DOI Numbers for Journal Articles
Some electronic content like journal articles are assigned a unique number called a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). The DOI gives a way to find an article. If a DOI is provided for a journal article, include it after the page numbers of the article as "doi:doi number".
If you have a DOI and would like to look up an item with it, click here and enter the doi number where indicated.
Access Date
For all content found on a website that is subject to change, you must list the date you first viewed the resource. You do not need to include access date for items from library databases. This date is listed at the end of the citation with the word "Accessed" before the date.
Authors/Editors
An author can be a person but can also be an organization, or company. These are called group or corporate authors.
Leave out author distinctions/credentials, such as PhD.
Database Names
The name of the database will usually apear at the top of the search screen. Note that ProQuest and EBSCOhost are NOT database names, they are database providers. The name of the database will appear separately.
If you have used the function to search multiple databases at once and therefore do not know the individual database name, enter the name of the database provider (e.g. ProQuest) as the database.
Dates
The format of all dates is: Date Month (shortened) Year. E.g., 5 Sept. 2012.
Page Numbers
If there are multiple pages put pp. before the page numbers. If the article is only one page use p. instead.
If the article appears on non-consecutive pages (e.g., the article starts on page 5 then continues on page 12), write the first page number and a plus (+) sign. E.g., 5+
Titles
Capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title. You do not need to capitalize words such as: in, of, or an.
If there is a colon (:) in the title, include what comes after the colon (also known as the subtitle).
WITH A DOI NUMBER:
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle, if Any." Name of Journal, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. First Page Number-Last Page Number. Name of Database, https://doi.org/[DOI number].
For in-text citations, use (Author's Last Name Page Number)
| Works Cited List Example |
Guillen, Jorge. "Does Financial Openness Matter in the Relationship Between Financial Development and Income Distribution in Latin America?" Emerging Markets Finance & Trade, vol. 52, no. 5, 2016, pp. 1145-1155. Business Source Premier, https://doi.org/10.1080/1540496X.2015.1046337. |
| In-Text Citation Example | (Guillen 1146) |
WITHOUT A DOI NUMBER:
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle, if Any." Name of Journal, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. First Page Number-Last Page Number. Name of Database.
For in-text citations, use (Author's Last Name Page Number)
| Works Cited List Example |
Leichty, Toni. "Yes I Worry About My Weight... But for the Most Part I'm Content with My Body: Older Women's Body Dissatisfaction Alongside Contentment." Journal of Women & Aging, vol. 24, no. 1, 2012, pp. 70-88. Academic Search Premier. |
| In-Text Citation Example | (Leichty 71) |
Note: While MLA 9th edition recommends including URLs, they can be omitted when citing a work found in a library database.
Note: Although the "Accessed date" is optional for MLA 9th edition, it is good practice to add it for any resource found on the web.
WITH A PERMALINK:
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle, if Any." Name of Journal, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. First Page Number-Last Page Number. Name of Database, URL.
For in-text citations, use (Author's Last Name Page Number)
| Works Cited List Example |
Goldman, Anne. "Questions of Transport: Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante." The Georgia Review, vol. 64, no. 1, spring 2010, pp. 69-88. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41403188 Note: When the season is included in the publication date, do not capitalize it. |
| In-Text Citation Example |
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle, if Any." Name of Journal, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. First Page Number- Last Page Number if Given, URL. Accessed date.
For in-text citations, use (Author's Last Name Page Number).
Note: You may omit the page number if there are no page numbers, as with an HTML document.
| Works Cited List Example |
Alpert-Abrams, Hannah. "Machine Reading the Primeros Libros." Digital Humanities Quarterly, vol. 10, no. 4, 2016, www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/10/4/000268/000268.html. Note: Give as complete a date as is provided. In this example, only the year was given. |
| In-Text Citation Example | (Alpert-Abrams) |
PDF of an Online Journal Article
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle, if Any." Name of Journal, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. First Page Number-Last Page Number. Website/database, URL. PDF download.
For in-text citations, use (Author's Last Name Page Number). You may omit the page number if there are no page numbers, as with an HTML document.
| Works Cited List Example |
Fisher, Margaret. "The Music of Ezra Pound." Yale University Library Gazette, vol. 80, nos. 3-4, Apr. 2006, pp.139-60. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40859548. PDF download. Note: The issue this article was found in contains two issues in one, as "nos. 3-4" indicates. |
| In-Text Citation Example | (Fisher 158) |
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle, if Any." Name of Journal, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. First Page Number-Last Page Number.
For in-text citations, use (Author's Last Name Page Number)
| Works Cited List Example |
Kushkova, Anna. "At the Center of the Table." Russian Studies in History, vol. 50, no.1, 2011, pp. 44-96. Note: Give as complete a date as is provided. In this example only the year was given. |
| In-Text Citation Example | (Kushkova 79) |
If you have two authors, cite only the first listed author in "Last Name, First Name" format. Authors' names are separated by a comma and the word "and" before the second author's name.
Last Name, First Name Middle Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name.
For in-text citations, use (First Author's Last Name and Second Author's Last Name Page Number)
| Works Cited List Example |
Salafia, Elizabeth Blodgett, and Jessica Lemer. "Associations Between Multiple Types of Stress and Disordered Eating Among Girls and Boys in Middle School." Journal of Child and Family Studies, vol. 21, no. 1, 2012, pp.148-57. Academic Search Premier. https://www.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9458-z. |
| In-Text Citation Sample |
(Salafia and Lemer 149) |
If you have three or more authors, cite only the name of the first author listed followed by a comma and "et al."
Last Name, First Name Middle Name, et al.
For in-text citations, use (Author's Last Name et al. Page Number)
| Works Cited List Example |
Kirwin, Liza, et al. “Regional Reports.” Archives of American Art Journal, vol. 31, no. 2, 1991, pp. 34–40. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1557718. |
| In-Text Citation Sample |
(Kirwin et al. 34) |
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