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Citing Electronic Information, MLA Style

Section 5.9 of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Sixth Edition, Call Number: REF LB 2369.G53, includes examples for a variety of online sources. Listed on pages 214-215 of the handbook, and below, are 15 possible components for an entry on a Works Cited list. When you document sources from the Internet, the MLA suggests that your Works Cited entries contain as many items, in the order given, from the following list as are relevant and available:

• Name of the author, Editor, Compiler, or Translator (if available and relevant), alphabetized by last name first and followed by any appropriate abbreviations, such as ed.
• Title of a poem, short story, article, or other short work within a scholarly project, database, or periodical, enclosed in quotation marks or the title of a discussion list topic with description
• Title of a book, in italics or underlined
• Name of the editor, compiler, or translator of a book (if applicable and if not cited earlier), preceded by any appropriate abbreviation, such as ed.
• Publication information for any print version
• Title of the Internet site, scholarly project, database, periodical, or professional or personal site (in italics or underlined), or, for a professional or personal site with no title, a description such as home page
• Name of the editor of Internet site, a scholarly project or database (if known)
• Version number (if not part of the title) or, for a journal, the volume, issue, or other identifying number
• Date of electronic publication or posting or latest update, whichever is most recent (if known)
• If a subscription service, name of service, the subscriber, the name and address of the subscriber
• Name of discussion list or forum
• Number of pages or number range, or numbered sections
• Name of any institution or organization sponsoring or associated with the Internet site (if not cited earlier)
• Date you accessed the source
• URL (in angle brackets) Or if extremely long, Type Keyword; type Path followed by the sequence of links
  

  Electronic Entry Examples

  An entire Internet site:

  TheMotleyFool.com. Ed. Bob Bobala. 1995-2003. 20 Aug 2003. <http://www.fool.com/index.htm>.

  Discovery Channel.com. Discovery Channel. 20 Aug 2003. <http://www.discovery.com/>.

  Home Page for a Course:

  Williams, Robert V. Government Information Sources. Course home page. Fall 2003. 21 Aug 2003.

  <http://www.libsci.sc.edu/bob/class/clis734/clis734syll.html>.

  Home Page for an Academic Department:

  Learning Resources Center. Home page. Technical College of the Lowcountry. 21 Aug 2003.

  <http://www.tclonline.org/LRC/lrcmain.html>.

  A Personal Home Page:(fictitious example)

  Halsey, Cindy. Home page. 9 Sep. 2000. 21 Aug. 2003. <http://www.tcl/chalsey.hp/.edu/>.

  An Online Book

  Ideally you would cite the same information for a printed book, if given. In addition, cite the electronic

  publication information:

  • Title of the Internet site [underlined]
  • Editor of the site
  • Version number
  • Date of electronic publication
  • Name of any sponsoring institution or organization
  • Date of Access
  • URL

  Here are some of examples of online texts, cited with the "information available:"

  Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello, Moor of Venice. NetLibrary. 1990-1993. World Library, Inc.

  Gutenberg Etext. Illinois Benedictine College. 22 Aug 2003.

  <http://www.netlibrary.com/ebook_info.asp?product_id=1012800&piclist=19799,20772,39801,40297,41407,42375>.

  Dreiser, Theodore. Sister Carrie. 1900. Netlibrary. 22 Aug 2003.

  <http://emedia.netlibrary.com/reader/reader.asp?product_id=1086095>.

  McKeever, Mike. How to Write a Business Plan. Berkeley, CA. 2000. NetLibrary. 22 Aug 2003

  <http://emedia.netlibrary.com/reader/reader.asp?product_id=62921>.