Referencing other material in MLA

This page outlines the correct format for miscellaneous material in an MLA list of works cited. If the source is an "unexpected type of work" then denote this with a descriptive term at the end of the citation (e.g. Postcard, Transcript, Keynote address, Blog post):

• Magazine article
• Online magazine article
• Newspaper article
• Online newspaper article
• Report
• Online report
• Article from an online database
• Presentation from unpublished conference and symposium proceedings
• Presentation from published conference and symposium proceedings
• Published and unpublished thesis or dissertation
• Encyclopædia or dictionary entry
• Lecture notes, study guide, or book of readings
• Act of Parliament
• Advertisement
• Brochure
• Press release
• Video and audio material
• Photo, sculpture, or painting
• Interview

Order: Author(s). Article title (in quotation marks). Name of the magazine (italicised), date of the issue, page range.

• Missing an author? See no author.

Order: Author(s). Article title (in quotation marks). Name of the magazine (italicised), publisher name/name of the website, date of the issue, URL. Date of access (optional).

Date of access is optional but its good practice to add if there is no date specifying when the article was published, or you think the content may change with time.

Order: Author(s). Article title (in quotation marks). Name of the newspaper (italicised), edition (optional), date of the issue, section.

If there is no author, the title of the article moves to the author position:

See no author for details.

Order: Author(s). Article title (in quotation marks). Name of the newspaper (italicised), date of the issue, URL. Date of access (optional).

Order: Author(s) (the first author uses last name-first name format and subsequent authors use first name-last name format). Report title (italicised with the first letter of major words capitalised). Report number (if available; use the number descriptor, e.g. report number, contract number, monograph number, etc., then the number itself. End with a comma), publisher details, year of publication.

When an organisation is both author and publication, start the works cited entry with the report's title in the author position and list the organisation as the publisher. Do not include "the" before the name of any organisation in the works cited list.

Order: Author(s) (the first author uses last name-first name format and subsequent authors use first name-last name format). Report title (italicised with the first letter of major words capitalised). Report number (if available; use the number descriptor, e.g. report number, contract number, monograph number, etc., then the number itself. End with a comma), publication date. Publishing organisation website (italicised with the first letter of major words capitalised), DOI or web address. Access date (optional but recommended).

When an organisation is both author and publication, start the works cited entry with the report's title in the author position and list the organisation as the publisher. Do not include "the" before the name of any organisation in the works cited list.

Order: Author(s). Article title (in quotation marks). Name of the journal/newspaper (italicised), volume, number or issue number details (if available), date of issue, page range (if available). Database name (italicised), DOI (or URL if DOI not available). Date of access (optional).

Order: Author(s), title of paper (in quotation marks). Title of conference (italicised), date, venue and location of conference (if the location is not given in the conference title). Descriptor of presentation (e.g. Lecture, Reading, Keynote speech, Conference Presentation).

Order: Author(s). Title of paper (in quotation marks). Title of conference (italicised), conference location (if the location is not given in the title), conference date. Editor name, publisher, publisher location, date of publication, page numbers.

Presentation from conference and symposium proceedings found online

Order: Author(s). Title of paper (in quotation marks). Title of conference (italicised), conference location (if the location is not given in the title), conference date. Editor name, publisher, publisher location, date of publication, page numbers. Database used (italicised; if applicable), URL.

Order: Author. Dissertation or thesis title (italicised for both published and published). Year degree was awarded, University*, designation (i.e. PhD dissertation or Masters thesis). Database and URL (if applicable).

• *Note: In MLA, university is denoted by 'U'. See abbreviations in MLA style.

Order: Entry title (in quotation marks). Title of the container (in italics), edition number, publisher, date of publication, page number.

Encyclopædias and dictionaries can be a useful starting point for research, but academic sources are preferable. Online encyclopædia entries are covered in the section on referencing online material.

Order: Name of course material and the class code and name. Lecturer/s name/s, date, University, City, URL (if necessary).

Order: Lecture number or title (in quotation marks). Course material and the class code and name. Lecturer/s name/s, date, University, City, URL (if necessary).

Caution: lecturers prefer that you go to outside academic sources rather than just relying on their own wording and ideas. Doing so demonstrates that you can explore the topic outside the boundaries of the course material.

Many courses at Massey University use a book of readings, which is a collection of photocopied journal articles, book chapters, and other relevant material. Because the sections are direct photocopies, the original source is referenced rather than the book of readings.

In the list of works cited, format the entries according to their original type:

• journal article
• book
• work in an anthology or edited book
• magazine article
• newspaper article

If you're not sure what the original source was, see what type of source is this?

In the in-text citation, cite the original source's author. Use the page number of the original source, not the page number of the book of readings.

Because MLA is an American citation style, it does not have details on referencing New Zealand legislation. The format described here is sufficient in most papers.

Order: Act title. Number (if any; denoted by "no."), date, publisher/retrieval details.

In-text, the act number is not included but the page, paragraph or section number being referred to is:

The full text of all New Zealand legislation is available through http://www.legislation.govt.nz/.

If you are studying a law paper, more detailed formats are described at the page on legal citations.

Order: Description of the advertised product or company. Source title (italicised with major words beginning with a capital letter), other publication information (e.g. issue volume, number, publication date, page number, URL).

Order: Source title (italicised with major words beginning with a capital letter). Description (optional).

Order: Author. Source title (italicised with major words beginning with a capital letter). Publisher or retrieval details (if available). Description (optional).

There are a number of ways to cite film and audio. The order of elements depends on what you wish to emphasize (e.g. the show, the director, the performer). Films and television programmes usually begin with the title, but if you want to emphasise the contributions of one person (e.g. the director or actor) their name can appear before the title.

Film order: Title (italicised), director/producer/actor, 2nd container title (e.g. distributor/website), uploader details (if applicable), year of release, URL (if applicable).

Television programmes are cited similarly to films.

Television programme order: Episode title (in quotation marks). Programme title (italicised), creator/director/performer details (optional), season and episode numbers, network, broadcast date.

If you wish to cite an entire series, give the title of the show first.

Entire television series order: Show title (italicised). Creator details, director/producer/performer details (optional), production company details, year(s) screened.

If the show is part of a boxed series and the title of the collection is different than the original series (e.g., Sex and the City: The Complete Season 2), list the title that would help researchers to locate the recording. Give the distributor name followed by the date of distribution.

Audio recordings order: Artist. Song (in quotation marks). Title of the recording (italicised), production label, year, name of site downloaded from (optional; italicised, e.g. Spotify, iTunes), URL where downloaded (optional)

Published music score order: Composer, title of the work (italicised), year of composition, place of publication*, name of the publisher, date of publication.

*If the publisher is likely to be unknown to the reader, then include the city of publication, before the publisher's name, to assist in locating the source.

Order: Artist. Title of the work (italicised). Date of composition, institution housing the work, city of the institution*.

*Omit the city if it is given in the institution's name (e.g. Auckland War Memorial Museum).

If a source is viewed online, give the URL as location details.

A photograph (or a photograph of a work of art) taken from another source should also contain publication information about the source:

To cite art viewed in an exhibit, you include the exhibit's name as the title of your source.

Order: Artist. Title of the work (italicised). Title of the exhibit (italicised), opening and closing dates of the exhibit, location of the exhibit (i.e. museum name and city).

Published interviews are referenced like books, but the interviewee's name is put first, followed by the interview title (in quotation marks) and the name of the interviewer. If the interview does not have a title, use "Interview conducted by (the interviewer's name)" (not italicised) in its place. If the interview was found online, give the URL as location details.

Interviews you have conducted yourself are referenced using the interviewee's name, the method of interviewing (personal interview, telephone interview, e-mail interview), and the date.

If an interviewee wishes to remain anonymous, do not include the interview in your works cited list. Instead, create an endnote that indicates the source is a personal interview along with details such as the method of communication (e.g., phone, e-mail, text message, in-person meeting) and the date on which the interview took place.

See also referencing e-mails.

References and further reading

Disclaimer

These pages are provided as a guide to proper referencing. Your course, department, school, or institute may prescribe specific conventions, and their recommendations supersede these instructions. If you have questions not covered here, check in the style guide listed above, ask your course coordinator, or ask at Academic Q+A.

Page authorised by Director - Centre for Learner Success
Last updated on 8 December, 2023