MLA 8 - ECC - HIS 131 - American History I - LibGuides at Edgecombe Community College

Citing a Book

How to Cite a Book in Print in MLA 8

To cite a book in print in MLA 8, you will need the following pieces of information. Each information piece can be found on the book itself:

The author’s full name
Titles of any chapters or sections that were used
The title of the book
Volume number of the book (if applicable)
The publisher of the book
The year the book was published
City the book was published in (only necessary if the book was printed prior to 1900, has versions that are different in one country than in another, or if it is a rare book)
The name of any editors or translators, if applicable
Page numbers or ranges that were used

Structure of an MLA 8 citation for a book in print:

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of chapter or section.” Title of the work, translated by or edited by First name Last name, vol. number, City of Publication*, Publisher, Year the book was published, page number(s).

Notes:

*Only include the city of publication if the book was printed prior to 1900, has versions that differ in one country than another, or if it is a rare book.

*Exception to the rule: If citing a book that was translated from another language and the focus of your work is on the translation, use the translator’s name in place of the author’s. Scroll down below to see an example

Examples of how to cite a book in print in MLA 8:

Roth, Veronica. Divergent. Katherine Tegen Books, 2011.

Example of how to cite a book in print with two authors in MLA 8:

Olsen, Gregg, and Rebecca Morris. If I Can’t Have You: Susan Powell, Her Mysterious Disappearance, and the Murder of Her Children. St. Martin’s True Crime, 2015, pp. 18-22.

Example of how to cite a book in print with three or more authors in MLA 8:

Include the author that is listed first on the source. Omit the other authors’ names and include the term et al., which translates to “and others” in Latin.

Matthews, Graham, et al. Disaster Management in Archives, Libraries, and Museums. Ashgate, 2009.

How to cite a chapter of a book in MLA 8:

Montrose, Louis. “Elizabeth Through the Looking Glass: Picturing the Queen’s Two Bodies.” The Body of the Queen: Gender and Rule in the Courtly World, 1500-2000, edited by Regina Schulte, Berghahn, 2006, pp. 61-87.

In the above citation example, the book, The Body of the Queen: Gender and Rule in the Courtly World, 1500-2000 is an edited book that features a chapter by Louis Montrose. The title of the chapter that he wrote is found in quotation marks (“Elizabeth Through the Looking Glass: Picturing the Queen’s Two Bodies”).

Citing an eBook

How to Cite an E-Book Found on a Web Site or Database in MLA 8:

Many books are now found online. Popular sites or databases that hold e-books include Google Books, Project Gutenberg, and Ebsco.

To cite an e-book found on a web site or database in MLA 8, you’ll need the following pieces of information:

The author’s full name
The title of the book
Titles of any chapters or sections that were used
The name of the database or site where the e-book was found and read
Volume number (if applicable)
The publisher of the book
The year the book was published
City the book was published in (only if the book was printed prior to 1900, has versions that are different in one country than in another, or if it is a rare book)
The name of any editors or translators, if applicable
Page numbers or ranges that were used
*The URL

For the URL, omit http:// or https:// from the citation.

Structure of a citation for an E-Book found on a web site or database in MLA 8:

Author’s last name, First name. “Title of the chapter or section.” Title of the e-book, translated by or edited by First name Last name, vol. number, Publisher, Year of publication, page number(s). Title of the web site or database, URL.

Examples of how to cite an e-book in MLA 8:

Austen, Jane, and Seth Grahame-Smith. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Quirk, 2015. Google Books, books.google.com/books?id=x5xPaPeZzmUC&lpg=PP1&dq=zombies&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=zombies&f=false.

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Gold Bug.” Short Stories for English Courses, Edited by Rosa M.R. Mikels, 2004. Project Gutenberg, www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/5403/pg5403-images.html.

How to Cite an E-Book from an E-Reader in MLA 8:

E-Readers are electronic devices that display e-books. Kindles and Nooks are some of the more popular e-readers available today. Individuals can purchase or borrow e-books and read them on their e-readers.

To cite an e-book from an e-reader, such as a Kindle or Nook, find the following pieces of information:

The author’s full name
Titles of any chapters or sections that were used
The title of the book
The name of the e-reader device
Volume number of the book (if applicable)
The publisher of the book
The year the book was published
City the book was published in (only necessary if the book was printed prior to 1900, has versions that are different in one country than in another, or if it is a rare book)
The name of any editors or translators, if applicable
Page numbers or ranges that were used

Structure of a citation for an e-book found on an e-reader in MLA 8:

Author’s last name, First name. “Title of the chapter or section.” Title of the e-book, translated by or edited by First name Last name, Name of e-reader device, vol. number, Publisher, Year of publication, page number(s).

Example of a citation for an e-book found on an e-reader in MLA 8:

Doer, Anthony. All the Light We Cannot See. Kindle ed., Scribner, 2014.

Citing a Journal Article from an Online Database

A journal is a periodical published by a special group or professional organization, often focused around a particular area of study or interest. Journals can be scholarly in nature (featuring peer-reviewed articles), or popular (such as trade publications). Journal articles are generally written by professionals and experts, thus making the content of journals excellent for research purposes.

To cite a journal article in an online database in MLA 8, locate the following pieces of information:

The name of the author of the article
The title of the journal
The names of any other contributors to the article (if applicable)
The version of the journal (if applicable)
*Any numbers associated with the journal, such as a volume or issue number.
The publication date
The location, such as a page number
The name of the database the article was found on
*The URL or DOI where the article can be found

*Notes:
Many journals include a volume and issue number. The volume number usually refers to the number of years that the publication has been circulating. The issue number is the number of issues that have been circulated in a specific year. For example, the first issue of a journal for the year 2016 that was first circulated in 1996 would be volume 20, issue 1. In a journal’s citation, this information is displayed as vol. 20, no. 1.

When including the URL in the citation, omit “http://” and “https://” from the site’s address. In addition, if the citation will be viewed on a digital device, it is helpful to make it clickable. This ensures that readers will be able to easily access and view the source themselves.

*In addition, publisher’s names can be omitted for periodicals (journals, magazines, and newspapers).

Structure of a citation for a journal article from a database in MLA 8:

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of the article.” Title of the journal, First name Last name of any other contributors (if applicable), Version (if applicable), Numbers (such as a volume and issue number), Publication date, Page numbers. Title of the database, URL or DOI.

Example of a citation for a journal article found on a database in MLA 8:

Brian, Real, et al. “Rural Public Libraries and Digital Inclusion: Issues and Challenges.” Information and Technology Libraries, vol. 33, no. 1, Mar. 2014, pp. 6-24. ProQuest,
ezproxy.nypl.org/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.i.ezproxy.nypl.org/docview/1512388143?accountid=35635.

Asafu-Adjaye, Prince. “Private Returns on Education in Ghana: Estimating the Effects of Education on Employability in Ghana.” African Sociological Review, vol. 16, no. 1, 2012, pp. 120-138. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24487691.

Citing a Website

How to Cite a Website in MLA 8

A website is a collection of information pages on the Internet that are written by an individual, organization, company, or institution. Websites can range in a variety of topics including news, sports, travel, and many other interests and hobbies.

To make a citation for a website, you will need the following pieces of information:

The author’s name
The title of the article or page
The title of the website
*The name of the publisher
The date the page or site was published
*The URL

*Notes:
On the publisher:
Only include the name of the publisher when it differs from the name of the website.

On URLs:
In previous versions of MLA, researchers were not required to include the URL. In MLA 8, it is strongly recommended to include the URL in the citation. Even though web pages and URLs can be taken down or changed, it is still possible to learn about the source from the information seen in the URL.
When including URLs in a citation, omit http:// and https:// from the website’s address.
When creating a citation that will be read on a digital device, it is helpful to make the URL clickable so that readers can directly access the source themselves.

Structure of a website citation in MLA 8:

Place the author’s name in reverse order, last name first, add a comma, and then the first name followed by a period. The title of the web page or article is placed in quotation marks, with a period before the end quotation. The title of the website is written in italics followed by a comma. If the name of the publisher differs from the name of the website, include it after the title. Immediately following the publisher is the date that the page or article was published, or posted. Finally, end with the URL. The URL is the website’s address.

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of the Article or Individual Page.” Title of the website, Name of the publisher, Date of publication, URL.

Examples of website citations in MLA 8:

White, Lori. “The Newest Fad in People Helping People: Little Free Pantries.” Upworthy, Cloud Tiger Media, 3 Aug. 2016,
www.upworthy.com/the-newest-fad-in-people-helping-people-little-free-pantries?g=2&c=hpstream.

How to cite a website with no author in MLA 8:
Sometimes, websites do not clearly state who wrote the information on the page. When no author is listed, omit the author information from the citation. Start the citation with the title.

Example of a citation for a website without an author in MLA 8:

“Giant Panda.” Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institute, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/giantpandas/pandafacts.

How to cite a website when there is no page title:

When citing a web page that does not include a formal title, it is acceptable to include a description of the page. Do not place the description in italics or in quotation marks. Follow the description with the name of the website.

Example of a website citation in MLA 8 when there is no page title in MLA 8:

General Information on the New York Mets. NYCData, The Weissman Center for International Business Baruch College/CUNY, www.baruch.cuny.edu/nycdata/sports/nymets.htm.

ECC - HIS 131 - American History I: MLA 8

Citing a Book

Citing an eBook

Citing a Journal Article from an Online Database

Citing a Website