There is now a mini-guide for the MLA 9th Edition.
Check with your lecturer which version you should be using, but the referencing styles for the 8th and 9th editions of MLA are largely identical (most of the changes between 8th and 9th pertain to extra information available in the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook).
For MLA when you quote or paraphrase a specific portion of a text in a source, give enough information, most typically the author's last name and the page number, to identify the exact location of the borrowed material.
Examples:
Want to know more, have a look at the links below:
A selection of books available in our Library.
MLA Handbook by MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the arts and humanities. These examples reflect the MLA Handbook (8th ed.). See the links to the left for copies in our collection.
You can also head to the MLA site to see what’s new in the eighth edition, view sample papers, or check out their handy quick guide for reference lists.
We're currently working on a new LibGuide for MLA 8th edition, so the advice on this page is just a short glimpse.
While we're working on it, we recommend students take look at this guide:From a book
Lastname, Firstname, and Firstname Lastname. Title of Book. Publisher, Year of Publication.
Example
Baker, Nancy L., and Nancy Huling. A Research Guide for Undergraduate Students: English and American Literature. 6th ed., MLA, 2006.
Zelizer, Barbie, and Stuart Allan, editors. Journalism after September 11. Routledge, 2002.
From an eBook
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. edition, Publisher, Year. Source/supplier of eBook, DOI or URL.
Example
Cave, Nick. The Death of Bunny Munro. Kindle ed., Text Publishing, 2009.
Zelizer, Barbie, and Stuart Allan, editors. Journalism after September 11. 2nd ed., Routledge, 2011. ProQuest Ebook Central, ebookcentral.proquest.com.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/lib/jcu/detail.action?docID=684083.
A chapter from a book or entry in an anthology
Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Chapter/Essay." Title of Book/Collection, edited by Editor's Name(s), Publisher, Year, Page range of entry.
Example
Sinclair, Upton. “The Brass Check.” The Journalist’s Moral Compass: Basic Principles, edited by Steven R. Knowlton, and Patrick R. Parsons, Praeger, 1995, pp. 184-190.
From a print journal article
Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, Volume, Issue, Year, pages.
Example
Martin, Greg. “Subculture, Style, Chavs and Consumer Capitalism: Towards a Critical Cultural Criminology of Youth.” Crime, Media, Culture, vol. 5, no. 2, 2009, pp. 123-145.
From an electronic journal article
Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, Volume, Issue, Year, pages. Source/supplier of article, DOI or URL.
Example
Morreale, Joanne. “The Spectacle of the Prisoner.” Television & New Media, vol. 7, no. 2, 2006, pp. 216-226. Sage Journals, doi:10.1177/1527476404270610.
Rabkin, Eric S. "The Medical Lessons of Science Fiction." Literature and Medicine, vol. 20, no. 1, 2001., pp. 13-25. ProQuest, search.proquest.com.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/docview/745601597?accountid=16285
From a website
Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). "Name of Article." (if applicable) Name of Site, Version number, Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), Date of resource creation (if available). URL. Date of access (if applicable).
Example
The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/. Accessed 28 November 2016.
Low, Nic. "New Writing for the Real Australia." Southerly, 21 Nov. 2016, southerlyjournal.com.au/2016/11/21/new-writing-for-the-real-australia/.
From a print newspaper
ReporterLastname, ReporterFirstname. "Title of article." Title of Newspaper, Day Month Year, pages.
Example
Lawlor, Anne. "Phoenician 'find' makes textbooks ancient history." The Courier Mail, 20 July 2000, p. 3.
From a newspaper website
ReporterLastname, ReporterFirstname. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper, Day Month Year, URL.
Example
Nicholson, Brendan. "Row over 'biblical' weapons in Afghanistan." The Australian, 22 Jan. 2010, www.theaustralian.com.au/news/row-over-biblical-weapons-in-afghanistan/story-e6frg6n6-1225822373759.
“Russian Ambassador to Ankara Gunned Down During Art Gallery Visit.” Townsville Bulletin, 20 Dec. 2016, www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/world/russian-ambassador-to-ankara-gunned-down-during-art-gallery-visit/news-story/8678761871fa963d07d62ca83dc8caf8
From a government publication
If the author is a government body:
Dept. Name, Name of Section if Relevant. Title of Document. Publisher, Year. Source of publication, URL.
If author is a person:
Lastname, Firstname. Name of Section if Relevant. Title of Document. Publisher, Year. URL.
Example
Great Britain, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food. Our Countryside, the Future: A Fair Deal for Rural England. Her Majesty's Stationary Office, 2000.
Bennetts, Rebecca, et al. 25 Years of Health Expenditure in Australia: 1989-90 to 2013-14. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2016, www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=60129554396
From a live lecture or speech:
SpeakerLastname, SpeakerFirstname. "Title of Lecture." Name of Seminar or Meeting, Day Month Year, Address of Seminar or Meeting. Format.
nb. Format could be Lecture or Address, for example
Example
Hooper, Helen. "Finding Academic Information and Evaluating Websites." BA1001: Time Truth and the Human Condition, 8 March 2012, James Cook University, Townsville. Lecture.
Matuozzi, Robert. "Archive Trauma." Archive Trouble. MLA Annual Convention, 29 Dec. 2007, Hyatt Regency, Chicago. Address.
From a film
For Film, if you are referencing the entire film, structure the reference with the title first. If you are citing the contribution of a particular person, begin with the name of that person.
Title. Directed by Firstname Lastname, produced by Firstname Lastname, Distributor, year of release.
Examples
You Can Count on Me. Directed by Ken Lonergan, produced by Martin Scorsese, Paramount Pictures, 2000.
It's a Wonderful Life. Directed by Frank Capra, performances by James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, and Thomas Mitchell, 1946. Republic, 2001.
Scorsese, Martin, producer. You Can Count on Me. Directed by Ken Lonergan. Paramount Pictures, 2000.
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