MLA Style: Writing & Citation

Not sure whether your article is from a journal? Look for these characteristics:

• Main purpose is often to report results of original search
• Articles usually have a very specific subject focus
• May see sections such as abtract, discussion, results, and conclusion
• Author of the article is an expert or specialist in the field and often their credentials are listed
• Article is intended for students, scientists, researchers and/or professionals instead of the general public
• Usually includes a References list at the end

Articles may also come from magazines or newspapers.

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 link goes here.

If there is no DOI, use the permalink (a permanent web address) if provided. Do not use the address in your computer browser's address bar unless there is neither a DOI or a permalink. If you are using the URL, instead of using DOI: doi link here, use Retrieved from: webpage URL here.

Works Cited List:

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Name of Journal, vol. no., Issue no., Date of Publication, page range. Name of Database, doi:DOI number.

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, doi:10.1080/1540496X.2015.1046337.

In-Text Citation:

(Author's Last Name Page Number).

 Example: (Guillen 1146).

Works Cited List:

Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle." Name of Journal, vol. no., Issue no., Date of Publication, pp. First Page range. Name of Database. 

Example: Larr, Allison S., and Matthew Neidell. "Pollution and Climate Change." The Future of Children, vol. 26, no. 1, Spring 2016, pp. 93-113. Expanded Academic ASAP. 

In-Text Citation:

(First Author's Last Name and Second Author's Last Name Page No.).

Example: (Larr and Neidell 96).

*Note: MLA Handbook, 9th ed. advises that if there is no digital object identifier (doi) available, use the permalink, or stable URL (found by clicking the 'cite this' or 'share' button).

*Note: Give as complete a date of publication as given. Because only the season for the journal, "Spring" is given this is included as the date of publication. 

If you have three or more authors cite only the name of the first author listed with their Last Name, First Name Middle Name followed by a comma et al. The rest of the citation is formatted the same as an entry with one or two authors.

Example: Smith, James, et al.

Works Cited List:

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle." Name of Journal, vol. no., Issue no., Date of Publication, page range. Name of Database.

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:

(Author's Last Name Page Number).

Example: (Leichty 71).

Works Cited List:

Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle." Name of Journal, vol. no., Issue no., Date of Publication, page range. Name of Database, doi:DOI number.

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. doi:10.1007/s10826-011-9458-z.

In-Text Citation: 

(First Author's Last Name and Second Author's Last Name Page Number).

Example: (Salafia and Lemer 149).

* Note: Only the first author listed appears in "Last Name, First Name" format. Authors' names are separated by a comma. Type out the word ‘and’ between the authors’ names, do not use an ampersand (&).

Works Cited List:

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle." Name of Journal, vol. no., Issue no., Date of Publication, page range, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited.

Example: Elson, Peter. "A Comparative Analysis of Nonprofit Policy Network Governance in Canada." Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research, vol. 6, no. 2, 2015, pp. 42-64, anserj.ca/anser/ index.php/cjnser/article/view/201/127. Accessed 27 Jun. 2016.

In-Text Citation:             

(Author's Last Name Page Number).

Example: (Elson 44).

 *Note: Give as complete a publication date as possible. In this example only the year was given.

Works Cited List:

Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle." Name of Journal, vol. no., Issue no., Date of Publication, page range, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited.

Example: Sadig, Husam, and Ahmed Banany. "The Impact of Non-Response Weighting: Empirical Evidence from Modelling Residential Mobility." Journal of Social Research & Policy, vol. 5, no. 1, July 2014, pp. 91-99, www.jsrp.ro/site/jrspone/content/JSRP_Vol5_Iss1_Sadig. Accessed 27 Jun. 2016.

In-Text Citation:

(First Author's Last Name and Second Author's Last Name Page Number).

Example: (Sadig and Banany 91).

* Note: Only the first author listed appears in "Last Name, First Name" format. Authors' names are separated by a comma. Type out the word ‘and’ between authors’ names, do not use an ampersand (&).

* Note: Give as complete a publication date as possible. Only the month and year were provided for this journal.

Works Cited List:

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Name of Journal, vol. no., Issue no., Date of Publication, page range.

Example: Kushkova, Anna. "At the Center of the Table." Russian Studies in History, vol. 50, no.1, 2011, pp. 44-96.

In-Text Citation:

(Author's Last Name Page Number).

Example: (Kushkova 79).

* Note: Give as complete a publication date as possible. In this example only the year was given.

Works Cited List:

Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle." Name of Journal, vol. no., Issue no., Date of Publication, page range..

Example: Ki, Eyun-Jung, and Linda Childers Hon. "A Measure of Relationship Cultivation Strategies." Journal of Public Relations Research, vol. 21, no. 1, 2009, pp. 1-24.

In-Text Citation: 

(First Author's Last Name and Second Author's Last Name Page Number).

Example: (Ki and Hon 12).

*Note: Only the first author listed appears in "Last Name, First Name" format. Type out ‘and’ between the authors’ names, do not use an ampersand (&).

*Note: Give as complete a publication date as is possible. In this example only the year was given.

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).