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How to Cite a Prayer in MLA Format

When citing a prayer, the first issue to consider is what type of prayer you are referencing. If the prayer is a well-known one, such as The Lord's Prayer, you do not have to cite it. Other prayers must be cited. You should cite the prayer based on where you found the resource in the bibliography and cite the author of the prayer itself (not the collection) in the in-text citation. MLA format was created by the Modern Language Association and has specific rules for how to cite sources. The style is typically used with humanities papers, a subject a prayer could easily be referenced in.

Instructions

- 1
  Cite a prayer in-text in MLA style by listing the name of the author in the text of the paper and the page the prayer was found on in parentheses. For example: George Baxter wrote an evening prayer (48).
- 2
  Cite a prayer found in a collection as the author, the title, the collection's title (in italics), the editor, publication information, the page number(s) and the medium of publication. For example: Baxter, George. "Evening Prayer." Collection of Evening Prayers. Ed. Carol Smith. Chicago, IL: Spiritual Publishers, 2003. 48-49. Print.
- 3
  Cite a prayer found online using the author of the prayer, the name of the prayer, the website, the name of the website, the publisher, publishing date, the medium and the date you accessed the prayer. If the website does not list a publisher or date, use the respective abbreviations n.p. and n.d.. For example: Baxter, George. "Evening Prayer." Prayers.org. n.p., n.d., Web. 22 June 2011.

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