4.

Shakespeare

For plays by Shakespeare - use capitalized Roman numerals for the Act, small Roman numerals for the Scene, and Arabic numbers for the lines). The first time you cite the play, write out the full title. After that, you can use an abbreviation. See this list.

Shakespeare, William.  King Lear. Ed. G.K. Hunter. London; New York: Penguin Books, 1972.

Parenthetical within text: (King Lear II, ii, 22.)

Subsequent parenthetical citation:  (Lr. III, iv, 15)

Endnote:
        
William Shakespeare,  King Lear, Ed. G.K. Hunter (London; New York: Penguin Books, 1972) II, ii, 22.

Subsequent Endnote:  5  Lr. III, iv, 15.

Legal Source / Government Document

To cite a law or act: The name of the act. Public Law number. Date enacted. Statutes at Large cataloging number. (The abbreviation for Public Law is Pub. L. The abbreviation for Statutes at Large is Stat.).

Law

Animal Welfare Act. Pub. L. 91-579. 24 Dec.1970. Stat. 1560.1561.

Parenthetical within text:  (Animal 1560)

Endnote:
        
3  Animal Welfare Act, Pub. L. 91-579, 24 Dec.1970, Stat. 1560.

Patent

Johnson, Richard. Revolving Pet Door. Acme Pet Doors, assignee. Patent 7,222,524. 9 Nov. 2006.

Parenthetical within text:  (Johnson)

Endnote:
        
7  Richard Johnson, Revolving Pet Door, Acme Pet Doors, assignee, Patent 7,222,524, 9 Nov. 2006.

Law Case

Oregon v. Hitchcock. 202. No. 16. Supreme Ct. of the US. 23 Apr.1906.

Parenthetical within text:  (Oregon v. Hitchcock)

Endnote:
        
7 Oregon v. Hitchcock, 202, No. 16, Supreme Ct. of the US., 23 Apr.1906.


Publications

United States. Cong. Senate. Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property, and Nuclear Safety of the Committee

        on Environmental and Public Works. Hearing on Connecticut Wetlands 106th Cong., 2nd sess. Washington: GPO,

        2001.

Parenthetical within text:  (Wetlands 20)
Endnote:
        
9 United States Cong. Senate, Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property, and Nuclear Safety of the
Committee on Environmental and Public Works, Hearing on Connecticut Wetlands, 106th Cong., 2nd sess., Washington: GPO, 2001.

Thesis

Harris, Deborah. "Automatic Behaviors in Biculturals: Implications for Studies on Third Culture Children in Japan ." MA

          thesis. Boston University, 2007.

Parenthetical within text:  (Harris 40)

Endnote:
        
11 Deborah Harris, "Automatic Behaviors in Biculturals: Implications for Studies on Third Culture Children in Japan," MA

thesis, Boston University, 2007.

 

 


General Encyclopedia Article

Unsigned Article

"Crystal." Encyclopedia Americana. 1980 ed.

Parenthetical within text: ("Crystal")

Endnote:
        5
"Crystal," Encyclopedia Americana, (1980 ed).


Signed Article

Michelmore, Peter. "Einstein, Albert." Encyclopedia Britannica: Macropedia. 1994 ed.

Parenthetical within text: (Michelmore)

Endnote:
     
Peter Michelmore, "Einstein, Albert," Encyclopedia Britannica: Macropedia (1994 ed).


Article in an Alphabetically Arranged Reference Book  

Gatten, Aileen. "Bunraku." Encyclopedia of Asian History. New York: Scribners, 1988. 

Parenthetical within text: (Gatten 2: 279)

Endnote:
     
Aileen Gatten, "Bunraku," Encyclopedia of Asian History (New York: Scribners, 1988). 

Periodicals

Newspaper: Signed Article

Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper  Day Month Year: section pages.

Put the newspaper section directly in front of the pages if there are multiple sections in the paper.
Example: D12

Wilson, Marjorie. "Students Help Orphanage." Hartford Courant  9 Nov. 2005: 2+.

(use the + sign if the article continues on the next page)

Parenthetical within text: (Wilson 3)

Endnote:
     3  Marjorie Wilson, "Students Help Orphanage," Hartford Courant  9 Nov. 2005: 2+.

Newspaper: Unsigned Article

"Ecologists Say Poisons Seep into Spanish Park." International Herald Tribune 30 Apr.1998: A5
       

Parenthetical within text: ("Ecologists" A5)

Endnote:
     9 "Ecologists Say Poisons Seep into Spanish Park," International Herald Tribune 30 Apr.1998: A5  
       

Newspaper: Editorial

"Are Our Civil Rights Being Trampled?"  Editorial. Washington Post 15 Oct. 2005: A12.

Parenthetical within text: ("Civil Rights" A12)

Endnote:
     9 "Are Our Civil Rights Being Trampled?,"  Editorial, Washington Post 15 Oct. 2005: A12.

Newspaper: Foreign Title
"巴運河経由航路 [Route by Way of the Canal]."  海運週報 [Marine Transport Weekly Report]  23 Jan.1985: 15-16

Parenthetical within text: ("Route" 15)

Endnote:
         9 "巴運河経由航路 [Route by Way of the Canal],"  海運週報 [Marine Transport Weekly Report]  23 Jan.1985: 15-16

Newspaper Review

Tanaka, Yuko. rev. of Japan in the Meiji Era, ed. John Okada. The East Apr. 2005: 15.

Parenthetical within text: (Tanaka 15)

Endnote:   

       
4  Yuko Tanaka, rev. of Japan in the Meiji Era, ed. John Okada, The East Apr. 2005: 15.


Hart, Mary. "My Friends, My Enemies," rev. of Life in the Fast Lane, dir. Joseph Hazelton. National Post [Toronto]

       2 Jun. 2008: PM5.

Parenthetical within text: (Hart PM5)

Endnote:

       12
Mary Hart, "My Friends, My Enemies," rev. of Life in the Fast Lane, dir. Joseph Hazelton, National Post [Toronto] 

2 Jun. 2008: PM5.

Magazine: Signed Article
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages.
Bamberger, Michael. "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Free Throws." Sports Illustrated 13 Apr. 1998: 68+.

Parenthetical within text:
(Bamberger 75)
Endnote:
        1 Michael Bamberger, "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Free Throws," Sports Illustrated 13 Apr. 1998: 75

Article that has been reprinted in a book. Put the original source first then the second source:

Harrison, Amy. "Anger Kills." Harpers 71 (1985): 456-62. Rpt. in Women on Violence. ed. Jane Edmonds. Englewood
        Cliffs: Prentice, 1999, 40-46.

Parenthetical within text: (Harrison 42)

Endnote:
         1
Amy Harrison, "Anger Kills," Harpers 71 (1985): 456-62, rpt. in Women on Violence, ed. Jane Edmonds (Englewood

Cliffs: Prentice, 1999) 42.

Radio or Television Program

Be-Bop City. With Michael Anderson. WGBO, Newark, 23 May 1995.

Parenthetical within text: (Be-Bop)

Endnote:
        6
Be-Bop City with Michael Anderson, WGBO, Newark, 23 May 1995.

Electronic Resources    Citing Web Sites

The format of the following citations for electronic resources are from MLA Style created by the Modern Language Association of America. For electronic resources, retain the capitalization used on the web pages.      
       

EBSCOHost, NewsBank and other online databases
Authors (if any). "Name of Article." Name of Journal/ Newspaper  Date of Posting/Revision: 
          Pages numbers inclusive. Name of Database. Library through which the information was accessed.   
          Date of Access. <electronic address of the article>.

Wilson, Henrietta. "The Benefits of Fish Oil in Helping Reduce Heart Disease."
            Consumer's Research Magazine Feb 1998: 14-19. EBSCOHost. American School in Japan.
            8 Dec. 2002 <http://ehostvgw10.epnet.com/ehost1.asp?key=>.

Parenthetical within text: (Wilson 15)

Endnote:

         1
Henrietta Wilson, "The Benefits of Fish Oil in Helping Reduce Heart Disease," Consumer's Research Magazine  Feb.

1998, EBSCOHost, 8 Dec. 2002 <http://www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002117300>.

A book within a database such as Questia.
The book information comes first, followed by Name of Database. Library through which the information was accessed. Date of Access. <electronic address of the article>.

Roberts, Glenda S. Staying on the Line: Blue-Collar Women in Contemporary Japan. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii     
          Press, 1994. Questia. American School in Japan. 16 Mar. 2009    
          <http://www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=1052149>.

Parenthetical within text: (Roberts 43)
Endnote:

      
1 Glenda S. Roberts, Staying on the Line: Blue-Collar Women in Contemporary Japan (Honolulu, HI: University of
Hawaii Press, 1994) 43, Questia, 16 Mar. 2009 <
http://www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=1052149>.  

Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Online
McLaren, Malcolm. "Ceramics." Encyclopedia Americana. 2009 Grolier Online. American School in Japan.
       1 Feb 2009 <http://go.grolier.com>.

Parenthetical within text:  (McLaren )

Endnote:

        
3 Malcolm McLaren, "Ceramics," Encyclopedia Americana 2009, Grolier Online, American School in Japan,

1 Feb 2009 <http://go.grolier.com>.

Web Sites (World Wide Web)

A Web Page

Author(s). "Page Title" (The title of the specific page, not the web site). Site Title. Organization. Date of

       Posting/Revision. Date of Access <electronic address>.


"Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail." National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior.

       28 Nov 2007 <http://www.nps.gov/lecl/>.

Parenthetical within text:  ("Lewis and Clark" )

Endnote:


         
3 "Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail," National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior,

       28 Nov 2007 <http://www.nps.gov/lecl/>.   

A book within a Web site which is not a paid database (such as Project Gutenberg)

Author(s). Book Title. Place of publication: Web Site Title, Date of Posting/Revision. Date of Access. <electronic address>.


Ferber, Edna. One Basket. Champaign, Ill: Project Gutenberg, 1996.17 Mar. 2009. <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/489/489-     
       h/489-h.htm>.

Parenthetical within text:  (Ferber)

Endnote:

         
5
Edna Ferber, One Basket, (Champaign, Ill), Project Gutenberg, 17 Mar. 2009. <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/489/489-     
h/489-h.htm>.

Email and Interviews

Personal Email

Author. Email to the author. Date.

Junger, Sebastian. Email to the author. 12 Nov. 1996.

Parenthetical within text:  (Junger )

Endnote:

         
2 Sebastian Junger, Email to the author, 12 Nov. 1996.

Interview

Goodall, Jane. Personal Interview. 3 Oct. 1997.

Parenthetical within text:  (Goodall)

Endnote:
       14 Jane Goodall, Personal interview, 3 Oct. 1997.

Forums, Chats, Listservs, Bulletin Boards and Blogs
From Yale Writing Center
Last Name, First Name or Username of Author. “Title or Subject line.” Type of Post. Posting Date 
        Discussion Group. Date of Access <Discussion Group Address>.

CAJ Library. "Invention of Hugo Cabret for Sakura Chapter Book." Listserv. 2 Apr. 2007  
        International School Librarians of Japan. 3 Apr. 2007
       <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/librariansjapan/>

Parenthetical within text:  (CAJ)
Endnote:

        14
 CAJ Library, "Invention of Hugo Cabret for Sakura Chapter Book," Listserv, 2 Apr. 2007 International School Librarians of Japan, 3 Apr. 2007 <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/librariansjapan/>

Blogs

Last Name, First Name or Username of Author. “Title of the Individual Blog Entry or the First Few Words.”
        
Weblog Entry. Name of Blog. Sponsoring Organization -- If Any. Posting Date Date of
         Access <Weblog Address>.

Fede. "Yuu-chan saikou!!! Uh, quel dorama." Weblog entry. Hachiko’s Blog. Vox.  9 Mar. 2007.  2 Apr. 2007 <http://arashi-  
         vale.vox.com/library/post/yuu-chan-saikou.html#comments>.

Parenthetical within text:  (Fede)

Endnote:
            12 Fede, "Yuu-chan saikou!!! Uh, quel dorama," Weblog entry, Hachiko’s Blog, Vox,  9 Mar. 2007.  2 Apr. 2007 <http://arashi-vale.vox.com/library/post/yuu-chan-saikou.html#comments>.
 

Multimedia - Videos, Images, etc. including YouTube

Video Online

Hoff, Syd.  Danny and the Dinosaur.  Weston Woods, 1990. Discovery Enterprises, LLC. 30 Nov.
     
         2001 <http://www.unitedstreaming.com>.

Parenthetical within text:  (Hoff)

Endnote:

           6 Syd Hoff,  Danny and the Dinosaur, Weston Woods, 1990, Discovery Enterprises, LLC., 30 Nov. 2001

<http://www.unitedstreaming.com>.

YouTube

Author's Last Name, First Name or Corporate/Institutional Author Name <if known>. "Title of Document or File." Document date OR date of last revision. Medium (e.g. Online video clip). Title of larger web site in which clip is located. Name of hosting library or agency (if appropriate). Access date. URL <web address>.

Granda, Helen. "Cat Plays with Goat." Online video clip. YouTube. 22 Feb. 2008

          <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puRFTmduyd>.

Parenthetical within text:  (Granda)

Endnote:

                 6 
Helen Granda, "Cat Plays with Goat," Online video clip, YouTube, 22 Feb. 2008

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puRFTmduyd>.


Film on DVD

The Missing One. Dir. Jacob Hillman. Perf. Dean Williams, 2004. DVD. Buena Vista, 2005.

Parenthetical within text:  (Missing)

Endnote:

                10
The Missing One, Dir. Jacob Hillman, Perf. Dean Williams, 2004, DVD. Buena Vista, 2005.

Image

Fuqua, Paul. Woman with Child. 2003. Discovery Enterprises, LLC. 01 Jan. 2007   
       
         <http://www.unitedstreaming.com>

Parenthetical within text:  (Furqua)

Endnote:

             10
Paul Fuqua,  Woman with Child, 2003, Discovery Enterprises, LLC., 01 Jan. 2007 

<http://www.unitedstreaming.com>
 

Tokyo Tower. Personal photograph by author. 20 June 2005.

Parenthetical within text:  (Tokyo)

Endnote:
        
 3 Tokyo Tower, Personal photograph by author, 20 June 2005.


Art in a Museum Collection Online

Da Vinci, Leonardo. Mona Lisa. 1503. The Louvre, Paris. Grove Art Online -Art Resource. 1 Jan. 2007       
          <http://www.artres.com/c/htm/CSearchZ.aspx?o=&Total=33&FP=219758&E=22SIJMYM1LUE2&SID=
          JMGEJNT3DUMTR&Pic=3&SubE=2UNTWAS8RE0>.

Parenthetical within text:  (Da Vinci)

Endnote:
         
3 Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa, 1503, The Louvre, Paris, Grove Art Online -Art Resource, 1 Jan. 2007 
      
          <http://www.artres.com/c/htm/CSearchZ.aspx?o=&Total=33&FP=219758&E=22SIJMYM1LUE2&SID=

          JMGEJNT3DUMTR&Pic=3&SubE=2UNTWAS8RE0>.

 

Song on a CD or other Medium [LP (long playing record), Audiotape (reel to reel tape recording), Audiocassette, etc.]

Performer. "Song Title."  Album Title.  Date of performance, if a live recording. Format if not a CD. Record Company, Year. 

Myers, Lisa. "Love Me True."  Midnight. Redmond Records, 2004.

Parenthetical within text: 
(Myers)

Endnote:
        
Lisa Myers, "Love Me True," Midnight, Redmond Records, 2004.


The Beatles.
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer." Abbey Road. LP. Apple Records, 1969.

Parenthetical within text:  (The Beatles)

Endnote:
        
The Beatles, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," Abbey Road, LP, Apple Records, 1969.


Sinatra, Frank. "Rain in My Heart." Cycles. Audiotape. Vintage Music, 1968.

Parenthetical within text:  (Sinatra)

Endnote:
        
Frank Sinatra, "Rain in My Heart," Cycles, Audiotape, Vintage Music, 1968.


An Album on a CD
or other Medium
[LP (long playing record), Audiotape (reel to reel tape recording), Audiocassette, etc.]

Performer. Album Title.  Date of performance, if a live recording. Format if not a CD. Record Company, Year. 

 

Cole, Nat King. Nat King Cole at the Sands. Rec.14 Jan.1960. LP. Capitol Jazz, 1960.

Parenthetical within text:  (Cole)

Endnote:
         1
  Nat King Cole, Nat King Cole at the Sands, Rec.14 Jan.1960, LP, Capitol Jazz, 1960.

 

Parenthetical Documentation

Use the following formats to cite direct quotations, summaries, paraphrasing, or ideas that you  have borrowed to use in your paper.  If you have a question about whether or not you need to use a citation, ask your teacher. You must always give credit for the ideas of others.

For information obtained from printed documents

Use the first word in the Works Cited entry, which will be the last name of the author if you know it, or the first word of the title of the work. Then leave a space, add the page number, and enclose everything in parentheses: (Cobb 45) or ("Crystal" 56). If an author is cited consecutively within a paragraph, only the page number needs to be repeated and enclosed in parentheses: (45).

For a long quotation (more than three lines) indent each line ten spaces and double space. Put the citation name in parentheses following the final punctuation, and do not use quotation marks to surround the quotation.

For information obtained from electronic resources

Use the first word in the Works Cited entry, which will be the last name of the author or the first word of the title of the work. Do not attempt to find a page number. Enclose the key word in parentheses: ("Samurai"). If your paragraph identifies the Works Cited entry by name, it is not necessary to use any parenthetical reference.

Annotated Bibliographies

An annotated bibliography includes a brief paragraph that describes and sometimes evaluates the resource (print or non-print). A descriptive annotation tells the reader something about the resource. A critical evaluation will include more information, such as the author's qualifications (authority), point of view, methods, and results.

Here are examples of  descriptive and critical annotations from How to Write Annotated Bibliographies from the Memorial University Libraries website.

Descriptive.

London, Herbert. "Five Myths of the Television Age." Television Quarterly 10 (1) Spring 1982: 81-89.

Herbert London, the Dean of Journalism at New York University and author of several books and articles, explains how television contradicts five commonly believed ideas. He uses specific examples of events seen on television, such as the assassination of John Kennedy, to illustrate his points. His examples have been selected to contradict such truisms as: "seeing is believing"; "a picture is worth a thousand words"; and "satisfaction is its own reward." London uses logical arguments to support his ideas which are his personal opinion. He doesn't refer to any previous works on the topic. London's style and vocabulary would make the article of interest to any reader.

Critical

London, Herbert. "Five Myths of the Television Age." Television Quarterly 10 (1) Spring 1982: 81-89.

Herbert London, the Dean of Journalism at New York University and author of several books and articles, explains how television contradicts five commonly believed ideas. He uses specific examples of events seen on television, such as the assassination of John Kennedy, to illustrate his points. His examples have been selected to contradict such truisms as: "seeing is believing"; "a picture is worth a thousand words"; and "satisfaction is its own reward." London uses logical arguments to support his ideas which are his personal opinion. He doesn't refer to any previous works on the topic; however, for a different point of view, one should refer to Joseph Patterson's, "Television is Truth" (The Journal of Television 45 (6) November/December 1995: 120-135). London's style and vocabulary would make the article of interest to any reader. The article clearly illustrates London's points, but does not explore their implications, leaving the reader with many unanswered questions.

Here is an example of a critical annotation in MLA style from the website How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography  from Cornell University.

Goldscheider, Frances Kobrin, Linda J. Waite, and Christina Witsberger. "Nonfamily Living
         and the Erosion of Traditional Family Orientations Among Young Adults." American  
         Sociological Review 51 (1986): 541-554.

         

The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that nonfamily living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of nonfamily living.

Another good site is Sample Annotated Bibliographies from Purdue University.

Indirect Sources

You are quoting someone who is quoted in a book or article. In this case you can use the abbreviation qtd.in (quoted in ) in your parenthetical reference. 

For example, you are quoting Mary Wilson, who is quoted on page 25 of the book:  Cobb, Jodi. Geisha. 2nd ed. New York: Knopf, 1997.

Your parenthetical reference will be: (Mary Wilson qtd. in Cobb 25)

If you say that you're quoting Mary Wilson right in your text, you don't need her name in the parenthetical reference:

     According to Mary Wilson, who lived in the Gion section of Kyoto, geisha "study for many years" (qtd. in Cobb 25).

 

If you are quoting someone who is quoted in a magazine article in a database it will look like this:

Dr. Mark Rogers at the Harvard Health Center encourages people "to include fish oil in their diet" (qtd. in Wilson 15)

This is the original article:

Wilson, Henrietta. "The Benefits of Fish Oil in Helping Reduce Heart Disease."
            Consumer's Research Magazine Feb 1998: 14-19. EBSCOHost. American School in Japan.
            8 Dec. 2002 <http://ehostvgw10.epnet.com/ehost1.asp?key=>.

 

Footnotes and Endnotes

How to Write Footnotes and Endnotes in MLA Style
From the OWL resource MLA Formatting and Style Guide at Purdue University

MLA MODEL FOR FOOTNOTES AND ENDNOTES (includes examples from databases)
Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board

Translations

If a work is translated, put trans. XXXX. after the title.

Example:

Esquivel, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments, with Recipes,  

        Romances and Home Remedies. Trans. Carol Christensen and Thomas Christensen. New

        York: Doubleday, 1992.

Abbreviations used in MLA style
 

Apr.

June (no abbreviation)

Aug.

Mar.

Dec.

May (no abbreviation)

Feb.

Nov.

Jan.

Oct.

July (no abbreviation)

Sept.

 

anon.

anonymous

chor.

choreographer

cond.

conductor, conducted by

dir.

director

distr.

distributor

ed.

editor, edition, edited by

eg.

for example

et al.

and others

ex.

example

fig.

figure

i.e.

that is

illus.

illustrator, illustration, illustrated by

Jr.

Junior

n.d.

no date of publication

n.p.

no place of publication; no publisher

n.pag.

no pagination

orch.

orchestra, orchestrated by

par.

paragraph

perf.

performer

prod.

producer

Sr.

Senior

supp.

supplement

trans.

translator, translation, translated by

vers.

version

vol.

volume

 

This guide is based on:

Gibaldi, Joseph, and Modern Language Association of America.  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. New York:

         Modern Language Association of America, 2003.

Last Updated   12/03/2009

 

  

 

Compiled by the Main Library Staff