How to Do a Reference Page in MLA Format

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is one of the three most common style guides used today, along with the American Psychological Association (APA) style and the Chicago Manual of Style. Most people use MLA for writing papers and citing sources in the areas of liberal arts and the humanities. If you are looking to list your references according to MLA style, you will need to follow a series of guidelines depending on the type of work you are citing.

Instructions

  1. Books

    • 1

      List the author(s) or editor(s) first, starting with the last name and then the first name for the first author or editor, and then writing the first and last names of any subsequent authors or editors, separating each by commas, and ending the list with a period. For more than three authors, list the first author, last name first, followed by "et al." If there is no author or editor listed, proceed to the next step.

    • 2

      List the name of the work in italics, ending with a period. If referencing a specific chapter or essay, list it in quotation marks directly before the name of the work. List the page numbers toward the end of the reference, right before listing the medium.

    • 3

      List the number of the edition, if applicable, ending with a period.

    • 4

      List the place of publication, followed by a colon and then the shortened name of the publisher, followed by a comma and the date of publication, ending with a period.

    • 5

      List the medium of the publication, such as "Print," ending with a period.

    Periodicals

    • 6

      List the author(s) in the same manner as with books.

    • 7

      List the name of the article in quotation marks, ending with a period.

    • 8

      Put the name of the publication in italics after the article title, followed by the volume number and then the publication date in italics (abbreviate months), ending with a colon and followed by the page numbers, ending with a period.

    • 9

      List the medium, ending with a period.

    Online Sources

    • 10

      List the name of the host website first, ending with a period.

    • 11

      Put the name of the web page in quotation marks, ending with a period.

    • 12

      List the name of the specific company or organization that hosts the website in italics, ending with a period.

    • 13

      List the overall parent company or organization, followed by the year of publication, ending with a period. List the medium, such as "Web," followed by a period.

    • 14

      List the date the page was last accessed, followed by the URL of the web page within angle brackets, ending with a period.

Learnify Hub © www.0685.com All Rights Reserved