Write the name of the author, followed by a period. The name should be ordered last name, first name, and middle initial. If you do not know the middle initial then you can leave it out. For example, if the author's name is Cassidy Lane, then at this point your reference note should look like this:Lane, Cassidy.
Follow the author's name with the title of the book and another period.If possible, italicize the title. If your word processor will not support this type of formatting, then use an underscore to indicate that the title is underlined. If the title of the book is "Understanding Botanical Symbolism in Shakespeare," then your reference note should now look like this:Lane, Cassidy. _Understanding Botanical Symbolism in Shakespeare_.
Add the location where the book was published, followed by a semi colon. You can usually find this information on the title page of the book. For example, if the book was published by Jones, Johnson & Leters in Boston, Massachusetts, then your reference notes should now look like this:Lane, Cassidy. _Understanding Botanical Symbolism in Shakespeare_. Boston:
Place the name of the publishers after the semi colon, and follow this by a period. Using the previous information, your reference notes for this book should now look like this:Lane, Cassidy. _Understanding Botanical Symbolism in Shakespeare_. Boston: Jones, Johnson & Leters,
End the citation with the date of publication, followed by a period. If the book was published in 1999, then your completed MLA citation will look like this:Lane, Cassidy. _Understanding Botanical Symbolism in Shakespeare_. Boston: Jones, Johnson & Leters, 1999.