How to Cite Material With No Author in MLA Style

The Modern Language Association style of reference and citation is commonly used in disciplines within the liberal arts. It is likely that you will be asked to use MLA style at some point in your academic career. When you are conforming to MLA style guidelines and you come across a source that has no known author, use the title of the work in place of the author's name at the start of your reference list entry or in-text citation.

Instructions

    • 1

      Begin your reference list entry with the title of the source instead of the author. This applies to all types of source.

    • 2

      Continue your citation as you normally would. For example, the correct citation format for a book with no known author is as follows: Title of Book in Italics. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication. The correct citation format for a magazine article with no known author is: "Title of Article." Title of Periodical in Italics Day Month Year: Pages. Medium of publication. The correct citation format for a website or webpage with an unknown author is:

      "Title of Document." Name of Website in Italics, Name of Publisher, Date of Publication. Medium of Publication. Date of Access.

    • 3

      Alphabetize your reference entry according to the title of the source. For example, a source of unknown authorship titled "Great Jupiter's Moons" would come after an entry for a work by Jane Grass and before the entry for a work written by Jim Green.

    • 4

      Use the title of the source in place of the author's last name when citing within the text. The title of major works should be italicized. The titles of poems, articles and websites should appear in quotation marks. Follow the title with the page number you are referencing, and enclose the entire citation in parentheses. The citation should appear directly after your summary or quotation. For example: One unknown author from the 19th century argued that "of Jupiter's many wonders, surely the moons are her most mysterious" ("Great Jupiter's Moons" 13).

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