Write your citations in the MLA 9th edition style. This style requires in-text citations and a Works Cited Page.
(Unless your professor requires that you use a different style; always defer to an assignment's requirements.)
MLA citations assemble facts about a source, like who wrote it and when it was published. These facts are known as elements.
All MLA citations will follow a template of applicable core elements: author, title of source, container of source, contributor(s), version, number, publisher, date, and location. If you are missing information to supply any of the core elements, skip that element.
For detailed information about each of the core elements, click here.
Sometimes, you might choose to include supplemental information about a source. Supplemental information will typically be inserted after the title of the source or at the end of the citation, with a period after the information.
For more information about incorporating supplemental elements, click here.
Simply put, a container is a larger body that contains items.
It may be a larger work containing a smaller work—like a chapter found in a book, or a scholarly article in an academic journal. It may also be a repository container that houses other containers—like a database containing many journals and eBooks, or a website containing webpages.
A source may have multiple containers. For example, a journal containing a article may have been accessed through a library database. Here, we have two containers (journal, database) for the source (article).
"When the source being documented forms part of a larger whole, the larger whole can be thought of as a container that holds the source. For example, a short story may be contained in an anthology. The short story is the source, and the anthology is the container." (MLA Quick Guide)
Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle. Supplemental Elements. Title of 1st Container, Contributor, Version or edition, Number, Publisher Name, Publication Date, Pages. Title of 2nd Container, Contributor, Version or edition, Number, Publisher Name, Publication Date, Pages. Supplemental Elements.
The layout and necessary elements vary depending on the source. You do not need to use all of these elements for every source. Use those that are relevant to what you are citing.
See "How Do I Cite..." for more specific formatting.
Check out the MLA Style Guide's "Interactive Practice Template"
*Within each section, you will see more specific categories and circumstances (e.g., articles found in print vs. through a library database).
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