Creating a Works Cited page in MLA format is a crucial skill for students and researchers alike. When it comes to citing books, the Modern Language Association (MLA) provides a clear and structured approach. This guide, based on the 8th edition of the MLA handbook, will show you How To Cite A Book Mla correctly, covering various book types and scenarios to ensure your citations are accurate and contribute to your academic integrity.
When gathering your book sources, meticulous attention to bibliographic details is essential. Make sure to note down the author’s name(s), the title, publisher, publication date, and page numbers. For books with additional contributors like translators or editors, or specific editions, these details are also necessary for a complete and correct citation.
The MLA 8th edition emphasizes principles over rigid rules. This means understanding the core elements of a citation—like author, title, and publication information—and arranging them in a consistent format. This principle-based approach empowers you to cite virtually any source, even those not explicitly listed in standard examples.
Keep in mind these key updates introduced in the MLA 8th edition:
- Commas, not periods, now separate Publisher, Publication Date, and Pagination.
- Specifying the medium (e.g., Print, Web) is no longer required.
- Containers are now integral to MLA citations, with commas following container titles. For standalone books (like novels), containers are not listed.
- Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are preferred over URLs when available for electronic sources.
- Use “Accessed” followed by the date of access, replacing date abbreviations or “n.d.”
The general MLA citation format follows this structure:
Author. Title. Container, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location. Second container, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location, Date of Access (if applicable).
For citing books, we primarily focus on the basic container format, as books are often considered standalone works. Let’s delve into the specifics of citing different types of books in MLA format.
Basic MLA Book Citation Format
For most books, the basic citation format is straightforward. The author’s name is presented in “Last Name, First Name” format. Here’s the fundamental structure for a book citation in MLA:
Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date.
Note: Including the City of Publication is necessary only if the book was published before 1900, if the publisher has multiple international offices, or if the publisher is not well-known in North America. For contemporary publications from major publishers, the city is generally omitted.
Citing a Book with One Author
When citing a book written by a single author, follow the basic format. Here are a couple of examples:
Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. Penguin, 1987.
Alt Text: Book cover of “Chaos: Making a New Science” by James Gleick, showcasing the title and author against a dark background with fractal patterns, representing the book’s theme.
Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. MacMurray, 1999.
Citing a Book with Multiple Authors
The format changes slightly when a book has more than one author. For books with two authors, list them in the order they appear on the book. The first author’s name is in “Last Name, First Name” format, while subsequent authors are listed in “First Name Last Name” format.
Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Allyn and Bacon, 2000.
For books with three or more authors, list only the first author followed by “et al.” (Latin for “and others”).
Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Utah State UP, 2004.
Alt Text: Book cover of “Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition” featuring multiple authors’ names and a design symbolizing new media and writing.
Handling Different Book Scenarios in MLA Citations
MLA style is adaptable to various types of books and authorship situations. Here’s how to address some common scenarios when you cite a book MLA.
Citing Two or More Books by the Same Author
If you are citing multiple books by the same author, list them alphabetically by title on your Works Cited page. For the first entry, provide the author’s name in “Last Name, First Name” format. For subsequent entries by the same author, use three hyphens followed by a period (—.) in place of the author’s name.
Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism. St. Martin’s, 1997.
—. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History. Southern Illinois UP, 1993.
Citing a Book by a Corporate Author or Organization
Sometimes, a book is authored by a corporate body rather than an individual. This could be an association, committee, or government agency. In these cases, list the name of the corporate author where you would typically put an individual author’s name.
American Allergy Association. Allergies in Children. Random House, 1998.
If the corporate author is also the publisher, omit the author and start with the title. Then, list the corporate author as the publisher.
Fair Housing—Fair Lending. Aspen Law & Business, 1985.
Citing a Book with No Author
When a book has no identifiable author, begin the citation with the book’s title. Alphabetize it in your Works Cited list as you would with authored works, using the first significant word of the title.
Encyclopedia of Indiana. Somerset, 1993.
For in-text citations of books without authors, use a shortened version of the title in your parenthetical citation.
Citing a Translated Book
To cite a translated book, you have two options depending on your focus. If you want to emphasize the work itself, cite it as you would any other book and add “Translated by” followed by the translator’s name.
Foucault, Michel. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason. Translated by Richard Howard, Vintage-Random House, 1988.
If your focus is on the translation itself, you can list the translator as the “author.” This is less common and typically used when translation is central to your discussion.
Howard, Richard, translator. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason. By Michel Foucault, Vintage-Random House, 1988.
Citing a Republished Book
Books are sometimes republished without being new editions. To cite a republished book, include the original publication year before the publisher information.
Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble. 1990. Routledge, 1999.
Citing an Edition of a Book
Books may have different editions, either subsequent editions with revisions or editions prepared by editors.
Subsequent Edition: Indicate the edition number after the title.
Crowley, Sharon, and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. 3rd ed., Pearson, 2004.
Work Prepared by an Editor: Add “edited by” and the editor’s name after the title.
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre, edited by Margaret Smith, Oxford UP, 1998.
Citing an Anthology or Collection
To cite an entire anthology or edited collection, list the editor(s) followed by “, editor” or “, editors.” This is less common if you are citing individual works within the collection.
Hill, Charles A., and Marguerite Helmers, editors. Defining Visual Rhetorics. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004.
Citing a Work in an Anthology, Reference Book, or Collection
More often, you’ll cite a specific work within a larger collection, such as an essay in an anthology, a chapter in a book, or an article in a reference book. The format is:
Last name, First name. “Title of Essay.” Title of Collection, edited by Editor’s Name(s), Publisher, Year, Page range of entry.
Harris, Muriel. “Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers.” A Tutor’s Guide: Helping Writers One to One, edited by Ben Rafoth, Heinemann, 2000, pp. 24-34.
For articles in reference books like encyclopedias or dictionaries, omit the publisher information and page numbers if the reference book is alphabetically organized.
“Ideology.” The American Heritage Dictionary. 3rd ed. 1997.
Citing Multivolume Works
When citing only one volume of a multivolume work, specify the volume number after the title.
Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria. Translated by H. E. Butler, vol. 2, Loeb-Harvard UP, 1980.
If you cite more than one volume, indicate the total number of volumes at the end of the citation.
Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria. Translated by H. E. Butler, Loeb-Harvard UP, 1980. 4 vols.
Citing an Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterword
To cite these parts of a book, list the author of the piece, the name of the part (e.g., Introduction), the title of the book, the author of the book (if different), and publication details with page range.
Farrell, Thomas B. Introduction. Norms of Rhetorical Culture, by Farrell, Yale UP, 1993, pp. 1-13.
Citing a Book Published Before 1900
For books published before 1900, use the city of publication in place of the publisher, unless you are using a newer edition.
Thoreau, Henry David. Excursions. Boston, 1863.
Citing The Bible
Italicize The Bible and specify the version you are using.
The Bible. Authorized King James Version, Oxford UP, 1998.
Citing Government Publications
Cite government publications by the author if known. Otherwise, start with the government name, followed by the agency and title.
United States, Congress, Senate, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearing on the Geopolitics of Oil. Government Printing Office, 2007.
Citing Pamphlets
Cite pamphlets like books without authors, starting with the title. If there is a corporate author, list that in the author position.
Women’s Health: Problems of the Digestive System. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2006.
Citing Dissertations and Master’s Theses
For dissertations and theses, include the author, title, date, institution, and document type. If accessed online, include the repository as a container.
Bishop, Karen Lynn. Documenting Institutional Identity: Strategic Writing in the IUPUI Comprehensive Campaign. 2002. Purdue University, PhD dissertation.
By following these guidelines, you can confidently and accurately cite a book MLA in your Works Cited pages, regardless of the book type or authorship complexity. Remember to always double-check your citations for completeness and accuracy to maintain academic integrity and give proper credit to your sources.
