MLA Citation Examples
Some General Rules
In-Text Citations
What You Are Citing
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In-Text Citation
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The entire work
(or a work that has no page numbers)
Include information in the text of your paper that will allow the reader to locate the source in your works cited list.
If it is not possible to include this information in the text, follow the sentence where the citation needs to be made with an in-text citation containing only the name of the author.
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In his article "Allston Gothic," local historian Forman Jackson demonstrates how completely the neighborhood's gruesome past has been forgotten by its residents.
OR
A recent newspaper article demonstrated just how thoroughly the neighborhood's gruesome past has been forgotten by its residents (Jackson).
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A specific page
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(Cortois 70)
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If the author's name is included in the text of the sentence where the citation takes place
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Jacobs has argued this point (190-210).
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Multi-volume set
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(Green 1: 112-14)
"1" is the volume number. |
Citing multiple authors
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See Authors, below.
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Authors
One author
Example:
Works Cited List Example:
In-Text Citation Courtois, Charles A. (Cortois 70)Two or three authors
Example:
Works Cited List Example:
In-Text Citation Martin, Jonathan A., and Christopher Jackson.Hughes, Jane C., Elizabeth V. Brestan, and Linda Anne Valle. (Martin and Jackson 127-28)(Hughes, Brestan, and Valle 2-3)Four or more authors
Example:
Works Cited List Example:
In-Text Citation Fontela, Pablo, Antonio Sorio, Javier Mielgo, and Juan de Blas.orFontela, Pablo, et al.If a work has more than 3 authors, MLA gives you the option of listing only the first author followed by "et al" (Latin for "and others"). (Fontela, Sorio, Mielgo, and Blas 153-54)or(Fontela et al. 153-54)Group author
Example:
Works Cited List Example:
In-Text Citation Modern Language Association. (Modern Language Association 111)No authors listed
Example:
Works Cited List Example:
In-Text Citation "None to Claim Their Bones: Relics of an Old Brooklyn Graveyard." New York Times 8 Apr. 1888: 3-4. ProQuest Newspapers. Web. 10 June 2006.List that source by title in your works cited list. The title should be followed by the name of the source in the citation, and the remainder of the citation composed as appropriate for the source type. Alphabetize reference list entries beginning with a title using the primary word of the title (excluding a, an, or the). ("None to Claim Their Bones" 3)In-text citations should include the title and the page number(s) of the text you are quoting or referring to, with the titles of articles in quotations, and the titles of books or Web sites italicized. In cases where the title contains a colon, use only the text before the colon in the in-text citation.
Titles
Titles of books, periodicals, art works, reports and Web sites are italicized. Please check the appropriate sample citation on this page to make sure you are using italics correctly.
Dates
With the exception of May, June and July, the names of the months must be abbreviated in MLA works cited lists as follows:
- January = Jan.
- February = Feb.
- March = Mar.
- April = Apr.
- August = Aug.
- September = Sept.
- October= Oct.
- November = Nov.
- December = Dec.
Undated Sources: Use "n.d." (for "no date") in the appropriate place in your citation. When this is used after a period in a citation, capitalize the "n" ("N.d.").
Source
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Example
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No date given
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Knowles, Allison. House of Dust. N.d. Sculpture. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Grove Art Online. Web. 7 Aug. 2006.
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Volume and Issue Numbers
Volume and issue numbers are often not available for articles in online periodicals. In these cases simply follow the date of the magazine or journal with a period in your works cited list citation, omitting the volume number where necessary.
Source
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Example
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Journal volume and issue number available
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Child and Family Behavior Therapy 26.1 (2004).
26 is the volume number and 1 is the issue number.
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Online periodical where volume and issue numbers are not given
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Journal of Family Counseling (2004).
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Page Numbers
Source
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Example
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Page range whose first number is over 100
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125-35 (not 125-135)
3200-22 (not 3200-3222)
Do not repeat any numbers that can be easily inferred by the reader. This is done to minimize the length of works cited lists.
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Online periodical where page numbers are not given
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American Psychologist 59 (2004): n. pag.
Follow the date of the magazine or journal with "n. pag."
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Citing a Source within a Source
Scenario: You read an article by Brown that cites, on page 424, another article by Larsen. You want to cite Larsen's article, but you have not read Larsen's article itself.
Works Cited List
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In-Text Citation
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Brown, J. D. "Librarians as Business People: A Review of the Literature." Journal of For-Profit Librarianship 28 (2006): 421-436. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 May 2007.
Your Works Cited list will contain the article you read, by Brown. Your Works Cited list will NOT contain a citation for Larsen's article.
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Larsen's study (cited in Brown 424) found that...
Your in-text citation gives credit to Larsen and shows the source in which you found Larsen's ideas.
OR
Larsen writes, "Today's librarian is part teacher, part entrepreneur" (qtd. in Brown 424).
If Brown's article quotes Larsen's article directly and you want to use that quotation, MLA style employs the abbreviation "qtd. in" for "quoted in."
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Articles
Academic Journals:
Source
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Works Cited List
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Library database
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Hughes, Jane C., Elizabeth V. Brestan, and Linda Anne Valle. "Problem-Solving Interactions between Mothers and Children." Child and Family Behavior Therapy 26.1 (2004): 1-16. PsycINFO. Web. 12 Nov. 2006.
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Free Web
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Martin, Pearl Y., and Sonia Jackson. "Educational Success for Children in Public Care: Advice from a Group of High Achievers." Child and Family Social Work 7.2 (2002): 121-30. Web. 15 Nov. 2006.
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In print
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Hughes, Jane C., Elizabeth V. Brestan, and Linda Anne Valle. "Problem-Solving Interactions between Mothers and Children." Child and Family Behavior Therapy 26.1 (2004): 1-16. Print.
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More info
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Tip:
- Include volume and issue number (example: "26.1") when both are available.
Magazines:
-Daily or Weekly Magazines
Source
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Works Cited List
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Library database
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Borowitz, Adam. "Pavlov's Brother." New Yorker 11 Nov. 2004: 63-65.Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Nov. 2006.
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Free Web
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Springen, Karen. "Artful Aging." Newsweek 25 Jan. 2005: n. pag. Web. 12 May 2005.
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In print
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Borowitz, Adam. "Pavlov's Brother." New Yorker 11 Nov. 2004: 63-65. Print.
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More info
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-Monthly Magazines
Source
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Works Cited List
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Library database
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Ives, Frank, and Jonathan Lydon. "Freud's Vienna Revisited." DiscoverAug. 2005: 16-17. PsycINFO. Web. 15 Mar. 2006.
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Free Web
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Gelb, Norman. "Winter of Discontent." Smithsonian May 2003: n. pag. Web. 3 Apr. 2005.
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In print
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Ives, Frank, and Jonathan Lydon. "Freud's Vienna Revisited." DiscoverAug. 2005: 16-17. Print.
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More info
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Tip:
- When an issue of a magazine covers several months, the name of the first and last month in the range should be given in the citation, separated by a dash, for example: Apr.-May 2003.
Newspapers
Source
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Works Cited List
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Library database
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Brown, Patricia Leigh. "Tiffany Glass and Other Tales from the Crypt."New York Times 5 Sept. 1999: A1+. ProQuest Newspapers. Web. 10 June 2006.
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Free Web
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Forman, Jackson. "Allston Gothic." Boston Globe 12 Aug. 2003: n. pag. Web. 12 June 2006.
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In print
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Brown, Patricia Leigh. "Tiffany Glass and Other Tales from the Crypt."New York Times 5 Sept. 1999: A1+. Print.
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More info
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Tip:
- When an article appears on nonconsecutive pages (for example A1 and A6) give only the first page number followed by a "+" as shown above. Give the page number on which the material you've used appears in your in-text citation, for example: (Brown A6).
Encyclopedia Articles
Source
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Works Cited List
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Library database
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Jackson, Keith. “Chesapeake Bay.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2006 ed.Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Web. 14 Sept. 2006.
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More info
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Book, Film and Product Reviews
Source
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Works Cited List
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Library database
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Grimes, William. "Beyond Mandalay, the Road to Isolation and Xenophobia." Rev. of The River of Lost Footsteps: Histories of Burma, by Thant Myint-U. New York Times 13 Dec. 2006: E8+. ProQuest Newspapers . Web. 11 Dec. 2006.
An untitled book, film, or product review (for example, a review covering multiple works):
Guha, Martin. Rev. of Fleeting Pleasures: A History of Intoxicants, by Mervyn London, and Substance Use among Young People in Urban Environments, by Isidore S. Obot and Shekhar Saxena. Journal of Mental Health 15.2 (2006): 713-16. PsycARTICLES. Web. 2 Apr. 2006.
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In print
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Grimes, William. "Beyond Mandalay, the Road to Isolation and Xenophobia." Rev. of The River of Lost Footsteps: Histories of Burma, by Thant Myint-U. New York Times 13 Dec. 2006: E8+. Print.
An untitled book, film, or product review (for example, a review covering multiple works):
Guha, Martin. Rev. of Fleeting Pleasures: A History of Intoxicants, by Mervyn London, and Substance Use among Young People in Urban Environments, by Isidore S. Obot and Shekhar Saxena. Journal of Mental Health 15.2 (2006): 713-16. Print.
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More info
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Tip:
- The name of the work being reviewed should be preceded by "Rev.", and italics or other formatting done as appropriate for items reviewed and the source of the review itself.
Books
Source
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Works Cited List
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Basic book
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Jans, Nick. The Last Light Breaking: Life among Alaska's Inupiat Eskimos. Anchorage: Alaska Northwest Books, 1993. Print.
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Edited book
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Miller, John, and Tim Smith, eds. Cape Cod Stories: Tales from Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1996. Print.
Please see the sample citation for a chapter or article in an anthology below for information on citing a component of an edited collection.
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Numbered edition other than the first
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Arking, Robert. The Biology of Aging: Observations and Principles. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.
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Revised edition
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Culliney, John L. Islands in a Far Sea: The Fate of Nature in Hawai'i. Rev. ed. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2006. Print.
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Multi-volume set
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Green, Constance McLaughlin. Washington. 2 vols. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1962-63. Print.
In-text citation: (Green 1: 112-14)
"1" is the volume number. |
Chapter or article in an anthology
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De Maria, Walter. "The Lightning Field." 1980. Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art: A Sourcebook of Artists' Writings. Ed. Kristine Styles and Peter Selz. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996. 527-30. Print.
If the piece being cited was previously published, give the original date of publication after its title as shown above. The page numbers of the chapter or article should follow publication information for the book in your citation. Additional examples of citations for anthology contents can be found on pages 158-9 of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.).
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More info
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Tips:
- Note on citation elements in books
Give the city of publication, publisher's name and year of publication (e.g. "New York: Random House, 1977"). If several cities are listed, give only the first. For cities outside the United States, add an abbreviation of the country (or province for Canadian cities) if you think the location will be unfamilar to your readers, for example:A complete list of geographic name abbreviations is available on pages 236-40 of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.), and you can always contact the library if you need help finding an abbreviation.
- Bells Yew Green, Eng.
- Neepawa, MB
E-Books
Source
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Works Cited List
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Library database
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Kornblum, William. At Sea in the City: New York from the Water's Edge. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 2002. NetLibrary. Web. 23 June 2006.
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Free Web
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Seton, Ernest Thompson. The Arctic Prairies: A Canoe-Journey of 2,000 Miles in Search of the Caribou. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1911.Project Gutenberg. Web. 8 May 2006.
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Book chapter from a library database (suggested format)
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Herlong, Mark. "Traces of the Past in Blagden Alley." Washington Palimpsest. Ed. Ryan Shepard. Washington: Reedbird Hill Press, 2005. 102-15. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Apr. 2006.
Library databases may include chapters from books. Information about the publisher of a book can often be found in the description of the chapter in the database. Author and publisher information may be omitted from your citation if it is not available.
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More info
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Tips:
- Note on citation elements in e-books
Give the city of publication, publisher's name and year of publication (e.g. "Boston: David R. Godine, 1977"). If several cities are listed, give only the first. For cities outside the United States, add an abbreviation of the country (or province for Canadian cities) if you think the location will be unfamiliar to your readers, for example:A complete list of geographic name abbreviations is available on pages 236-40 of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.), and you can always contact the library if you need help finding an abbreviation.
- Bells Yew Green, Eng.
- Neepawa, MB
Web Sites
Source
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Works Cited List
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Section of a Web site
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"Global Sea Turtle Populations Decline." Sea Turtle Restoration Project. 26 May 2002. Web. 22 Sept. 2006.
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Entire Web site
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Sea Turtle Restoration Project. Sea Turtle Restoration Project. 2006. Web. 5 Aug. 2006.
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More info
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Online Classroom Materials
Source
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Works Cited List
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A document in a UMUC online classroom
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Whitford, Denny. "Cross-Curricular Initiatives in NSCI170." Document posted in University of Maryland University College NSCI 170 6981 online classroom. 1 Oct. 2006. Web. 22 Dec. 2006.
No official MLA format for citing online classroom materials exists. This is merely a recommended format to use in citing such documents.
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More info
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Technical and Research Reports
Source
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Works Cited List
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Free Web
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United States. Government Accountability Office. Information Security: Concerted Effort Needed to Consolidate and Secure Internet Connections at Federal Agencies. Mar. 2010. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. <http://www.gao.gov/assets/310/301876.pdf>.
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In print
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United States. Government Accountability Office. Information Security: Concerted Effort Needed to Consolidate and Secure Internet Connections at Federal Agencies. Washington: Government Accountability Office, 2010. Print.
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More info
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Dissertations and Theses
MLA does not provide official citation formats for dissertations and theses retrieved from online sources, but we recommend the use of the following:
Dissertations
Source
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Works Cited List
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Dissertations and Theses database
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Pecore, Joanna Theresa. "Sounding the Spirit of Cambodia: The Living Tradition of Khmer Music and Dance-Drama in a Washington, D.C. Community." Diss. U of Maryland, College Park, 2004. Dissertations and Theses. Web. 12 June 2006.
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Free Web
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Caprette, Christopher L. "Conquering the Cold Shudder: The Origin and Evolution of Snake Eyes." Diss. Ohio State U, 2005. Web. 9 Aug. 2006.
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In print
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Caprette, Christopher L. "Conquering the Cold Shudder: The Origin and Evolution of Snake Eyes." Diss. Ohio State U, 2005. Print.
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More info
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Master's Theses
Source
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Works Cited List
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Dissertations and Theses database
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Harzbecker, Joseph John. "Life and Death in Washington, D.C.: An Analysis of the Mortality Census of 1850." MA thesis U of Massachusetts, Boston, 1999. Dissertations and Theses. Web. 22 Nov. 2006.
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Free Web
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Angelova, Anelia Nedelcheva. "Data Pruning." MS thesis California Inst. of Technology, 2004. Web. 29 May 2007.
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In print
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Angelova, Anelia Nedelcheva. "Data Pruning.” MS thesis California Inst. of Technology, 2004. Print.
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More info
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Tips:
- For Masters of Science theses, replace "MA" with "MS".
Images
MLA provides limited guidance on citing images: if you are unable to cite the image that you need to using the formats below, please contact us for assistance.
Titled Image
Source
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Works Cited List
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Library database
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Rousseau, Henri. The Ship in the Storm. 1896. Painting. Musee de l'Orangerie, Paris. Grove Art Online. Web. 22 Nov. 2006.
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Free Web
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Rousseau, Henri. The Ship in the Storm. 1896. Painting. Musee de l'Orangerie, Paris. Web. 8 Aug. 2006.
The collection which owns the image should be included in your citation along with its location as shown above.
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Image reproduced in a printed source
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Rousseau, Henri. The Ship in the Storm. 1896. Painting. Musee de l'Orangerie, Paris. Henri Rousseau: Jungles in Paris. By Claire Fresches, et al. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 2006. 232. Print.
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More info
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Untitled Image
If an image is untitled, create a brief, descriptive title for it. Do not italicize this title or place it in quotes, and capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns.
Source
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Works Cited List
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Library database
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Muybridge, Eadweard. Photograph of a horse running. 1887. National Gallery, London. Grove Art Online. Web. 30 Oct. 2006.
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Image reproduced in a printed source
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Muybridge, Eadweard. Photograph of a horse running. 1887. National Gallery, London. Eadweard Muybridge: The Father of the Motion Picture. By Gordon Hendricks. New York: Grossman, 1975. 202. Print.
Give the number of the page that the image appears on after the book's publication information.
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More info
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Tips:
- If known, the collection which owns the image should be included in your citation along with its location as shown above.
Interviews and E-mail Messages
Source
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Works Cited List
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Interviews
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Brown, Jane. Personal interview. 18 Nov. 2006.
Smith, John. Telephone interview. 12 Aug. 2006.
Whiting, Jennifer. E-mail interview. 2-10 Dec. 2005.
To cite an interview you have conducted as part of your research, give the name of the person you interviewed, the type of interview, and the date or range of dates.
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E-mail message
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Smith, Joe. "The server is down." E-mail to the author. 18 Nov. 2006.
The name of the recipient of the e-mail should be given in the “e-mail to” line. You should refer to yourself as “the author” as shown above if the e-mail was addressed to you by its writer. The date given should be the date the e-mail was sent.
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More info
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