MLA 8th Edition – Web-based Resource

The eighth edition of the Handbook (2016) has changed quite a bit from the seventh. The actual entries on a Works Cited page may look similar, but the principles between the old documentation style and this new one are significantly different.

Rather than having to consult the Handbook or other resource to determine the proper way to cite a specific type of source (the method you probably used with previous editions of MLA), you now have in the eighth edition a universal set of guidelines that you can apply to any source, no matter the medium.

What this means is that you will create the entries on your Works Cited page by determining which of the nine core elements (explained below) are available in or applicable to each of your sources. Then, based on those elements, you will compile your entry in the recommended order (explained below).

Works Cited Guidelines

Terms to Keep in Mind

Certain words used in this edition of MLA may seem unclear because they're used in unconventional ways; reference these definitions to learn how these terms are used.

Term	Definition
Element	These are the various components that may exist in any citation; these include Authors, Title of Source, Title of Container, Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, and Location.
Container	This refers to larger works (like a database or newspaper) that contain smaller works (like individual articles). These smaller works are "nested" within the larger work.
Location	This no longer refers to place of publication. This now refers to page numbers, URLs, permalinks, and digital object identifiers (DOIs).

The first step is to determine whether your source has an author.

If it doesn't, you can skip this element in your citation.
If it does have an author, determine whether it is one author, two authors, three or more authors, an individual other than an author (like a translator), someone using a pseudonym, or a corporate author. Then format according to the relevant examples below.

This element ends with a period.

For more information about Authors, consult pages 21-25 of the MLA Handbook.

Format	Example
One author	Gardner, Eric. Black Print Unbound: The Christian Recorder, African American Literature, and Periodical Culture. Oxford UP, 2015.
Two authors	Carter, Geoffrey V., and Sarah J. Arroyo. "Tubing the Future: Participatory Pedagogy and Youtube U in 2020." Computers and Composition: An International Journal for Teachers of Writing, vol. 28, no. 4, Jan. 2011, pp. 292-302.
Three or more authors	Raica-Klotz, Helen, et al. "'Developing Writers': The Multiple Identities of an Embedded Tutor in the Developmental Writing Classroom." Praxis: A Writing Center Journal, vol. 12, no. 1, 2014, www.praxisuwc.com/raica-klotz-et-al-121.
Individual other than author¹	Burgess, Anthony, translator. Oedipus the King. By Sophocles, U of Minnesota P, 1972. Haleem, M. A. S. Abdel, translator. The Qur'an. Oxford UP, 2008. Rzeszutek, David, director. The Grapes of Wrath. By John Steinbeck, adapted by Frank Galati, 15. Oct. 2014, Saginaw Valley State University Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts, University Center, MI.
Pseudonym (username, etc.)	@SVSUPrez. "Spent a fun evening with visiting students from Ming Chuan University and Shanghai Normal University." Twitter, 25 July 2016, www.twitter.com/svsuprez.
Corporate authors	Saginaw Valley State University. A Master Plan for Guiding Future Opportunity. Aug. 2012, www.svsu.edu/campusfacilities/planningconstruction/.
No author	"Career Services." Saginaw Valley State University, www.svsu.edu/careerservices/.

¹ In this instance, the emphasis is not on the writer of the work, but another person linked to the work. In the Burgess citation, the student is writing a paper comparing two different translations of Sophocles' play rather than doing a close reading of one translation of the play.

Next, determine whether your source has a title. (It most likely does.)

If your source stands alone (i.e., it does not have a larger container), italicize the title.
If your source is part of an academic journal, newspaper, magazine, series, album, or other container, place the title in quotation marks. The container will be italicized, as discussed in the next step.

This element ends with a period.

For more information about Title of Source, consult pages 25-29 of the MLA Handbook.

Format	Example
Book or graphic novel title	Gardner, Eric. Black Print Unbound: The Christian Recorder, African American Literature, and Periodical Culture. Oxford UP, 2015. Small, David. Stitches: A Memoir. W. W. Norton, 2010.
Essay, chapter, short story, poem title in larger work or anthology	Cook, Daniel. "Utopia from the Rooftops: H.G. Wells, Modernism and the Panorama City." Utopian Spaces of Modernism: British Literature and Culture, 1885-1945, edited by Rosalyn Gregory and Benjamin Kohlmann, Palgrave Macmillan, 2012, pp. 105-20.
Article title	Branch, John. "Olympian's Mother Leaves a Suitcase at Check-In, and It Is Destroyed." The New York Times, 15 Aug. 2016, nyti.ms/2bsITlE. Carter, Geoffrey V., and Sarah J. Arroyo. "Tubing the Future: Participatory Pedagogy and Youtube U in 2020." Computers and Composition: An International Journal for Teachers of Writing, vol. 28, no. 4, Jan. 2011, pp. 292-302. Kasper, Gabe. "Dean of Students Honored with the Dedication of MJ Brandimore House." The Valley Vanguard, 12 Aug. 2016, www.valleyvanguardonline.com/dean-of-students-honored-with-the-dedication-of-m-j-brandimore-house/.
TV show title	"Threat Level Midnight." The Office, directed by Tucker Gates, season 7, episode 17, NBC, 17 Feb. 2011.
Web page title	"Career Services." Saginaw Valley State University, www.svsu.edu/careerservices/.
Song title	Astley, Rick. "Never Gonna Give You Up." Whenever You Need Somebody, RCA Records, 1987.
Email titles	LaPrad, John. "Email Expiration Notice." Received by Kylie Wojciechowski, 6 Aug. 2016.

If your source is nested within a larger container (like a journal, anthology, series, or album), place the source title in quotation marks and italicize the larger container title.

This element ends with a comma.

Things to Remember:

A source can be nested within multiple containers (i.e., a scholarly essay can be nested in a journal that can be nested in a database). If this is the case, that second container, which will also be italicized, will come later in your citation.

For more information about Containers, consult pages 30-36 of the MLA Handbook.

Format	Example
One container	Munn, Paul. "Puissance, Jouissance, and Communication: Mediating John Ashbery's 'The Salve Merchant' in the Context of his Planisphere." Imaginaires, no. 18, 2014, pp. 173-84. "Satan's Satellites." YouTube, directed by Fred C. Brannon, The Paramount Vault, 2015, youtu.be/bMU8yap0L18.
Two containers	Mosher, Michael. "Painting Material Culture: Community Art Research in Saginaw, Michigan." Material Culture, vol. 44, no. 2, 2012, pp. 43-60. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.library.svsu.edu/stable/24396672. Wallace, Michele. "The Hottentot Venus." The Village Voice, 21 May 1996, p. 31. ProQuest Research Library, www.0-search.proquest.com.library.svsu.edu/pqr/docview/232242791/66E31C4535A14512P0/5?accountid=960.

Format

Example

One container

Munn, Paul. "Puissance, Jouissance, and Communication: Mediating John Ashbery's 'The Salve Merchant' in the Context of his Planisphere." Imaginaires, no. 18, 2014, pp. 173-84.

"Satan's Satellites." YouTube, directed by Fred C. Brannon, The Paramount Vault, 2015, youtu.be/bMU8yap0L18.

Two containers

Mosher, Michael. "Painting Material Culture: Community Art Research in Saginaw, Michigan." Material Culture, vol. 44, no. 2, 2012, pp. 43-60. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.library.svsu.edu/stable/24396672.

Wallace, Michele. "The Hottentot Venus." The Village Voice, 21 May 1996, p. 31. ProQuest Research Library, www.0-search.proquest.com.library.svsu.edu/pqr/docview/232242791/66E31C4535A14512P0/5?accountid=960.

If there are other important contributors to your source (like authors, editors, translators, directors, or performers), include them if it will provide your readers with more information about your source.

This element ends with a comma.

For more information about Other Contributors, consult pages 37-38 of the MLA Handbook.

Format	Example
Author	Burgess, Anthony, translator. Oedipus the King. By Sophocles, U of Minnesota P, 1972.
Editor	Knoblock, Natalia. "Sarcasm and Irony as a Political Weapon: Social Networking in the Time of Crisis." Political Discourse in Emergent, Fragile, and Failed Democracies, edited by Daniel Ochieng Orwengo, Omonodi Oketch, and Asiru Hameed Tunde, IGI-Global, 2016, pp. 11-33.
Translator	Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Translated by Constance Garnett, Dover Publications, 2001.
Director	Schindler’s List. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Universal Pictures, 1993. Safe. Directed by David Rzeszutek, 18 Nov. 2015, Saginaw Valley State University Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts, University Center, MI.
Performer	The Game’s Afoot. Directed by Steven C. Erickson, performance by Jonah Conner and Amanda Moths, 7 Oct. 2015, Saginaw Valley State University Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts, University Center, MI. The Princess Bride. Directed by Carl Reiner, performance by Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, and Chris Sarandon, 20th Century Fox, 1987.

If you are using a specific version or edition of your source, indicate which version, whether you're using a book, movie, song, or other form of media.

Things to Remember:

Always use a digit for a version number, no matter what the source itself indicates.
Abbreviate edition to ed. and revised to rev.

This element ends with a comma.

For more information about Versions, consult pages 38-39 of the MLA Handbook.

Format	Example
Version of a book	Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Barnes & Noble collectible ed., Barnes & Noble, 2011. Pride and Prejudice. Kindle ed., Amazon Digital Services, 2012. Mauk, John, and John Metz. The Composition of Everyday Life: A Guide to Writing. Brief 5th ed., Cengage Learning, 2016.
Version of a sacred text	The Holy Bible. New International Version, Zondervan, 2011.
Version of a movie	The Ruins. Directed by Carter Smith, unrated ed., Dreamworks Video, 2008, Amazon Prime.
Version of a song	Eminem. "Brain Damage." The Slim Shady LP, explicit version, Interscope Records, 2000, Spotify, play.spotify.com/album/0vE6mttRTBXRe9rKghyr1l.

If your source has numbers associated with it (like a TV show or journal article would), include those here.

Things to Remember:

When including an article's volume and issue numbers, abbreviate volume to vol. and number to no.

This element ends with a comma.

For more information about Numbers, consult pages 39-40 of the MLA Handbook.

Format	Example
Journal / comic book numbers	Carter, Geoffrey V., and Sarah J. Arroyo. "Tubing the Future: Participatory Pedagogy and Youtube U in 2020." Computers and Composition: An International Journal for Teachers of Writing, vol. 28, no. 4, Jan. 2011, pp. 292-302.
TV show numbers	"Threat Level Midnight." The Office, directed by Tucker Gates, season 7, episode 17, NBC, 17 Feb. 2011.

Next, include the publisher of your source. If your source has more than one publisher, separate the publishers with a slash.

Things to Remember:

Omit words referencing companies or corporations (like LLC, Company, Co., etc.).
Abbreviate University Press as UP. (This may look like U of Michigan P.)
Omit publisher information when working with any periodicals (journals, magazines, newspapers).
Omit publisher information for any web site when the web site name is the same as the publisher's name.

This element ends with a comma.

For more information about Publisher, consult pages 40-42 of the MLA Handbook.

Format	Example
One publisher	Gardner, Eric. Black Print Unbound: The Christian Recorder, African American Literature, and Periodical Culture. Oxford UP, 2015.
Two publishers	Bilodeau, Brent L. "Understanding Genderism."The Art of Effective Facilitation: Reflections from Social Justice Educators, edited by Lisa M. Landreman, ACPA-College Student/Stylus, 2013, pp. 67-80.

If the publication date (exact or seasonal) is available, include it here.

Things to Remember:

MLA abbreviates all months except May, June, and July.
MLA gives the full date for articles published in daily newspapers; writers can also give the full date for other periodicals if available.
When providing the full date, writers should use the European format of Day Mon. Year.

This element ends with a comma if more information follows in the citation.

For more information about Publication Date, consult pages 42-46 of the MLA Handbook.

Format	Example
Exact date	@SVSUPrez. "Spent a fun evening with visiting students from Ming Chuan University and Shanghai Normal University." Twitter, 25 July 2016, www.twitter.com/svsuprez. Gardner, Eric. Black Print Unbound: The Christian Recorder, African American Literature, and Periodical Culture. Oxford UP, 2015.
Seasonal date	Munn, Paul. "The American Sonnet Community in the Early 1920s: The Alternative Evolution." CEA Critic: An Official Journal of the College English Association, vol. 74, no. 1, Fall 2011, pp. 60-79.

Format

Example

Exact date

@SVSUPrez. "Spent a fun evening with visiting students from Ming Chuan University and Shanghai Normal University." Twitter, 25 July 2016, www.twitter.com/svsuprez.

Gardner, Eric. Black Print Unbound: The Christian Recorder, African American Literature, and Periodical Culture. Oxford UP, 2015.

Seasonal date

Munn, Paul. "The American Sonnet Community in the Early 1920s: The Alternative Evolution." CEA Critic: An Official Journal of the College English Association, vol. 74, no. 1, Fall 2011, pp. 60-79.

This component is misleadingly named. It does not refer to the city, state, or country where a source was published. This element instead refers to the location of the cited information in terms of pages or online location (URL).

Things to Remember:

Omit "http://" from web addresses.
Print resources include page ranges.
- p. = one page
- pp. = range of pages
Online resources include the URL or digital object identifier (DOI).
- Choose a DOI over a permalink or URL.
- Choose a permalink over a URL.

This element ends with a period.

For more information about Location, consult pages 46-50 of the MLA Handbook.

Format	Example
Print resources	Munn, Paul. "The American Sonnet Community in the Early 1920s: The Alternative Evolution." CEA Critic: An Official Journal of the College English Association, vol. 74, no. 1, Fall 2011, pp. 60-79.
Online resources	Baruth, Megan, et al. "Clinically Meaningful Changes in Functional Performance Resulting from Self-Directed Interventions in Individuals with Arthritis." Public Health, vol. 133, 2016, doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2016.01.004.

MLA 8th Edition – Web-based Resource

Saginaw Valley State University Writing Center

Works Cited Guidelines

Terms to Keep in Mind

Last updated 1 Nov. 2016.