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MLA Citation Style, 8th Edition

This guide will provide rules and examples for using MLA citation style.

Two Authors

When a work has two authors, include them in the order they appear on the work, and invert the first author's name but write out the second author's name normally.

Works Cited Format:

First Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

Example:

Hawkins, Stan, and Sarah Niblock. Prince: the Making of a Pop Music Phenomenon. Ashgate, 2011.

In-Text Citation Examples:

Author within the text, direct quote:

Hawkins and Niblock argued that "Prince continued to transcend the boundaries of traditional practices of masculinity . . . " (27).

Authors not in the text, direct quote:

Eschewing gender norms, "Prince continued to transcend the boundaries of traditional practices of masculinity . . . " (Hawkins and Niblock 27).

 

Three or More Authors

Invert the first author's name add a comma and "et al."

Works Cited Format:

First Author's Last Name, First Name, et. al. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

Example:

Bear, Donald R., et. al. Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction. 6th ed., Pearson Education, 2015.


 

In-text Citation Examples:

Authors within the text, direct quote:

According to Bear et al., "Feature guides help teachers analyse student errors" (54).

Authors not in the text, direct quote:

Another reason to use feature guides is that they ". . . help teachers analyse student errors" (Bear et al. 54).