CitationsMLA Style Guide
Encyclopedia and Dictionary
General tips
For entries in encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works, cite the piece as you would any other work in a collection. Citing an encyclopedia article or dictionary entry is similar to citing a chapter in an anthology.
Page numbers are unnecessary because the entries are in alphabetical order.
Include the author's name (if available), the article or entry title, the title of the reference work, edition (if other than first), publication information/date.
Encyclopedia or Dictionary — Print version
Format:
Last, First M. "Entry Title" Encyclopedia Name, volume, Publisher, Year published, page.
Examples:
Guignon, Charles B. "Existentialism." Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward Craig, Routledge, 1998, p. 345.
Jamieson, Neil L. "Vietnamese." Encyclopedia of Modern Asia, edited by David Levinson and Karen Christenson, vol. 6, Scribner's, 2002.
Gleig, George 1, et al, editors. "Mongoose." Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 3, Wentworth P, 2016.
Encyclopedia or Dictionary — Electronic version
Include the author's name (if available), the title of the reference work in italics, the publisher (this may be the same as the reference work), the date of publication, DOI/URL, date of access (if no publication date).
Library Database: Provide the same information as you would for an electronic encyclopedia and add the name of the database in italics.
Format:
Last, First M. "Title." Encyclopedia or dictionary name, edition/volume, Publisher, year published, pages, database. URL/DOI. Accessed date (if no year published).
Examples:
Simpson, John A., editor. "Orca Whales." The Oxford English Dictionary, 2008, oxforddictionary.com.
"Plagiarism." Wikipedia: The Free Encylopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 18 Feb. 2013, en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plagiarism&oldid=5139350. Accessed 14 Feb. 2020.
