CitationsMLA Style Guide
Book
General tips
Associations, corporations, agencies, government departments and organizations are considered authors when there is no single author
Titles of books are italicized, chapters/short works are in quotation marks. List editions other than the first
For university presses, use U for University and P for Press, e.g., Princeton UP.
Do not cite page numbers when citing book as a whole. You will cite the specific page numbers in your paper.
Book — Print Version
Format:
Last Name/Organization, First Name, First Middle Initial. Title of Book. Edition [if other than first], Publisher, Year published.
Examples:
American Allergy Association. Allergies in Children. 2nd ed., Random Press, 1998.
Crowley, Sharon. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. 3rd ed., Pearson/Longman, 2004.
Gillespie, Paula. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Allyn, 2000.
Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Logan, 2004.
Edited Book — Print Version
When citing an entire book that lists editors on its title page, insert "Edited by Editor's Name" after the title.
Format:
Last, First, M., Title of Book. Edited by First Name. M. Last Name, Edition [if other than first], Publisher, Year published.
Example:
Lucas, John S. Aquaculture: Farming Aquatic Animals and Plants. Edited by Paul C. Southgate and Craig S. Tucker, 2nd ed., Wiley-Blackwell, 2019.
Translated Book — Print Version
Cite as you would any other book. Add "Translated by" followed by the translator's name.
Format:
Last, First. Title of Book. Translated by First Last, Publisher, Year published.
Example:
Foucault, Michel. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason. Translated by Richard A. Howard, 3rd ed., Vintage, 2013.
Chapter in an edited book — Print version
Format:
Last, First. "Title of Chapter." Title of Book, edited by First M. Last, edition, Publisher, Year published, Pages [pp. ##-##].
Examples:
Snell, Richard S. "The Major Anatomic Components of the Eye." Clinical Anatomy of the Eye, edited by Michael A. Lemp, 3rd ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2013, pp. 34-55.
Book — Electronic version
DOIs/URLs are required for electronic/web sources, omitting http://. Use a permalink when available.
Library Database: Provide the same information as you would for a printed book and add the name of the database in italics followed by the DOI (if provided) or URL.
If there is no copyright date, immediately after the DOI/URL, write Accessed and the date (Day Month Year). This is only required when a copyright date is not listed for an electronic source.
Format:
Last, First M. Book Title. Edition, Publisher, Year published. Database Name, DOI/URL.
Example:
Hamid, Tawfik. Inside Jihad: Understanding and Confronting Radical Islam. Stanley, 2008, BerkDatabase. c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.cicentre.com/resource/resmgr/books/inside_jihad_final.pdf.
E-Book
Citations for e-books closely resemble those for physical books. Simply add the term "E-book" or the name of the specific reader device.
Example:
Silva, Paul J. How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing. E-book, American Psychological Association, 2007.
