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Citing Electronic Resources Using MLA Style


Why must I cite sources?
You must document full-text electronic resources (including those on the World Wide Web) just as you must document print sources. The reason for documentation is to credit the author and publisher for their original work and to enable your readers to consult the same sources you did. This also helps avoid plagiarism. Refer to The Indiana University Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct for more information on the issue of plagiarism.


Where will I cite my sources in my paper?
You will need to cite your sources in two places—within your paper as an in-text or parenthetical citation and at the end of your paper in a Bibliography or Works Cited list. The in-text citations must clearly direct readers to the sources at the end of your paper.

Examples:
The following Works Cited/Bibliography examples are only guidelines. Not all of your sources will fit the following; therefore, you may need to consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers available in the Information Commons Reference Collection (LB2369.G53) or Reference Desk. If you have questions about how to cite sources, feel free to ask a Reference Librarian or your instructor.

In-text Citation Examples:
Typically, in-text citations will include an author(s) last name and a page number (Smith 21). However, some materials, like World Wide Web pages, do not identify an author and/or page number. An example of how to create an in-text citation for World Wide Web pages is given below. Consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or a Reference Librarian for help in developing in-text references.



World Wide Web Full-Text Sources:


World Wide Web full-text sources are usually journal, magazine, or newspaper articles found at a specific web address or using a search engine like Google or Yahoo. These articles can come from popular sources (i.e. Time, Newsweek, etc.) or scholarly sources (i.e. Information Technology Journal, Musical Traditions, etc.). The article type and how it was accessed will determine the citation format. The following Works Cited/Bibliography examples are only guidelines; utilize the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers for additional examples.

Article from a Popular Magazine:

What you need:

  • Author(s) name
  • Title
  • Source (magazine name)
  • Publication date
  • Date you accessed the information
  • URL

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

McGinn, Daniel. "Rewinding a Video Giant." Newsweek 27 June 2005. 12 July 2005 <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8259044/site/newsweek>.

Article from a Scholarly Journal:

What you need:

  • Author(s) name
  • Title
  • Source (journal name)
  • Volume & issue number
  • Publication date & page number(s)
  • Database name (if included within one)
  • Date you accessed the information
  • URL

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

Dane, Gabrielle. "Reading Ophelia's Madness." Exemplaria 10.2 (1998). 12 July 2005 <http://web.english.ufl.edu/english/exemplaria/danefram.htm>.

Wechsler, Judith. "Performing Ophelia: The Iconography of Madness." Theatre Survey 43.2 (2002): 201-221. Cambridge Journals. 12 July 2005 <http://journals.cambridge.org/>.

Online Subscription Sources:


Online subscription sources are journal, magazine, or newspaper articles found through a library database. These articles will not be found by searching the World Wide Web using a search engine like Google or Yahoo. Each database may differ slightly; therefore, several examples are provided below. The following Works Cited/Bibliography examples are only guidelines; utilize the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers for additional examples.

What you need:

  • Author(s) name
  • Title
  • Source (journal, magazine, newspaper, etc. name)
  • Publication date
  • Section and/or page number(s)
  • Database & subscription service name
  • Name of the library or library system (where accessed)
  • Date you accessed the information
  • URL

LEXIS-NEXIS Academic:

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

Read, Brock. "Seriously, iPods are Educational." The Chronicle of Higher Education 18 Mar. 2005, Information Technology: 30. Academic. LEXIS-NEXIS. IU Libraries. 5 July 2005 <http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/>.

Academic Search Premier on EBSCO:

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

Quinn, Roseanne Giannini. "Mothers, Molls, and Misogynists: Resisting Italian Womanhood in the Sopranos." Journal of American Culture June 2004: 166- . Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. IU Libraries. 5 July 2005 <http://www.search.epnet.com>.

ABI/Inform Global Suite:

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

Ansen, David. "Is Anybody Making Movies We'll Actually Watch in 50 Years?" Newsweek 11 July 2005: 62- . ABI/Inform Global. ProQuest. IU Libraries. 12 July 2005 <http://proquest.umi.com>.

Online Encyclopedias:


Online encyclopedias, like Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, can be accessed through the library or the World Wide Web. Many of these sources will provide a suggested citation for each article. However, not all will be adapted to MLA style. The following Works Cited/Bibliography examples are only guidelines; utilize the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers for additional examples.

What you need:

  • Entry name
  • Subscription service (encyclopedia database name)
  • Subscription year
  • Original source
  • Date you accessed the information
  • URL

Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

"Jazz Poetry." Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 2005. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 12 July 2005. <http://search.eb.com/eb/article?tocId=9125209>.

World Wide Web Sites:


There are many different kinds of web sites, so it is impossible to give just one set of precise instructions for citation format. If you can not find some of the information needed, cite what is available. The following Works Cited/Bibliography examples are only guidelines; utilize the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers for additional examples.

What you need (at minimum):

  • Site title (if there is no title use a description such as "Home Page")
  • Date you accessed the information
  • URL

What you need (if available):

  • Author(s)/Editor(s) name
  • Publication or last update date
  • Organization/Institution name associated with the site

In-text Citation Format:

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project states that while younger activists admired King, tension was created when he decided not to participate in 1961's Freedom Rides.


Works Cited/Bibliography Format:

Border, Nathan. Home page. 12 July 2005 <http://mypage.iu.edu/~nborder/>.


Indiana University Fact Book 2004-2005. Dec. 2004. Indiana University. 12 July 2005 <http://factbook.indiana.edu/fbook04/enroll/fall.shtml>.


The Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project. Ed. Clayborne Carson. April 2005. Stanford University. 14 July 2005 <http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/>.


Victorian Women Writers Project. Ed. Perry Willett. April 2003. Indiana University. 12 July 2005 <http://www.indiana.edu/~letrs/vwwp/>.

The examples in this handout are based on the following texts:

  • Gibaldi, Joseph. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2003.


  • MLA Style: Documenting Sources from the World Wide Web. 3 Apr 2000. Modern Language Association. 26 May 2000. <http://www.mla.org/style/sources.htm>.


  • Gibaldi, Joseph. The MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. 2nd ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1998.


  • Li, Xia and Nancy B. Crane. Electronic Styles: A Handbook for Citing Electronic Information, 2nd ed. Medford, NJ: Information Today, 1996.


  • "How to Cite." EBSCOhost Web Online Help Screen. EBSCO Publishing. 18 May 2000 <http://www.epnet.com/
    ehost/indiana/ehost.html>.

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