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Memorial University Libraries

MLA citation style

A guide to citing sources using MLA Style, 9th edition

General rules

In the publisher's name leave out words like Company (Co.), Corporation, Inc., or Ltd. Abbreviate Press (“P”) and University (“U”). For books published before 1900, use city in place of publisher, otherwise only add city when it may help locate a book published in an unexpected place or by an unfamiliar publisher outside North America. For multiple publishers, separate publisher names with a slash (/).

For electronic items, include a DOI (preferred) or a URL for the item. A DOI should be proceeded by “https://doi.org/," but for URLs you can omit the “http://" or "https://" from the web address.

Print books

Citation format:

Author Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Publisher/s, year of publication.

Works Cited examples:

Grenfell, Wilfred Thomason. Adrift on an Ice Pan. Creative Publishing, 1992.

Reeves, John. History of the Government of the Island of Newfoundland. S. R. Publishers / Johnson Reprint, 1967.

Ebooks

Include a DOI (preferred) proceeded by “https://doi.org/” or a URL. For URLs you can omit “http://” from the web address.

Citation format:

Author Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Publisher/s, year. Title of Database or Website, DOI or URL.

Works Cited examples:

Hubbard, Jennifer Mary. A Science on the Scales: The Rise of Canadian Atlantic Fisheries Biology, 1898-1939. U of Toronto P, 2006. desLibris, www-deslibris-ca.qe2a-proxy. mun.ca/ID/418777.

Wakeham, P. J.  A Book of Newfoundland Stories. Long Brothers, 1954. Memorial U of Newfoundland Digital Archives Initiative, collections.mun.ca/PDFs/cns/ ABookOfNewfoundlandStories.pdf.

Books with multiple authors

Book with 2 authors

Works Cited example:

Penney, A. R., and Fabian Kennedy. A History of the Newfoundland Railway: 1881- 1988. H. Cuff Publications, 2003.

Book with 3 or more authors

Start with the 1st author listed followed by “et al.” which is Latin for "and others."

Works Cited example:

Katona, Steven K., et al. A Field Guide to the Whales, Porpoises, and Seals from Cape Cod to Newfoundland. 4th ed., Smithsonian Institution P, 1993.

Edited books and book chapters

Edited book

List the editors name where you would list the author, and add the descriptive label "editor" or “editors" after their name.

Works Cited example:

MacEdward, Leach, editor. Folk Ballads and Songs of the Lower Labrador Coast. Queen’s Printer / National Museum of Canada, 1965.

Book with an editor in addition to an author

After the title, add "Edited by" followed by the editor's first and last name/s.

Works Cited example:

Seary, E. R. Place Names of the Northern Peninsula. Edited by Robert Hollett and William J. Kirwin, ISER, 2000.

Chapter or article in an edited book

Citation format:

Chapter Author. "Title of Article." Title of Book, edited by Editor Name/s, Publisher/s, year, pp. page #s.

Works Cited example:

Handcock, W. Gordon. “English Migration to Newfoundland.” Peopling of Newfoundland: Essays in Historical Geography, edited by John J. Mannion, ISER, 1977, pp. 15-48.

Translated books

After the title, add "Translated by" followed by the translator's name, formatted as Firstname Lastname.

Works Cited example:

Carrier, Roch. La Guerre, Yes Sir!. Translated by Sheila Fischman, Anansi, 1970.

Edition of a book other than the first

Add the number of the edition after the title and after the name of any editors or translators.

Works Cited example:

Butt, Kirk R. Early Settlers of Bay St. George. 2nd ed., Boonen Books, 2007.

Volume of a book

Add the volume number after the title, and after the edition.

Works Cited example:

Parsons, Robert. Lost at Sea. Vol. 2, Creative Publishers, 1992.

Comics and graphic novels

Comic or graphic novels with a single creator

A graphic novel with a single creator (for example, the same person wrote and illustrated it) can be cited as you would a book.

Works Cited example:

Barry, Lynda. What It Is. Drawn & Quarterly, 2008.

Comic or graphic novels with multiple contributors

For comics with multiple contributors, the names of any contributors “who are important to your discussion” can be included after the title with a description of their role (see section 5.42 of the MLA 9 Handbook).

Citation format:

Title of Issue. Title of Series, Contributors, no. or vol. #, Publisher/s, year.

Works Cited examples:

Season of Mists. The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman, penciled by Kelly Jones, coloured by Steve Oliff and Danny Vozzo, vol. 4, Vertigo, 2011.

Storybook Love. Fables, by Bill Willingham, lettered by Todd Klein, no. 3, Vertigo, 2002.