MLA: Citing a Book

Works Cited

• If the book has two authors it switches up! Lastname, Firstname, and Firstname Lastname.
• Book titles are italicized.
• Pay close attention to where there are commas and periods!
• The copyright and publisher information can be found on the title and copyright pages near the front of the book

Information you will need:

Authors. Book Title (italicized). Edition number (if available), Publisher Name, Copyright year.

Jenkins, Pamela, and John Modlin. Decision Analysis in Planning for a Polio Outbreak in the United States. 2nd ed., Pediatric Academic Societies, 2004.

In-Text Citation

(Last name and last name page number)

(Jenkins and Modlin 36)

Works Cited

• If the book has three or more authors use the first author and replace the others with et al. - Lastname, Firstname, et al.
• Book titles are italicized.
• Pay close attention to where there are commas and periods!
• The copyright and publisher information can be found on the title and copyright pages near the front of the book

Information you will need:

Author, et al. Book Title (italicized). Edition number (if available), Publisher Name, Copyright year.

Jenkins, Pamela, et al. Decision Analysis in Planning for a Polio Outbreak in the United States. 2nd ed., Pediatric Academic Societies, 2004.

In-Text Citation

(Last name et al. page number)

(Jenkins et al. 36)

Anthologies and edited books are cited a little differently. 

An edited book has information written by multiple people. Some of your textbooks are edited books. Look for Edited by or Eds. on the cover or title page of your book. 

Editor Name, editor. Title of Book (italicized). Publisher, year.

Sanchez, Ignacio M, editor. Mexican Literature in Theory. Bloomsbury Academic, 2018.

An anthology is a collection of writings, sometimes by different authors, combined into one book. For example, you have may a textbook for your British Literature class that has several poems, essays and stories from different authors, but all in one book. Typically, you would be citing one piece of writing from that book, and this is how you would do that.

Author of piece you are citing. "Title of Piece You are Citing." Name of Anthology (italicized), edited by Editor's Name, Publisher, year, page range of the piece you are citing. 

Sabau, Ana. "The Perils of Ownership." Mexican Literature in Theory, edited by Ignacio M. Sanchez, Bloomsbury Academic, 2018, pp. 33-54.

eBooks and audiobooks are cited like print books, but we need to include one or two additional pieces of information. 

eBooks

Author. Title (italicized). e-book ed., Publisher, year.

Silo, Leslie Marmon. The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir. e-book ed., Viking Books, 2010.

Audiobooks

Audiobooks will also include the person reading the book (narrator) and whether or not the book is abridged (shortened) or unabridged (not shortened).

Some longer audiobook productions are shortened, while some will read the whole book. For example some audiobook versions of Charles Dickens are shortened, focusing mostly on action and dialogue. But, some versions will read all 700 pages! 

The date may be a month, day and year. If the audiobook details provide all of that, then include it. If not, just the year is fine.

Author. Title (italicized). Narrated by narrator name, audiobook ed., abridged or unabridged ed., Publisher, date.

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Narrated by Sissy Spacek, audiobook ed., unabridged ed., HarperAudio, 8 July 2014.