A Quick and Complete Guide to MLA (8th edition) Referencing

What is Referencing?

It is necessary to acknowledge other people’s work or ideas when writing; hence, the sources used in your work must be referenced. This is usually done via an in-text citation within the body of a text that refers to work or ideas by others. Also, a complete reference list is provided at the end of the written materials of works or ideas taken from others.

What is MLA referencing?

MLA referencing style is among the commonest citation styles that students and academics use. MLA stands for Modern Language Association and is usually used for citing sources within the liberal arts and humanities domain. It consists of an in-text citation and a reference list of bibliography

In-text citation

In-text citations in MLA referencing are short. They include the surname of the author along with the relevant page number(s). they are placed within parenthesis at a convenient pause of the sentence. The citation can take different forms, for example

One Author: 'Kiss me with the kisses of thy lips, for thy love is sweeter than wine’ said King Solomon (5)
One Author (end): The emphasis on the relationship between ends and scarce means characterized Lionel’s definition of Economics (Robins 10)
Long paraphrase or quotes or summary: Christopher Avery assessment of what it takes to succeed in life may be apposite, in the realities of modernity is worth repeating. He explained:

Taking responsibility - practicing 100 percent responsibility every day - is about seeing ourselves not as right or wrong, but as an agent, chooser, problem solver, and learner in the complex interrelationships of our lives so that we can better integrate with the people and world around us. When we do this, we enjoy a better and more productive way to live and lead. (Avery 100)

Two Authors (in between): According to Henning, Zaid and Zabini (25), one of...
Two authors (at the end): Pray that you enter not into temptations (Paul and Jesus 5)
More than three authors: If a source has three or more authors, the in-text citation begins with the first author's surname, followed by et al. (Andrew et al. 40)
More than one source: One of the key things of education is that … (Henning, 25; Zaid 97)
Authors with the same surname: eliminate ambiguity by including the surnames and intitials of the first names of the authors. (N. Palmer 45; M. Palmer 102)
No page number (e.g., website): this is how we write when the work doesn’t have page numbers (Miller)
No Author: include a shortened version of the title – A computer can decipher a user’s wish and most likely enable a computer to establish certain intellectual conditions of the user like exhaustion or confusion by merely knowing the location of a user’s gaze (Education, 25)
Company or Corporate Authors: When a piece of work is authored by a company, use the company’s name, and a chapter (if any). (AcademicianHelp, Ch. 2)

Reference List

It is usually the last page and contains all the resources cited in between the written text in sorted in alphabetical order with the surname. It usually starts with the name of the author (or title, in a case, whereby there is no author).

BOOK

General Format: Author | Title | Publisher, | edition – more than one edition | Year
- Alexis, Andre. Fifteen Dogs: An Apologue. Coach House Books, 2015.
Edited: Editor(s), editors | Title | Publisher, | edition – more than one edition | Year
- Bartol, Curt R., and Anne M. Bartol, editors. Current Perspectives in Forensic Psychology and Criminal Behavior. 4th ed., Sage, 2016.
No author: Title | Publisher, | Year
- American Heritage Dictionary for Learners of English. Houghton, 2002.
Two Authors, Edited: Authors. | Title | edition | Publisher, | Year
- Lutgens, Frederick K., and Edward J. Tarbuck. The Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology. 13th ed., Pearson, 2016
Chapter in a Book: Chapter’s Author | “Chapter Title.” | Title | edited by Editor(s), | Publisher, | Year, | start and end pages
- Brant, Beth. “Coyote Learns a New Trick.” An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in English, edited by Daniel David Moses and Terry Goldie, Oxford UP, 1992, pp. 148-150.
Book from Website: Author | Title | Publisher, | | Year. | Website Name, | URL | Accessed DATE
- Seton, Ernest Thompson. The Trail of the Sandhill Stag. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1914. Project Gutenberg, www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32319. Accessed 14 Jan. 2018.

ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND DICTIONARIES

With an Author (online): Author’s Name | “Word.” | Title of Material | Date of entry, | name of website. |URL. Accessed Date
- Friesen, Gerald. "Assiniboia." The Canadian Encyclopedia, 3 Apr. 2015, Historica Canada. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/assiniboia/. Accessed 29 July 2016. Or
- Not online: Lewisohn, Leonard. "Sufism." Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Donald Borchert, 2nd ed., vol. 9, Thomson Gale, 2006, pp. 300-314.
- Without author (online): "Maelstrom." Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2017, Merriam-Webster. www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/maelstrom. Accessed 19 Oct. 2016. Lewisohn, Leonard. "Sufism." Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Donald Borchert, 2nd ed., vol. 9, Thomson Gale, 2006, pp. 300-314.

Journal Article

Print: Author (s) | “Title of Article” | Title of Journal, | volume, | issue | Year | pages
- Conatser, Phillip, and Martin Block. "Aquatic Instructors' Beliefs Toward Inclusion." Therapeutic Recreation Journal, vol. 35, no. 2, 2001, pp. 170-184
Internet: Author (s) | “Title of Article” | Title of Journal, | volume, | issue | Year | pages | URL | Accessed DATE
- Cianciolo, Patricia K. "Compensating Nuclear Weapons Workers and Their Survivors: The Case of Fernald." Michigan Family Review, vol. 19, no. 1, 2015, pp. 51-72, quod.lib.umich.edu/m/mfr/4919087.0019.103?rgn=main;view=fulltext. Accessed 21 Sept. 2016.

NEWSPAPER/ MAGAZINE ARTICLE

Online: Author. | “Title” | Magazine, | Date, | URL. | Accessed Date
- Miller, Laura. “The Evolutionary Argument for Dr. Seuss.” Salon, 18 May 2009, www.salon.com/2009/05/18/evocriticism/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2016.
Library Database: Agren, David. "Here Comes the Rain Again." Maclean's, vol. 124, no. 29, 8 Aug. 2011, p. 43. CBCA Complete, 0-search.proquest.com.orca.douglascollege.ca/docview/879703108?accountid=10545. Accessed 14 July 2016 or Zacharias, Yvonne. "Robofuture." The Vancouver Sun, 6 Aug. 2004, p. F1. Canadian Newsstream, 0-search.proquest.com.orca.douglascollege.ca/docview/ 242295984?accountid=10545. Accessed 15 July 2016.
Print: Bolster, Mary. “Energize Your Life.” Natural Health, Mar. 2009, p. 10 Miller, Laura. “The Evolutionary Argument for Dr. Seuss.” Salon, 18 May 2009, www.salon.com/2009/05/18/evocriticism/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2016. Or Fayerman, Pamela. "Body Degerates as Patients Wait." The Vancouver Sun, 3 June 2005, p. A12

Websites or Blog

Author Specified: Author(s). | “Title of page.” | Date, | Website Name. | URL. | [Accessed DD MM. YYYY].
- Henning, S. Secured Online Portal for File Storage. [online], 2019, AcademicianHelp. https://academicianhelp.co.uk/Free-Resources/secured-online-portal-for-file-storage [Accessed 8 Oct. 2019].
No author: “Title”/Website Name. | “Title of page.” | Website Name, Year, | URL [Accessed DD Month YYYY].
- Academicianhelp.com. “Secured Online Portal for File Storage.”, AcademicianHelp, 2019. https://academicianhelp.co.uk/Free-Resources/secured-online-portal-for-file-storage [Accessed 8 Oct. 2019].

Government Documents

Title | Organisation, | Year, | URL| Accessed Date
- Agriculture in Harmony with Nature: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Sustainable Development Strategy 2001-2004. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2001, publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/A22-166-1-2001E.pdf. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.

CONFERENCE PROCEEDING

Print: Author(s). | Title of article. | Title of conference proceeding, | Year, | Place of Conference
- Freed, Barbara F., Foreign Language Acquisition Research and the Classroom: Proceeding of the Consortium for Language Teaching and Learning Conference, Oct. 1989, U of Pennsylvania, Heath, 1991
Online: Author(s) | Title of article. | Title of conference proceeding, | Year, | Place of Conference, | website
- Redefining the Musical Landscape: Inspired Learning and Innovation in Music Education - XIX National Conference Proceedings. 29 Sept.-1 Oct. 2013, Canberra, Australian Society for Music Education, 2013. Informit, search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/browsePublication;res=IELHSS;isbn=9780980379235