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How to Cite a Book in MLA | Format & Examples

Published on June 28, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on June 16, 2022.

An MLA book citation always includes the author(s) , title (italicized), publisher, and publication year in the Works Cited entry. If relevant, also include the names of any editors or translators, the edition, and the volume. “University Press” should be abbreviated to “UP” in a Works Cited entry.

The in-text citation gives the author’s last name and a page number in parentheses.

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Table of contents, citing a book chapter, editions of books, multi-volume books, translated books, e-books and online books, where to find information for a book citation, frequently asked questions about mla style.

Use this format if the book’s chapters are written by different authors, or if the book is a collection of self-contained works (such as stories , essays, poems or plays ). A similar format can be used to cite images from books or dictionary entries . If you cite several chapters from the same book, include a separate Works Cited entry for each one.

Start the Works Cited entry with the author and title of the chapter, followed by the book’s title, editor, publisher, and date , and end with the page range on which the chapter appears.

If there are two editors, give the full names of both. If there are more than two editors, follow the same rules as for citing multiple authors : name only the first editor followed by et al.

If you are citing a work from a book with no named editor (e.g. a collection of a single author’s poems or plays), use the same format, but leave out the editor element.

• Multiple editors

Citing a whole collection or anthology

If you refer to a whole collection without citing a specific work within it, follow the standard book citation format. Include the editor(s) where the author would usually go, with a label to identify their role.

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If the book cover or title page specifies an edition, add the edition number or name, followed by the abbreviation “ed.”, after the title. Note that versions of the Bible are treated slightly differently.

Including the original publication date

Classic books are often published and republished many times. If the original publication date is relevant or necessary to put the source in context, you can also include this directly after the title.

If you cite only one volume of a multi-volume work, include the volume number in the Works Cited entry.

If you cite more than one volume of the book, cite them as a single work and specify the total number of volumes in your Works Cited entry. In this case, the in-text citations must include the volume number as well as the page number.

• Citing a single volume
• Citing multiple volumes

If the book is translated, include the translator’s name after the title.

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The citation format for an e-book depends on how you accessed it.

Books accessed online

If you accessed the book via a website or database, use the standard MLA book citation format, followed by the name of the website or database and a link to the book. Look for a DOI, stable URL or permalink. If the book was accessed as a PDF, you may note this in your reference .

Downloaded e-books

If you downloaded the book onto an e-reader device or app, you only have to add “E-book ed.” after the title.

If the e-book does not have page numbers, use an alternate locator, such as a chapter or section heading, in your in-text citation. Do not use locators that are specific to the device (e.g. Kindle locations).

The title, author, publisher, and publication year are usually found on the book’s title page. You might have to check the copyright page for the publisher and publication year.

Note that the copyright date is not always the same as the publication date. If several different years appear on the copyright page, use the most recent one.

If the book has any editors or translators named on the cover page, include them in the citation after the book’s title.

In MLA style , book titles appear in italics, with all major words capitalized. If there is a subtitle, separate it from the main title with a colon and a space (even if no colon appears in the source). For example:

The format is the same in the Works Cited list and in the text itself. However, when you mention the book title in the text, you don’t have to include the subtitle.

The title of a part of a book—such as a chapter, or a short story or poem in a collection—is not italicized, but instead placed in quotation marks.

If a source has two authors, name both authors in your MLA in-text citation and Works Cited entry. If there are three or more authors, name only the first author, followed by et al.

In MLA Style , you should cite a specific chapter or work within a book in two situations:

• When each of the book’s chapters is written by a different author.
• When the book is a collection of self-contained works (such as poems , plays , or short stories ), even if they are all written by the same author.

If you cite multiple chapters or works from the same book, include a separate Works Cited entry for each chapter.

Some source types, such as books and journal articles , may contain footnotes (or endnotes) with additional information. The following rules apply when citing information from a note in an MLA in-text citation :

• To cite information from a single numbered note, write “n” after the page number, and then write the note number, e.g. (Smith 105n2)
• To cite information from multiple numbered notes, write “nn” and include a range, e.g. (Smith 77nn1–2)
• To cite information from an unnumbered note, write “un” after the page number, with a space in between, e.g. (Jones 250 un)

You must include an MLA in-text citation every time you quote or paraphrase from a source (e.g. a book , movie , website , or article ).

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McCombes, S. (2022, June 16). How to Cite a Book in MLA | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved November 30, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/mla/book-citation/

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MLA Works Cited Page: Books

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MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook (9 th ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.

When you are gathering book sources, be sure to make note of the following bibliographic items: the author name(s), other contributors such as translators or editors, the book’s title, editions of the book, the publication date, the publisher, and the pagination.

The 8 th  edition of the MLA handbook highlights principles over prescriptive practices. Essentially, a writer will need to take note of primary elements in every source, such as author, title, etc. and then assort them in a general format. Thus, by using this methodology, a writer will be able to cite any source regardless of whether it’s included in this list.

Please note these changes in the new edition:

• Commas are used instead of periods between Publisher, Publication Date, and Pagination.
• Medium is no longer necessary.
• Containers are now a part of the MLA process. Commas should be used after container titles.
• DOIs should be used instead of URLS when available.
• Use the term “Accessed” instead of listing the date or the abbreviation, “n.d."

Below is the general format for any citation:

Author. Title. Title of container (do not list container for standalone books, e.g. novels), Other contributors (translators or editors), Version (edition), Number (vol. and/or no.), Publisher, Publication Date, Location (pages, paragraphs URL or DOI). 2 nd  container’s title, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location, Date of Access (if applicable).

Basic Book Format

The author’s name or a book with a single author's name appears in last name, first name format. The basic form for a book citation is:

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book . City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.

* Note: the City of Publication should only be used if the book was published before 1900, if the publisher has offices in more than one country, or if the publisher is unknown in North America.

Book with One Author

Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science . Penguin, 1987.

Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House . MacMurray, 1999.

Book with More Than One Author

When a book has two authors, order the authors in the same way they are presented in the book. Start by listing the first name that appears on the book in last name, first name format; subsequent author names appear in normal order (first name last name format).

Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring . Allyn and Bacon, 2000.

If there are three or more authors, list only the first author followed by the phrase et al. (Latin for "and others") in place of the subsequent authors' names. (Note that there is a period after “al” in “et al.” Also note that there is never a period after the “et” in “et al.”).

Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition . Utah State UP, 2004.

Two or More Books by the Same Author

List works alphabetically by title. (Remember to ignore articles like A, An, and The.) Provide the author’s name in last name, first name format for the first entry only. For each subsequent entry by the same author, use three hyphens and a period.

Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism . St. Martin's, 1997.

---. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History . Southern Illinois UP, 1993.

Book by a Corporate Author or Organization

A corporate author may include a commission, a committee, a government agency, or a group that does not identify individual members on the title page.

List the names of corporate authors in the place where an author’s name typically appears at the beginning of the entry.

American Allergy Association. Allergies in Children . Random House, 1998.

When the author and publisher are the same, skip the author, and list the title first. Then, list the corporate author only as the publisher.

Fair Housing—Fair Lending. Aspen Law & Business, 1985.

Book with No Author

List by title of the book. Incorporate these entries alphabetically just as you would with works that include an author name. For example, the following entry might appear between entries of works written by Dean, Shaun and Forsythe, Jonathan.

Encyclopedia of Indiana . Somerset, 1993.

Remember that for an in-text (parenthetical) citation of a book with no author, you should provide the name of the work in the signal phrase and the page number in parentheses. You may also use a shortened version of the title of the book accompanied by the page number. For more information see the In-text Citations for Print Sources with No Known Author section of In-text Citations: The Basics .

A Translated Book

If you want to emphasize the work rather than the translator, cite as you would any other book. Add “translated by” and follow with the name(s) of the translator(s).

Foucault, Michel. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason . Translated by Richard Howard, Vintage-Random House, 1988.

If you want to focus on the translation, list the translator as the author. In place of the author’s name, the translator’s name appears. His or her name is followed by the label, “translator.” If the author of the book does not appear in the title of the book, include the name, with a “By” after the title of the book and before the publisher. Note that this type of citation is less common and should only be used for papers or writing in which translation plays a central role.

Howard, Richard, translator. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason . By Michel Foucault, Vintage-Random House, 1988.

Republished Book

Books may be republished due to popularity without becoming a new edition. New editions are typically revisions of the original work. For books that originally appeared at an earlier date and that have been republished at a later one, insert the original publication date before the publication information.

For books that are new editions (i.e. different from the first or other editions of the book), see An Edition of a Book below.

Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble . 1990. Routledge, 1999.

Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine . 1984. Perennial-Harper, 1993.

An Edition of a Book

There are two types of editions in book publishing: a book that has been published more than once in different editions and a book that is prepared by someone other than the author (typically an editor).

A Subsequent Edition

Cite the book as you normally would, but add the number of the edition after the title.

Crowley, Sharon, and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students . 3rd ed., Pearson, 2004.

A Work Prepared by an Editor

Cite the book as you normally would, but add the editor after the title with the label "edited by."

Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre,  edited by Margaret Smith, Oxford UP, 1998.

Note that the format for citing sources with important contributors with editor-like roles follows the same basic template:

...adapted by John Doe...

Finally, in the event that the source features a contributor that cannot be described with a past-tense verb and the word "by" (e.g., "edited by"), you may instead use a noun followed by a comma, like so:

...guest editor, Jane Smith...

Anthology or Collection (e.g. Collection of Essays)

To cite the entire anthology or collection, list by editor(s) followed by a comma and "editor" or, for multiple editors, "editors." This sort of entry is somewhat rare. If you are citing a particular piece within an anthology or collection (more common), see A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection below.

Hill, Charles A., and Marguerite Helmers, editors. Defining Visual Rhetorics . Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004.

Peterson, Nancy J., editor. Toni Morrison: Critical and Theoretical Approaches . Johns Hopkins UP, 1997.

A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection

Works may include an essay in an edited collection or anthology, or a chapter of a book. The basic form is for this sort of citation is as follows:

Last name, First name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection , edited by Editor's Name(s), Publisher, Year, Page range of entry.

Some examples:

Harris, Muriel. "Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers." A Tutor's Guide: Helping Writers One to One , edited by Ben Rafoth, Heinemann, 2000, pp. 24-34.

Swanson, Gunnar. "Graphic Design Education as a Liberal Art: Design and Knowledge in the University and The 'Real World.'" The Education of a Graphic Designer , edited by Steven Heller, Allworth Press, 1998, pp. 13-24.

Note on Cross-referencing Several Items from One Anthology: If you cite more than one essay from the same edited collection, MLA indicates you may cross-reference within your works cited list in order to avoid writing out the publishing information for each separate essay. You should consider this option if you have several references from a single text. To do so, include a separate entry for the entire collection listed by the editor's name as below:

Rose, Shirley K, and Irwin Weiser, editors. The Writing Program Administrator as Researcher . Heinemann, 1999.

Then, for each individual essay from the collection, list the author's name in last name, first name format, the title of the essay, the editor's last name, and the page range:

L'Eplattenier, Barbara. "Finding Ourselves in the Past: An Argument for Historical Work on WPAs." Rose and Weiser, pp. 131-40.

Peeples, Tim. "'Seeing' the WPA With/Through Postmodern Mapping." Rose and Weiser, pp. 153-67.

Please note: When cross-referencing items in the works cited list, alphabetical order should be maintained for the entire list.

Poem or Short Story Examples :

Burns, Robert. "Red, Red Rose." 100 Best-Loved Poems, edited by Philip Smith, Dover, 1995, p. 26.

Kincaid, Jamaica. "Girl." The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories , edited by Tobias Wolff, Vintage, 1994, pp. 306-07.

If the specific literary work is part of the author's own collection (all of the works have the same author), then there will be no editor to reference:

Whitman, Walt. "I Sing the Body Electric." Selected Poems, Dover, 1991, pp. 12-19.

Carter, Angela. "The Tiger's Bride." Burning Your Boats: The Collected Stories, Penguin, 1995, pp. 154-69.

Article in a Reference Book (e.g. Encyclopedias, Dictionaries)

For entries in encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works, cite the entry name as you would any other work in a collection but do not include the publisher information. Also, if the reference book is organized alphabetically, as most are, do not list the volume or the page number of the article or item.

"Ideology." The American Heritage Dictionary.  3rd ed. 1997. 

A Multivolume Work

When citing only one volume of a multivolume work, include the volume number after the work's title, or after the work's editor or translator.

Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria . Translated by H. E. Butler, vol. 2, Loeb-Harvard UP, 1980.

When citing more than one volume of a multivolume work, cite the total number of volumes in the work. Also, be sure in your in-text citation to provide both the volume number and page number(s) ( see "Citing Multivolume Works" on our in-text citations resource .)

Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria . Translated by H. E. Butler, Loeb-Harvard UP, 1980. 4 vols.

If the volume you are using has its own title, cite the book without referring to the other volumes as if it were an independent publication.

Churchill, Winston S. The Age of Revolution . Dodd, 1957.

An Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterword

When citing an introduction, a preface, a foreword, or an afterword, write the name of the author(s) of the piece you are citing. Then give the name of the part being cited, which should not be italicized or enclosed in quotation marks; in italics, provide the name of the work and the name of the author of the introduction/preface/foreword/afterword. Finish the citation with the details of publication and page range.

Farrell, Thomas B. Introduction. Norms of Rhetorical Culture , by Farrell, Yale UP, 1993, pp. 1-13.

If the writer of the piece is different from the author of the complete work , then write the full name of the principal work's author after the word "By." For example, if you were to cite Hugh Dalziel Duncan’s introduction of Kenneth Burke’s book Permanence and Change, you would write the entry as follows:

Duncan, Hugh Dalziel. Introduction. Permanence and Change: An Anatomy of Purpose, by Kenneth Burke, 1935, 3rd ed., U of California P, 1984, pp. xiii-xliv.

Book Published Before 1900

Original copies of books published before 1900 are usually defined by their place of publication rather than the publisher. Unless you are using a newer edition, cite the city of publication where you would normally cite the publisher.

Thoreau, Henry David. Excursions . Boston, 1863.

Italicize “The Bible” and follow it with the version you are using. Remember that your in-text (parenthetical citation) should include the name of the specific edition of the Bible, followed by an abbreviation of the book, the chapter and verse(s). (See Citing the Bible at In-Text Citations: The Basics .)

The Bible. Authorized King James Version , Oxford UP, 1998.

The Bible. The New Oxford Annotated Version , 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2001.

The New Jerusalem Bible. Edited by Susan Jones, Doubleday, 1985.

A Government Publication

Cite the author of the publication if the author is identified. Otherwise, start with the name of the national government, followed by the agency (including any subdivisions or agencies) that serves as the organizational author. For congressional documents, be sure to include the number of the Congress and the session when the hearing was held or resolution passed as well as the report number. US government documents are typically published by the Government Printing Office.

United States, Congress, Senate, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearing on the Geopolitics of Oil . Government Printing Office, 2007. 110th Congress, 1st session, Senate Report 111-8.

United States, Government Accountability Office. Climate Change: EPA and DOE Should Do More to Encourage Progress Under Two Voluntary Programs . Government Printing Office, 2006.

Cite the title and publication information for the pamphlet just as you would a book without an author. Pamphlets and promotional materials commonly feature corporate authors (commissions, committees, or other groups that does not provide individual group member names). If the pamphlet you are citing has no author, cite as directed below. If your pamphlet has an author or a corporate author, put the name of the author (last name, first name format) or corporate author in the place where the author name typically appears at the beginning of the entry. (See also Books by a Corporate Author or Organization above.)

Women's Health: Problems of the Digestive System . American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2006.

Your Rights Under California Welfare Programs . California Department of Social Services, 2007.

Dissertations and Master's Theses

Dissertations and master's theses may be used as sources whether published or not. Unlike previous editions, MLA 8 specifies no difference in style for published/unpublished works.

The main elements of a dissertation citation are the same as those for a book: author name(s), title (italicized) , and publication date. Conclude with an indication of the document type (e.g., "PhD dissertation"). The degree-granting institution may be included before the document type (though this is not required). If the dissertation was accessed through an online repository, include it as the second container after all the other elements.

Bishop, Karen Lynn. Documenting Institutional Identity: Strategic Writing in the IUPUI Comprehensive Campaign . 2002. Purdue University, PhD dissertation.

Bile, Jeffrey. Ecology, Feminism, and a Revised Critical Rhetoric: Toward a Dialectical Partnership . 2005. Ohio University, PhD dissertation.

Mitchell, Mark. The Impact of Product Quality Reducing Events on the Value of Brand-Name Capital: Evidence from Airline Crashes and the 1982 Tylenol Poisonings.  1987. PhD dissertation.  ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.

List the names of corporate authors in the place where an author’s name typically appears at the beginning of the entry if the author and publisher are not the same.

Fair Housing—Fair Lending. Aspen Law & Business, 1985.

MLA Citation Guide

• Paper Formatting
• Citation Components

Edited Books

Anthologies, reference books, online reference books, graphic novel or illustrated book, literary criticism articles reprinted in a reference book, essays from a book in a series, sacred texts.

• Article Examples
• Media Examples
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In-Text Citations

Author. Title of Book . Publisher, Date.

Works Cited List Entry

Ni, Peimin. Confucius: The Man and the Way of Gongfu . Rowman and Littlefield, 2016.

In-Text Citation

See page 313 in the MLA Handbook .

Author. Title of Book . xth ed., Publisher, Date.

Gendrich, Cynthia M., and Stephen Archer. Theatre: Its Art and Craft . 7th ed., Rowman and Littlefield, 2017.

(Gendrich and Archer)

See page 315 in the MLA Handbook .

Template for Database eBooks

Author. Title of eBook . Edition, Publisher, Date. Database, URL.

Template for Freely Available Work

Author. Title of eBook . Edition, Publisher, Date. Website, URL.

Works Cited List Entries

Reynolds, Andy. The Tour Book: How to Get Your Music on the Road . 2nd ed., Course Technology, 2012. Ebook Central, ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sfcollege-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3136550.

Werner, E. T. C. Myths and Legends of China . 1922. George G. Harrap & Co., 2005. Project Gutenberg, www.gutenberg.org/files/15250/15250-h/15250-h.htm.

(Reynolds 81)

See page 316 in the MLA Handbook .

Editor, editor(s). Title of Book . Publisher, Date.

Back, Youngsun, and Philip J. Ivanhoe, editors. Traditional Korean Philosophy: Problems and Debates . Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.

Chopin, Kate. The Complete Works of Kate Chopin . Edited by Per Seyersted, Louisiana State UP, 1969.

(Back and Ivanhoe)

See page 314 in the MLA Handbook .

Author of Chapter. "Title of Chapter." Title of Book , edited by Editors, Edition, Volume, Publisher, Date, pp. X-X.

Sharpe, Thomasina H. "Later Life Sexuality." Sex and Sexuality , edited by Richard D. McAnulty and M. Michele Burnette, vol. 1, Praeger, 2006, pp. 133-151.

(Sharpe 136)

See page 318 in the MLA Handbook .

Author of Work. "Title of Work." Title of Book , edited by Editors, Edition, Volume, Publisher, Date, pp. X-X.

Spiotta, Dana. "Jelly and Jack." The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2016 , edited by Rachel Kushner, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, pp. 39-56.

Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Pit and the Pendulum." 1842. The Complete Tales & Poems of Edgar Allan Poe , introduction by Wilbur S. Scott, Castle Books, 2002, pp. 237-246.

In the Poe example, an original publication date (1842) is provided after the title of the short story.

(Spiotta 42)

See pages 317 and 319 in the MLA Handbook .

Author of Entry. "Title of Entry." Title of Book , edited by Editors, Edition, Volume, Publisher, Date, pp. X-X.

Orme, Nicholas. "Christianity, Cornwall." The Celts: History, Life, and Culture , edited by John T. Koch and Antone Minard, vol. 1, ABC-CLIO, 2012, pp. 192-193.

See pages 327-328 in the MLA Handbook .

Use for online Internet reference books, or information from Credo Reference, Ferguson's Career Guidance Center, Health and Wellness (from the Books & Fact Sheets area), and Salem Online.

Author of Entry. "Title of Entry." Title of Book , edited by Editors, Edition, Volume, Publisher, Date. Database OR Website , URL.

"Allusions, Biblical." All Things Chaucer: An Encyclopedia of Chaucer's World , edited by Shannon L. Rogers, Greenwood Press, 2007. Credo Reference, search.credoreference.com/content/entry/abcchaucer/allusions_biblical/0.

In this example, no author entry is provided, so the citation begins with the title of the entry.

("Allusions")

Author. Title of Text . Illustrated by Illustrators, Publisher, Date.

Frank, Anne. Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation . Adapted by Ari Folman, illustrated by David Polonksy, Pantheon, 2018.

Author of Criticism. "Title of Criticism." Title of Book , edited by Editors, Edition, Volume, Publisher, Date, pp. X-X. Originally published in Journal Title , vol. X, no. X, Date, pp. X-X.

Schroeder, Natalie. "Stephen King's Misery : Freudian Sexual Symbolism and the Battle of the Sexes." Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by Jeffrey W. Hunter, vol. 244, Thomson Gale, 2008, pp. 50-55. Originally published in Journal of Popular Culture, vol. 30, no. 2, 1996, pp. 137-48.

(Schroeder 52)

Author of Essay. "Title of Essay." Title of Book , edited by Editors, Edition, Volume, Publisher, Date, pp. X-X. Series name.

Winter, Marcus A. "More Charter Schools Should Be Opened." Charter Schools , edited by Margaret Haerens and Lynn M. Zott, Greenhaven Press, 2012, pp. 169-179. Opposing Viewpoints.

Note: If the series was numbered, the number would follow the series name. For example, if the series name was Miller Handbooks and the book was number 4 in this series, the series name would read Miller Handbooks 4 .

(Winter 170)

See pages 315 and 318 in the MLA Handbook .

Title of Text . Edition, Publisher, Date.

You may also have a more specialized title or author, which can be included.

The Holy Qur'an . Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Wordsworth Editions, 2000.

The Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation . Rowman and Littlefield, 2007.

(The Holy Qur'an, 56.17-18)

(The Priests for Equality, 1 Cor. 3.10)

See pages 247 and 339 in the MLA Handbook.

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MLA Book Citation Examples

MLA citations make it easy to format book citations with multiple authors as you simply use the Latin term “et al.” for three or more authors. Et al. means “and others ,”  which helps the reader understand there are more authors than are listed in the entry. Use these MLA book citation examples to help you follow a straightforward pattern.

Format for One Author

MLA 8 is a flexible system that uses the container system for formatting works cited entries for your humanities paper. When creating an entry for a book with one author in MLA 8 style, follow these guidelines.

Works Cited Format – One Author

Last Name, First Name.  Title of Book . Publisher, Publication Date.

In-Text Citation Format – One Author

(Last name page #)

Example 1 – Works Cited One Author

Stanley, Jean B. The Message: Living Happy-Joyous-and Free: Legacy of the Twelve Steps . Heartfelt Books, 1995.

Example 1 – In-Text Citation

(Stanley 44)

Example 2- Works Cited One Author

Sabroe, Knud-Erik. Alcohol in Society: Patterns and Attitudes . Aarhus, Denmark, Aarhus University, 1994.

Example 2 – In-Text Citation

(Sabroe 188)

Format for Two Authors

When citing a book with more than one author, remember to include the authors in the order they appear in the work.

Works Cited Format – Two Authors

Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name. Title of Book . Publisher, Publication Date.

In-Text Citation Format – Two Authors

(Last name and Last name page #)

Example 1 – Works Cited Two Authors

Kinney, Jean and Gwen Leaton. Loosening the Grip: A Handbook of Alcohol Addiction . St. Louis, Mosby, 1995.

Example 1 – In-Text Citation Two Authors

(Kinney and Leaton 143)

Example 2 – Works Cited Two Authors

Holder, Harold D. and Griffith Edwards, editors. Alcohol Use and Misuse by Young Adults . University of Notre Dame Press, 1994.

Example 2 – In-Text Citation Two Authors

(Holder and Edwards 234)

Format for Three or More Authors

When a book has at least three listed authors, you only need to name the first one, following it with “et al.” to indicate that there are more authors. The formatting is otherwise the same as with books that have one or two authors.

Works Cited Format – Three or More Authors

Last Name, First Name, et al.  Title of Book . Publisher, Publication Date.

In-Text Citation Format – Three or More Authors

(Last Name et al. page #)

Example 1 – Works Cited Three or More Authors

Peele, Stanton, et al . The Truth About Addiction and Recovery: The Life Process Program for Outgrowing Destructive Habits.  Simon & Schuster, 1992.

Example 1 – In-Text Citation Three or More Authors

(Peele, et al. 26)

Example 2 – Works Cited Three or More Authors

Boyd, Gayle M. et al. editors. Alcohol Problems Among Adolescents: Current Directions in Prevention Research . Lawrence Erlbaum, 1995.

Example 2 – In-Text Citation Three or More Authors

(Boyd, et al. 210)

Format for Translated Books

If you are citing a book that has been translated from a source in another language, you should add the translator’s name after the title of the book.

Works Cited Format – Translated Books

Last Name, First Name.  Title of Book . Translated by First Name Last Name, Publisher, Publication Date.

Example 1 – Works Cited Translated Book

Nettel, Guadalupe. The Body Where I Was Born. Translated by J.T. Lichenstein, New York City, Seven Stories Press, 2015.

Example 1 – In-Text Citation Translated Book

(Nettel 27)

Example 2 – Works Cited Translated Book

Herrera, Yuri. Signs Preceding the End of the World . Translated by Lisa Dillman, Sheffleld, United Kingdom, And Other Stories, 2015.

Example 2 – In-Text Citation Translated Book

(Herrera 25)

Include the city of publication only if:

• The book was published before 1900.
• The publisher is not well-known in North America.
• The publisher has offices in several countries.

How to Cite a Textbook in MLA

In addition to translated books, you might need to cite a textbook in MLA format. For a textbook citation in MLA, follow the core elements system for a chapter book.

Works Cited Format – Textbook Format

Last Name, First Name. “Title of Essay.” Title of Textbook , edited by Editor Name, Edition, Publisher, Year, page range.

Example 1 – Works Cited Textbook

Roberts, Edgar V. “Beginning Writing.” Writing About Literature , edited by John Connolly, 13th ed., Longman Publishing, 2012, pp. 120-35.

Example 1 – In-Text Citation Textbook

(Roberts 120)

Example 2 – Works Cited Textbook

Roberts, Edgar V., and Henry E. Jacobs. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing . 6th ed., Prentice Hall, 2003, pp. 122–35.

Example 2 – In-Text Citation Textbook

(Roberts and Jacobs 135)

Formatting MLA Book Citations

Creating an MLA book citation isn’t difficult once you have the container system down to a science. However, remember to always follow your teacher’s requirements if they differ from the style guide.

The Basics of MLA Format Citation Style

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How to Cite the Bible in MLA Works Cited

Mla journal citation examples, using note cards for mla research papers, movie mla citation examples.

Home / Guides / Citation Guides / MLA Format / MLA Book Citation

How to Cite a Book in MLA

Books are written works or compositions that have been published. They are no longer restricted to paper and have evolved into the online realm.

Below are examples of how to cite different types of books in MLA 9. If you need a different citation style, there is also a guide on citing a book in APA .

In MLA, a basic book citation includes the following information:

• Author’s name
• Title of book
• Publisher of the book
• Year published

Additional information is needed when citing:

• Name of website or database
• Name of e-book device
• Name of the translator or editor
• Name of book editor or author
• Name of chapter author
• Page numbers or ranges used
• Volume number of the book
• City the book was published in

Citing a book in MLA (print)

View Screenshot | Cite your book

Citing a book found on a Website or database in MLA

Many books are now found online. Popular sites or databases that hold e-books include Google Books, Project Gutenberg, and EBSCO.

Cite your book

*Keep “https:” at the beginning of the URL only when citing a DOI.

Digital sources with no page numbers means that no page numbers should be included in the in-text citation.

Citing an E-book in MLA (found via an e-reader)

E-Readers are electronic devices that display e-books. Kindles and Nooks are some of the more popular e-readers available today. Individuals can purchase or borrow e-books and read them on their e-readers.

Cite your ebook

Since the page numbers of an e-book can vary across e-reader, text preferences, and other factors, you should not include a page number. This is because a consistent page number does not exist. You can include section numbers (sec., secs.) or chapter numbers (ch., chs.) instead, if they exist and you feel it would be helpful.

Citing a translated or edited book in MLA

Citing a chapter of a book in mla.

*In the above citation example, The Body of the Queen: Gender and Rule in the Courtly World, 1500-2000 is an edited book that features a chapter by Louis Montrose. The title of the chapter that he wrote is found in quotation marks (“Elizabeth Through the Looking Glass: Picturing the Queen’s Two Bodies”).

Citing a book with multiple authors in MLA

*et al. is Latin for “and others.”

Published October 20, 2011. Updated May 9, 2021.

MLA Formatting Guide

MLA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Sample Paper
• Works Cited
• MLA 8 Updates
• MLA 9 Updates
• View MLA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all MLA Examples

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In the works cited: If the organization is the author and publisher, don’t include an author and start the citation with the book’s title. If the author and publisher are different, use the organization name as the author.

When the chapter’s author is different from the book’s editor or author. Chapters are usually cited when you use anthologies, multi-volume sets, or a foreword/afterword written by someone other than the book’s main author.

Place the author’s last name and the quote chapter number in parenthesis after the borrowed quote or information. Example: “Feeling that Peter was on his way back, the Neverland had again woke into life” (Barrie ch. 5).

MLA is the style most often used in literature, language, history, art and theater subjects.

If any important information is missing (e.g., author’s name, title, publishing date, URL, etc.), first see if you can find it in the source yourself. If you cannot, leave the information blank and continue creating your citation.

Yes! Whether you’d like to learn how to construct citations on your own, our Autocite tool isn’t able to gather the metadata you need, or anything in between, manual citations are always an option. Click here for directions on using creating manual citations.

To cite a book with multiple authors in MLA style, you need to have basic information including the authors, publication year, book title, and publisher. The templates for in-text citation and works-cited-list entry of a book written by multiple authors and some examples are given below:

In-text citation template and example:

Citation in prose:

For sources with two authors, use both full author names in prose (e.g., Harold Napoleon and Richard Harris). For sources with three or more authors, use the first name and surname of the first author followed by “and others” or “and colleagues” (e.g., Harold Napoleon and others). In subsequent citations, use only the surname of the first author followed by “and others” or “and colleagues” (e.g., Napoleon and others).

First mention: Harold Napoleon and colleagues…. or Harold Napoleon and others ….

Subsequent occurrences: Napoleon and colleagues…. or Napoleon and others ….

Parenthetical:

In parenthetical citations, use only the author’s surname (e.g., Napoleon). For sources with two authors, use two surnames (e.g., Napoleon and Harris). For sources with three or more author names, use the first author’s surname followed by “et al.”

….(Napoleon et al.)

Works-cited-list entry template and example:

The title of the book is given in italics and title case.

Surname, F. M., et al. Title of the Book . Publisher, Publication Date.

Napoleon, Harold, et al. Yuuyaraq the Way of the Human Being: With Commentary . University of Alaska, 1996.

Use only the first author’s name in surname–first name order in the entry and follow it with “et al.”

A book is a printed copy, whereas an e-book is an online version and is available via different electronic media (e.g., epub and Kindle).

To cite a print book in MLA format, you need to know the names of the authors, the title of the book, publisher name, publication date, and page range (optional). You need the same information to cite an e-book, however, you will not include page numbers unless they are the same as those in the print version of the book. MLA mostly treats citations for print books and e-books the same, except for noting that the e-book version is being cited within the entry.

The templates and examples for in-text citations and works cited list entries for a book and an e-book are provided below:

In-text citation template and example for a book:

Author Surname

(Author Surname Page)

(Damasio 7)

Works cited list entry template and example:

Surname, First Name. Title of the Book . Publisher, Publication Date, Page range.

Damasio, Antonio. Emotion, Reason and the Feeling Brain . Penguin, 1994.

In-text citation template and example for an e-book:

(Author Surname)

Author’s Surname, First Name. Title of the Book . E-book ed., Publisher, Publication Date.

Davis, Barbara. The Keeper of Happy Endings . E-book ed., Lake Union Publishing, 2021.

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How to Cite a Book in MLA Format

When citing a book in MLA format , include the author’s name, the title of the book, the publisher’s name, publication date, and sometimes the place of publication. The way you cite a book using MLA format can vary depending on the type of work you’re citing.

For example, an e-book citation requires additional elements, like the source URL. The format for citing a textbook with multiple authors also varies from a standard MLA book citation. Referencing classical works that don’t have a definitive publication date or author, like the Bible, also requires a different approach. Give your writing extra polish Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Write with Grammarly

How to cite a book in MLA format

A standard book citation in MLA format for a text with a single author looks like this:

Last name, First name of author. Book title. Place of publication, Publisher’s  name,  publication date.

An example of a standard book citation in MLA format looks like this:

Walker, Alice. The Color Purple . New York, Harcourt, 1992.

Note that the book title in a citation using MLA format is italicized and written in title case , meaning that all major words are capitalized. This typically includes nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

Here’s a tip: Citations can be difficult, but they don’t have to trip you up. Grammarly’s Citation Generator ensures your essays have flawless citations and no plagiarism. Try it for tricky MLA book citations like graphic novels , biographies , and Shakespeare .

Include the place of publication only if the work was published before 1900, is a rare book, or is published in different versions outside of the US; otherwise, don’t include this element.

For an in-text citation of a book in MLA format, include the author’s last name and the page number in parentheses. Below is an example:

(Winters 78)

How to cite a book with multiple authors in MLA format 

You can reference a work with more than one author by reworking the author element of the citation. For a book citation with two authors, use the following format:

Last name, First name, and First name Last name. Book title. Publisher’s name, Publication date.

Citing a book with two authors looks like this:

Cohn, Rachel, and David Levithan. Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares . Ember Publishing  House, 2011.

For an in-text citation, include the last names of both authors, separated by the word “and,” followed by the page number. These elements should be enclosed in parentheses:

(Cohn and Levithan 55)

The author format also changes when you’re citing a book with three or more authors. In this scenario, include the name of the first author listed in the book, followed by “et al.” to denote that multiple authors contributed to the work. Below is an example of this type of book citation in MLA format:

Last name, First name, et al. Book title. Publisher’s name, Publication date.

Below is an example of a citation for a book authored by three or more individuals:

Heffernan, James, et al. Writing: A College Handbook . 5th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.

An in-text citation of a book with more than three authors is similar to that of a book with two authors. The difference is that instead of including all the authors’ last names, you include only the first author’s last name, followed by “et al.”:

(Morris et al. 37)

How to cite an e-book in MLA format

You might need to cite a digital version of a book that you accessed on your e-reader device. In this situation, you can include supplemental container information for the e-book citation. Below is an example of an e-book citation in MLA style:

Last name, First name of author. E-book title. E-book, Publisher’s name, Publication date. E-reader name.

Note that this citation includes “E-book” before the publisher’s name. Additionally, include the name of the e-reader used to access the source. Below is an example:

Harkness, Deborah. A Discovery of Witches: A Novel . E-book, Penguin Books, 2011.  Kindle.

When citing an e-book in your text, include the author’s last name and the chapter or section number that you’re referencing. For example: 

(Harkness, ch. 3)

How to cite an anthology in MLA format

When citing a source within a larger work, such as an anthology , MLA-style citations include an element for the title of the anthology or collection, referred to as the “container.” Additional supplemental information you can include when citing a work in an anthology includes:

• source author’s full name
• title of the source in quotations
• title of the container in italics
• contributor names for the anthology (e.g., editors)
• anthology version
• publisher of the anthology
• publication date
• page number or range.

Here is an example of an anthology book citation using MLA format: 

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Romanticism: An Anthology .  Edited by Duncan Wu, 4th ed., Wiley-Blackwell, 2012, pp. 228–334.

For an in-text citation of the above poem in an anthology, include the author’s last name followed by the page number:

(Coleridge 331)

How to cite the Bible in MLA format

MLA style has rules for citing scriptures and other religious texts. As the Bible is a commonly cited text in academic writing, we’ve provided specific guidance and examples for it below. 

When you’re referencing a work with no known author, follow the basic elements of a standard book citation in MLA format. This situation might come up when you’re citing classic books or religious works. 

Leave out the author element and begin the citation with the title of the book, making sure to cite the version of the Bible that you’re referencing (e.g., the King James Version). Below is the formula for citing the Bible in MLA style on a works cited (or bibliography ) page:

Bible Title. Version. Edited by First name Last name, Publisher’s name, Publication date.

Here is how you’d cite a specific version of the Bible:

The Bible , American Standard Version. Edited by American Revision Committee, Star Bible  Publishers, 1901.

MLA in-text citations for the Bible

In-text references of different chapters or verses of the Bible are different from those of other books. On the first in-text reference, include the title of the book, the abbreviated chapter name, and the verse number or range. Use a period to separate chapters from verses. After the first mention, you can drop the title from the in-text citation. Below is an example of the first in-text citation for the Bible:

( The Holy Bible: King James Version , Ezek. 1.3)

Here is an example of a subsequent in-text citation for the same text:

(Ezek. 1.3)

MLA Citation Guide (9th Edition): Books, eBooks & Pamphlets

• What Kind of Source Is This?
• Advertisements
• Books, eBooks & Pamphlets
• Book Reviews
• Class Handouts, Presentations, and Readings
• Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
• Government Documents
• Images, Artwork, Charts, Graphs & Tables
• Interviews and Emails (Personal Communications)
• Journal Articles
• Magazine Articles
• Newspaper Articles
• Primary Sources
• Religious Texts
• Social Media
• Videos & DVDs
• In-Text Citation
• Works Quoted in Another Source
• No Author, No Date etc.
• Works Cited List & Sample Paper
• Annotated Bibliography
• Powerpoint Presentations

On This Page: Books & eBooks

Citing a part of a book vs citing the whole book, book in print - one author, book in print - two authors, book in print - three or more authors, book - group or corporate author, ebook from a library database - one author, ebook from a library database - two authors.

• eBook from a Library Database - Three or More Authors
• eBook from a Website

eBook from an eReader Platform

Open textbook (free online textbook), a book chapter uploaded to moodle, a book prepared by an editor, chapter, short story, or essay from a book (edited anthology or collection), short story or essay from a book (anthology or collection of author's own work), article or essay in an authored textbook, book with editor(s) but no author, how can i tell if it's a book in print or an ebook.

A print book means it's printed on paper. If you checked the book out of a library or bought it from a bookstore, it's print.

An eBook is a book you can read entirely online or on an eReader.

Citing an eBook with no Page Numbers

When there are no page numbers listed on an ebook, or it is a resizable format like Kindle or EPUB, cite the chapter number instead in your in-text citation.

Example: (Smith ch. 2).  

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

Translated book.

When citing a book that has been translated, you include the translator's information in the Works Cited reference after the title of the book.

Dorfman, Ariel, and Armand Mattelart.  How to Read Donald

Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic .

Translated by David Kunzle, OR Books, 2018.

Access Date

Works from the web can be changed or removed at any time, so it is often important to include the date you accessed the material in your citation. This is  optional , but is especially important when there is no date specifying when the item (web document, article, webpage) was produced, or you believe the source has been edited without notice. Add the access date to the end of your citation.  E.g. Accessed 23 July 2019.

Authors/Editors

An author can be a person but can also be an organization, or company. These are called group or corporate authors.

If you are citing a chapter from a book that has an editor, the author of the chapter is listed first, and is the name listed in the in-text citation.

The format of all dates is: Day Month (shortened) Year. E.g. 5 Sept. 2012.

Write the full date as you find it on the source. If there is only a year listed, you will only put the year in your citation. For others, you will also include a month and day if they are given.

If there is no date listed, just leave it out unless you can find that information available in a reliable source. In that case the date is cited in square brackets to show that you found that information somewhere else. E.g. [2008]

Page Numbers

On your Works Cited page (but not for in-text citations), single page numbers are preceded by p. and a range of page numbers is preceded by pp. E.g. p. 156 or pp. 79-92.

You have the option to use the shortened name of the publisher. For example, you can use UP instead of University Press (e.g. Oxford UP instead of the full name Oxford University Press).

You also have the option to remove articles (A, An, The), business abbreviations (e.g. Co., Inc.) and descriptive words (e.g. Books, House, Press, Publishers). 

Capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title. You do not need to capitalize words such as: in, of, or an. Do not use all-caps (except for words like USA where each letter stands for something), even if the words appear that way on the book or article.

If there is a colon (:) in the title, include what comes after the colon (also known as the subtitle).

Note : For your Works Cited list, all citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches. Microsoft Word and some other text editing programs allow you to highlight a citation and apply a hanging indent. 

Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle if Any. Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication. 

Last Name, First Name of First Author, and First Name Last Name of Second Author. Title of Book: Subtitle if Any.  Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication. 

  Note: Only the first author's name appears in "Last Name, First Name" format. The second author's name appears in "First Name Last Name" format. 

Last Name, First Name of First Author, et al. Title of Book: Subtitle if Any.  Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication. 

  Note:  If there are three or more authors   list  only the  first  author's name followed by et al. instead of listing all authors' names.  The first author is  the first name listed on the work  you are citing, not the first name alphabetically.

Name of Corporate Author. Title of Book: Subtitle if Any.  Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of Publication.

 Note : When the organization that published the work is also the corporate author of the work, begin the entry with the title, skipping the author element, and list the organization only as publisher. If the corporate author is a division of a larger organization, the division is the author and the organization is the publisher. 

Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle if Any. Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication.  Name of Library Database .

Last Name of First Author, First Name, and First Name Last Name of Second Author. Title of Book: Subtitle if Any.  Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication.  Name of Library Database.  

  Note: Only the first author's name appears in "Last Name, First Name" format. The second author's name appears in "First Name Last Name" format.

eBook From a Library Database - Three or More Authors

Last Name of First Author, First Name, et al. Title of Book: Subtitle if Any.  Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication.  Name of Library Database.  

eBook From a Website

Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle if Any. Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication.  Website Name, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited if there is no publication date . File type.

  Note : When the landing page provides a choice of formats (such as PDF or EPUB), include the file type at the end of the citation (in case there are slight differences between versions). If you use the default format of the book, omit this element. In most cases, a URL should be provided. However, if there is a DOI, use it instead (because it is the most stable link to the book), beginning with https://doi.org. 

Author's Last Name, First Name.  Title of Book: Subtitle if Any.  Edition if given and is not first edition, e-book ed., Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication. File type.

  Note:  The file type is important to include, since only a PDF will have stable page numbering. Do not cite the website (Amazon, VitalSource, Google Play, etc) as a container.

Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle if Any. Edition if given and is not first edition,   Publisher name if different from website name ,  Year of Publication. Website Name , URL if no DOI is provided. File type.

Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Title of Book Chapter."  Moodle , uploaded by Instructor Name, upload date [if known], moodle.columbiacollege.bc.ca/.

Note:  The MLA Style Center has more guidance on citing online handouts and readings , including the difference between a reading that is uploaded to a course versus one that is shared via a link. If your instructor asks you to practice citing a course reading using the original publication information, follow the model for the original type of source (book chapter, journal article, etc.). 

Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle if Any,  edited by Editor's First Name and Last Name ,  Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Chapter, Short Story, or Essay." Title of Book: Subtitle if Any,  edited by Editor's First Name and Last Name,  Edition if given and is not first,  Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication, Page numbers of the chapter, short story, or essay. 

  Note:  The author listed at the beginning of the citation is the author of the chapter, short story, or essay.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Short Story or Essay."  Title of Book: Subtitle if Any,  Edition if given and is not first,  Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication, Page numbers of the short story or essay. 

  Note:   Use this format when the book is a collection of an author's own work. In this case, there will be no editor.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article or Essay."  Title of Book: Subtitle if Any,  by Author's First Name and Last Name,  Edition if given and is not first,  Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication, Page numbers of the article or essay. 

  Note:  The first author's name listed is the author of the article or essay. The second is the author of the textbook.

Last Name of editor, First Name, editor(s).  Title of Book: Subtitle if Any.  Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of Publication.

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MLA Citation Guide (MLA 9th Edition): Books

• Understanding Core Elements
• Formatting Appendices and Works Cited List
• Writing an Annotated Bibliography
• Academic Honesty and Citation
• In-Text Citation
• Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
• Charts, Graphs, Images, and Tables
• Class Notes and Presentations
• Interviews and Emails
• Journal and Magazine Articles
• Newspaper Articles
• Social Media
• Special Collections
• Videos and DVDs
• In Digital Assignments
• When Information Is Missing
• Citation Software

General Guideline

The general MLA 9 formatting for books is:

Work Cited List: Last Name, First Name.  Title of Book.  Publisher, Publication Date. 

In-Text: (Author Last Name page number of quote or idea).

Book with One Author

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book.  Publisher, Publication Date. 

(Author Last Name page number).

Kirsh , Steven J.  Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence: A Critical Look at the Research.  Sage, 2006.

Book with More Than One Author

When a book has two authors , order the authors in the same way they are presented in the book.

Last Name, First Name of First Author, and First Name Last Name of Second Author. Title of Book.  Publisher, Publication Date. 

(First Author Last Name page number).

Wykes , Maggie, and Barrie Gunter.  The Media and Body Image: If Looks Could Kill.  Sage, 2005. 

If there are three or more authors , list only the first author followed by the phrase et al. (Latin for "and others") in place of the subsequent authors' names.

Last Name, First Name of First Author, et al. Title of Book . Publisher, Publication Date.

(First Author Last Name, et al. page number).

Nickels, William, et al. Understanding Canadian Business . McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2016.

(Nickel, et al)

Book with Editor(s) and No Author

Last Name of Editor, First Name, editor(s). Title of Book . Publisher, Publication Date.

Matuz, Roger, editor. Contemporary Canadian Artists . Gale Canada, 1997.

A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection

 format.

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection, e dited by Editor's Name(s), Publisher, Year, Page range of entry. 

(Last Name page number)

 Example

Ross, Colin. "The Story of Grey Owl."  Fiction/Non-Fiction: A Reader and Rhetoric,  edited by Garry  Engkent  and Lucia  Engkent , Thomson Nelson, 2006, pp. 327-333. 

  Note:  The first author's name listed is the author of the chapter/essay/short story. If there is no editor given you may leave out that part of the citation.

Book by a Group or Corporate Author

Name of Corporate Author. Title of Book.  Publisher, Publication Date.

Calgary Educational Partnership Foundation.  Employability Skills: Creating My Future,  Nelson, 1996.

 Note : When a work is published by an organization that is also its author, begin the entry with the title, skipping the author element. List the organization as publisher.

Self-Published

Last Name, First Name. Title.  Date. 

Hocking, Amanda. Fate.  2010.

(Hocking 10).

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How to cite a book in a bibliography using MLA

The most basic entry for a book consists of the author’s name, the book title, the publisher’s name, and the year of publication. This guide gives examples and guidance according to the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook .

Basic structure:

Last Name, First Name. Book Title . Publisher Name, Year Published.

Smith, John M. The Sample Book . BibMe Publishers, 2008.

Author formatting

• Reverse the author’s name (Last name then first name), placing a comma after the last name and a period after the first name (or any middle name initial).
• The name should not be abbreviated and should be written exactly as it appears on the title page.
• Titles and affiliations (sir, mr., mrs., PhD., Dr., etc.) associated with the author should generally be omitted.
• A suffix, such as a roman numeral or Jr./Sr. should appear after the author’s given name, preceded by a comma.

Smith, John, Jr. The Sample Book . BibMe Publishers, 2008.

Two authors

For a book written by two authors, both names are listed in the order they appear on the title page.

• Reverse only the first author’s name and write the second name in normal order (first name last name).
• Separate author names with a comma and place the word “and” between the names.

Smith, John, and Jane Doe. The Sample Book . BibMe Publishers, 2008.

Three authors or more

For books with three or more authors, include only the first author’s name in the citation, followed by a comma and the abbreviation “et al.”

Smith, John, et al. The Sample Book . BibMe Publishers, 2008.

Title formatting

• Italicize the full title of the book, including any subtitles, and follow it with a period.
• If the book has a subtitle, follow the main title with a colon (unless the main title ends with a question mark or exclamation point).
• Use title case.

Smith, John M. The Sample Book: Let’s Learn to Cite . BibMe Publishers, 2008.

Publication information formatting

After the book title is the publisher’s name, a comma, then the year the book was published.

Where do you find this information? Generally, you will find the publication information on the title page of the book. If it is not available there, it may be on the copyright page.

Abbreviations for publisher names

Publisher names should be abbreviated where appropriate.

Omit articles (e.g., A, An) and business titles (e.g., Co., Corp., Inc., Ltd.). For example:

• The BibMe Publishers –> BibMe Publishers
• BibMe Publishers, Ltd. –> BibMe Publishers

If the publisher is an academic or university press, with the words “university” and “press” (in any language), abbreviate “U” for “university” and “P” for “press” in the publisher’s name. This will distinguish the publisher from the university, which may publish independently of the publisher in question. (e.g., Oxford UP).

• University of BibMe Press –> U of BibMe P
• BibMe University Press –> BibMe UP
• BibMe Press –> BibMe Press

Smith, John. The Sample Book . Iowa State UP, 2008.

Citing an afterword, foreword, introduction, or preface

If you are citing a specific contribution to a book, such as an afterword, foreword, introduction, or preface, do the following:

• After the author’s name, include either the generic label (e.g., Afterword) followed by a period OR include the unique section’s title in quotation marks (e.g., “Novel Moves”) followed by a period.
• Include the page number or page range after the publication year. Separated the page and year with a comma, and follow the page(s) with a period.

Smith, John. Introduction. The Sample Book . BibMe, 2008, pp. 12-20.

Smith, John. “Unique Introduction Title.” The Sample Book . BibMe, 2008, pp. 12-20.

Citing editions or a revised book

When a book has no edition number or name, it is generally a first edition and no indication is needed. If the book you’re citing does show a later edition than its first, you should indicate the new edition in your citation. You will usually find edition details, including the date, on the title page or the copyright page.

• Place the edition after the book title, and before the publisher. There is a period after the title, and a comma after the edition.
• A numbered edition is abbreviated to “# ed.” (e.g., 9th ed.).
• Abbreviate “Revised edition” as “Rev. ed.”
• “Abridged edition” as “Abr. ed.”

Smith, John. The Sample Book . Rev. ed., BibMe, 2008.

Smith, John. The Sample Book . 2nd ed., BibMe, 2008.

Write ordinal numbers (e.g., 2nd) without a superscript.

You don’t need to include a source’s printing details, such as reprint details, in the source’s works-cited list entry. You may include an edition number as discussed above.

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As per the MLA Handbook , titles used in p arenthetical citations may be shortened or abbreviated if they are longer than a few words.

SHORTENED TITLES

Long titles can be shortened to the first noun phrase, first punctuation mark, or at the end of the first clause.

• My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry –>  My Grandmother
• Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe –>  Fried Green Tomatoes

ABBREVIATED TITLES

Abbreviating titles can be helpful and more concise when citing multiple works by a single author. Abbreviated titles should only be used in parenthetical citations. In prose, MLA suggests sticking to a shortened form of the title instead.

Common Abbreviations (Shakespeare, Chaucer, Bible)

Appendix 1 of the MLA Handbook provides a list of common academic abbreviations to be used in parenthetical citations. Some standard references include works by established classical authors like Shakespeare and Chaucer and books in the Bible.

• The first act of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra (Ant.) ….
• “Eternity was in our lips and in our eyes” ( Ant . 1.3.28)

Single-Word Abbreviations

You can also come up with your own straightforward abbreviations if needed. For single-word titles, use the first syllable followed by a period.

• In Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing ( Home. ), she writes…( Home. 45).

Multiple-Word Abbreviations

For titles containing multiple words, you may abbreviate. Your abbreviation should consist of the first letter of each capitalized word. Be sure to use the full title on first reference and introduce the abbreviation in parentheses immediately afterward.

• Amanda Gorman writes in  Call Us What We Carry ( CUWWC ) that… ( CUWWC 12).

As per Section 6 of the MLA Handbook , 9 th edition, if a book you are citing is part of a multivolume work, the volume number should be mentioned in the full reference in your works cited page. The placement of the volume number may change depending on if the books are individually titled and/or if you are citing one book or the entire collection.

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Edition no., vol. no., Publisher, year of publication.

Pinksmith, Tom. The Secret Life of Koalas . 2nd ed., vol. 1, Oxford UP, 2003.

If you are referring to the the entire multivolume set, mention the number of volumes at the end of the citation instead.

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Edition no., Publisher, year(s) of publication. # vols. in set.

Pinksmith, Tom. The Secret Life of Koalas . 2nd ed., Oxford UP, 2003-21. 7 vols.

As per Appendix 2 of the MLA Handbook , 9 th edition, a foreword, afterword, or introduction should be cited as a book chapter. If the chapter doesn’t have a unique name, write the label in regular roman text (not italicized or in quotation marks) immediately following the name(s) of the author(s). If the introduction, foreword, or afterword does have a separate title, use its title within quotation marks instead of the label in your citation.

The citation should also include the title of the book in italics, the publisher, year of publication, and the page range details for the section being cited.

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Section Name or “Section Title.” Book Name , Publisher, year, pp. xx-xx.

Duncan, David. Preface. Introduction to Alchemy , Altruist Publications, 1967, pp. 23-46.

In MLA style, works that stand alone are italicized. The book title, website, and report are examples of such references. However, works that are a part of a main work, such as a chapter in a book or an article in a journal, are not italicized. Instead, they are enclosed in double quotation marks. As author names are included in citations, these elements are not added in in-text citations unless the names of the authors are not available for a source.

In cases in which italicization is not possible (e.g., handwriting and typewriting), then standalone works like book titles, websites, and reports should be underlined instead.

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Citation Examples: Book

MLA 9 citation examples coming soon! See below for MLA 8 examples.

Here are some example citations for books, e-books, and audiobooks. They are based on MLA 8 guidelines. A Works Cited page should be double spaced within and between citations. To save room, we only single spaced. When a citation requires more than one line, the second line and any lines that follow should have a hanging indent. That means the first line of each citation aligns with the left margin, and all additional lines are indented half an inch.

Print Books (Whole)

Example – book, 1 author

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird . Warner Books, 1982.

Example – book, 2 authors

Rottmann, Alexander, and Nici Pederzolli. Freestyle Snowboarding: Tricks, Skills, and Techniques . Firefly Books, 2010.

Example – book, 3 authors, edition

Reilly, Mary Jo, et al. Mexico . 3rd ed., Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2012.

Example – book, 1 editor

Willis, Laurie, editor. Adoption. Greenhaven Press, 2012.

Example – book, 2 editors, used all volumes of a multi-volume set

Lerner, K. Lee, and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, editors. World of Sports Science. Gale, 2007. 2 vols.

Example – book, 3 editors, edition, used one volume of a multi-volume set

Lerner, K. Lee, et al., editors. Alternative Energy . 2nd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2012.

Print Books (Part)

Example – poem in a book, 1 author

Medina, Pablo. "The Secret." Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States , Holt, 1994, p. 48.

Example – short story in a book, 1 author, 1 editor

Chase, Richard. "Old Christmas Eve." Grandfather Tales , edited by H. L. Pick, Viking, 1973, pp. 58-60.

Example – essay in a book, 1 author, 1 editor, edition (because 1984 is a title within a title, it is not italicized)

Fowler, Robert. "Newspeak and the Language of the Party." George Orwell's 1984, edited by Harold Bloom, updated ed., Chelsea House,      2007, pp. 93-108.

Example – encyclopedia article, author

Cloos, Mark. “Plate Tectonics.” The World Book Encyclopedia , 2013, pp. 561-65.

Example – encyclopedia article, no author, from a multi-volume set, edition

"Nike." Encyclopedia of Global Brands, 2nd ed., vol. 2, St. James Press, 2013, pp. 750-54.

Example – word in a dictionary

"Chlorophyll." Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary , 11th ed., Merriam-Webster, 2003, p. 252.

Example – map in an atlas

"Prevailing Winds and Ocean Currents." National Geographic Student World Atlas , 4th ed., National Geographic, 2014, p. 23.

Example – photograph of artwork, in a book, no author, 2 editors

“Chinese Horse.” Art That Changed the World , edited by Gadi Farour and Sam Atkinson, DK Publishing, 2013, p. 20.

Example – chapter/essay (“Wrestling…”) from a book ( Private Voices, Public Lives by Flowers), republished in a different book ( Contemporary Literary Criticism edited by Hunter)

Flowers, Betty S. "Wrestling with the Mother and Father: 'His' and 'Her' in Adrienne Rich." Contemporary Literary Criticism ,      edited by Jeffrey W. Hunter, vol. 125, Gale, 2000, pp. 330-34.

Example – article (“Of George…” by Spilka) from a journal ( Modern Fiction Studies ), republished in a book ( Contemporary Literary Criticism edited by Gunton)

Spilka, Mark. "Of George and Lennie and Curley's Wife: Sweet Violence in Steinbeck's Eden." Contemporary Literary Criticism ,      edited by Sharon R. Gunton, vol. 21, Gale, 1982, pp. 385-87.

Book (Whole or Part) Found in a Library Database

Example – book, in a library database, no author, 1 editor

Friedman, Lauri S., editor. Cyberbullying . Greenhaven Press, 2011. Gale Virtual Reference Library , go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?      id=GALE|4HRV&v=2.1&u=oslis&it=etoc&p=GVRL&sw=w.

Example – article in a book, library database, no author, 2 editors, no pages listed

“Eating Disorders.” UXL Encyclopedia of Science , edited by Amy Hackney Blackwell and Elizabeth Manar, 3rd ed., UXL, 2015.      Student Resources in Context , link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CV2644300374/SUIC?u=port&xid=6c46c891.

Book (Whole or Part) Found on the Internet

Example – word in a dictionary, Internet, publisher is same as Web site title (so do not list the publisher)

“Chlorophyll.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary , 2016, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chlorophyll.

Example – encyclopedia article, Internet, publisher is same as Web site title (so do not list the publisher)

Stock, Joann. "Earthquake." World Book Student , 2016, worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar171680.

Example – e-book, 1 author, downloaded to a device

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird . E-book, HarperCollins, 2014.

Example – e-book, 1 author, read on a Web site

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Twice-Told Tales . E-book, Houghton, 1883. Project Gutenberg , www.gutenberg.org/etext/13707.

Example – e-book, 2 editors, read on a Web site

Wiggin, Kate D., and Nora A. Smith, editors. Pinafore Palace . E-book, Grosset, 1907. Project Gutenberg ,      www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/9/3/7/29378/29378-h/29378-h.htm.

Audiobooks 

Example – audiobook, listened to on CD, known author, known narrator, known publisher (Listening Library), known publication date 

Green, John. Turtles All the Way Down . Narrated by Kate Rudd, audiobook ed., Listening Library, 2017.

Example – audiobook, downloaded from Audible to a device (do not include the website from which you downloaded it), known author, known narrator, known publisher (HarperAudio), known publication date 

Lewis, C. S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe . Narrated by Michael York, audiobook ed., HarperAudio, 2005. 

Example – audiobook, streamed/listened to from a Web site (Audible.com), known author, known narrator, known publisher (HarperAudio), known publication date 

Lewis, C. S.  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe . Narrated by Michael York, audiobook ed., HarperAudio, 2005. Audible.com , www.audible.com/pd/KIDS/the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-Audiobook/      B002V1NHJ2.

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MLA Style (9th Edition) Citation Guide: Books & Ebooks

• Introduction to MLA Style
• Journal Articles
• Magazine/Newspaper Articles
• Books & Ebooks
• Government & Legal Documents
• Biblical Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Videos/DVDs/TV Shows
• How to Cite: Other
• 9th Edition Updates
• Additional Help

Table of Contents

Book in print, book with editor(s) but no author, translated book, chapters, short stories, essays, or articles from a book (anthology or collection), an introduction, preface, foreword, or afterword, article in a reference book (e.g. encyclopedias, dictionaries).

Note: For your Works Cited list, all citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

Authors/Editors

An author can be a person but can also be an organization, or company. These are called group or corporate authors.

If you are citing a chapter from a book that has an editor, the author of the chapter is listed first, and is the name listed in the in-text citation.

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).

You have the option to use the shortened name of the publisher by abbreviating "University" and "Press" (e.g. Oxford UP, not Oxford University Press).

You also have the option to remove articles (A, An, The), business abbreviations (e.g. Co., Inc.) and descriptive words (e.g. Books, House, Press, Publishers).

The format of all dates is: Date Month (shortened) Year. e.g. 5 Sept. 2012.

Whether to give the year alone or include a month and day depends on your source: write the full date as you find it there.

If no date is listed, omit it unless you can find that information available in a reliable source. In that case the date is cited in square brackets. e.g. [2008]

Page Numbers

Page number on your Works Cited page (but not for in-text citations) are now proceeded by p. for a single page number and pp. for a range of page numbers. E.g. p. 156 or pp. 79-92.

Access Date

Date of access is optional in MLA 8th/9th edition; it is recommended for pages that may change frequently or that do not have a copyright/publication date.

Last Name, First Name.  Title of Book . City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.

Note :  The city of publication should only be used if the book was published before 1900, if the publisher has offices in more than one country, or if the publisher is unknown in North America.

Works Cited List Example:

Kurlansky, Mark. Salt: A World History . Walker, 2002.

In-Text Citation Example:

(Author's Last Name Page Number)

Example: (Kurlansky 10)

Two Authors

Last Name, First Name of First Author, and First Name Last Name of Second Author.  Title of Book: Subtitle if Any.  Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication. 

Note: Only the first author listed appears in "Last Name, First Name" format. Authors' names are separated by a comma. Before the last author to be listed, add the word "and."

 Jacobson, Diane L., and Robert Kysar.  A Beginner's Guide to the Books of the Bible,  Augsburg, 1991.

 (Author's Last Name and Author's Last Name Page Number)

 Example: (Jacobson and Kysar 25)

Three or More Authors

Last Name, First Name of First Author, et al.  Title of Book: Subtitle if Any.  Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication. 

Note:  If you have three or more authors list only the first author's name followed by et al. instead of listing all authors names. For example Smith, John, et al. The first author is the first name listed on the work you are citing, not the first name alphabetically.

Nickels, William, et al.  Understanding Business.  9th ed., McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2016. 

(First Author's Last Name et al. Page Number)

Example: (Nickels et al. 5)

eBook from a Library Database

Last Name, First Name of First Author, et al.  Title of Book: Subtitle if Any.  Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication.  Name of eBook Database,  doi:DOI number/URL/Permalink.

Calhoun, Craig. Sociology in America: A History . U of Chicago P, 2008.  ProQuest Ebook Central , ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/up/detail.action?docID=408466&pq-origsite=primo.  

 (Author's Last Name Page Number)

 Example: (Calhoun 53)

eBook for Kindle or other eBook Reader

Note:  The MLA uses the term "eBook" to refer to publications formatted specifically for reading with an eBook reader device (e.g., a Kindle) or a corresponding web application, which will not have URLs or DOIs. Citations will be very similar to physical book citations; just add the word "eBook" in the "version" slot of the MLA template (i.e., after the author, the title of the source, the title of the container, and the names of any other contributors).

Silva, Paul J.  How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing , eBook, American Psychological Association, 2007.

 Example: (Silva 30)

Note : When no page numbers are listed on an eBook, cite the chapter number instead in your in-text citation. Example: (Smith ch. 2).  

Last Name of editor, First Name, editor(s).  Title of Book: Subtitle if Any.  Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of Publication.

 Wolfteich, Claire E., editor. Invitation to Practical Theology: Catholic Voices and Visions . Paulist, 2014. 

 (Last name page number)

 Example: (Wolfteich 103)

Electronic Materials

(More than one editor)

Kidwell, Jeremy, and Sean Doherty, editors. Theology and Economics: A Christian Vision of the Common Good.  eBook, Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. 

(Last name page number)

Example: (Kidwell and Doherty 103)

If you want to emphasize the work rather than the translator, cite as you would any other book. Add “translated by” and follow with the name(s) of the translator(s).

Boitani, Piero. The Bible and Its Rewritings . Translated by Anita Weston, Oxford UP, 1999.

Example: (Boitani 89)

Augustine. The Confessions of St. Augustine . Translated by Edward Bouverie Pusey, eBook, Floating Press, 1921.

Example: (Augustine 65) 

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Short Story, Essay, or Article."  Title of Book: Subtitle if Any,  edited by Editor's First Name and Last Name, Edition if given and is not first, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication, Page numbers of the essay, article, or short story. 

Boys, Mary C. “Learning in the Presence of the Other: Feminisms and the Interreligious Encounter.” Faith and Feminism: Ecumenical Essays , edited by Diane B. Lipsett, Westminster John Knox Press, 2014, pp. 103-114.

Note:  The first author's name listed is the author of the chapter/essay/short story.

Note: If there is no editor given you may leave out that part of the citation.

Example: (Boys 110)

When citing an introduction, a preface, a foreword, or an afterword, write the name of the author(s) of the piece you are citing. Then give the name of the part being cited, which should not be italicized or enclosed in quotation marks; in italics, provide the name of the work and the name of the author of the introduction/preface/foreword/afterword. Finish the citation with the details of publication and page range.

Farrell, Thomas B. Introduction.  Norms of Rhetorical Culture , by Farrell, Yale UP, 1993, pp. 1-13.

(Farrell 5)

If the writer of the piece is different from the author of the complete work, then write the full name of the principal work's author after the word "By." For example, if you were to cite Hugh Dalziel Duncan’s introduction of Kenneth Burke’s book Permanence and Change, you would write the entry as follows:

Duncan, Hugh Dalziel. Introduction.  Permanence and Change: An Anatomy of Purpose,  by Kenneth Burke, 1935, 3rd ed., U of California P, 1984, pp. xiii-xliv.

(Duncan xiv)

For entries in encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works, cite the entry name as you would any other work in a collection but do not include the publisher information. Also, if the reference book is organized alphabetically, as most are, do not list the volume or the page number of the article or item.

"Ideology."  The American Heritage Dictionary , 3rd ed., Dell, 1997, p. 369.

("Ideology" 369)

Online Reference book

Isaacson, Joel. "Monet, Claude." Grove Art Online , Oxford Art Online , www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T059077.

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