MLA Documentation
Because of our limited access to print media on the Grandview Campus, English students are most likely to use one of the following four types of resources when they research for their essays: stories or articles out of the textbook, interviews, the internet, or an online subscription database. So here is a handy guide to help you with those sources. For other types of sources, please consult a MLA handbook or a MLA website! NOTE: Double space and alphabetize entries on your Works Cited page.
Works in an Anthology (In other words, stories, essays, or articles from your textbook)
Author’s Last Name, First name. “Title of article.” Title of Anthology (textbook). Edition (if applicable). Editor(s) name(s) listed Ed., then first name, then last. City Published (include state if city is unfamiliar): Publisher (just the name; no Inc., Co., etc.), Copyright date (most recent). Pages of selection (no need to put p. or page).
Sample:
Gray, John. “Mr. Fix-It and the Home Improvement Committee.” Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. 3rd Ed. Eds. Gary Goshgarian, Kathleen Krueger, and Janet Barnett Minc. New York: Longman, 2000. 285 – 292.
Person’s Last Name, First. Personal Interview. Date (put in the following order: day, month, year).
Sample:
Calhoon-Dillahunt, Carolyn. Personal Interview. 26 Sept. 2003.
Provide as much information as possible. You always must list the title, access date, and web address.
Author or Corporate Author. Title of Site. Editor(s), if listed. Copyright date or latest update date. Publisher or sponsoring organization. Access date (list day, month, year). <address>.
Sample: (No author or editor was listed)
Research and Documenting Sources. 1995 – 2003. Purdue University Online Writing Lab. 26 Sept. 2003 <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/index.html>.
Work from an Online Subscription Service (ProQuest/Academic Search Elite)
Author’s Last Name, First. “Article Title.” Magazine, Journal, or Newspaper Title Date Published (or Issue and Number): Page numbers (from Original Publication). Name of Database (i.e. Academic Search Elite). Name of Service (i.e. ProQuest , EBSCOhost). Name and location of library. Date of access (day, month, year). Web address of the service.
Sample: (No author was listed)
“A Ban on Assisted Suicide.” The New York Times 19 Sep. 2000: A24. ProQuest Direct. Yakima Valley Comm. Coll. Lib., Grandview, WA. 31 Oct. 2000. <http://proquest.umi.com>.
Scott, Kathy. “Writing Improvement for All.” Journal of School Improvement 3.1 (2002): 39 – 43. ERIC. EBSCOhost. Yakima Valley Comm. Coll. Lib., Grandview, WA. 26 Sept. 2003. <http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=EJ650942&db=eric>.
Updated 9/26/03. Information adapted from: Hacker, Diane. A Writer’s Reference. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003.