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  7 Quick  Links:

1. MLA Documentation  from MLA.org.   
2. Bibliography/Works Cited Help from NoodleTools.com:  Type in your info (author, publisher, title... )& Noodles will create your bibliography.
3. Hacker's handbook for  documentation help/examples - excellent 

4. Library of Congress - Electronic Documentation Guide   

5. Sierra College Guide - Excellent
6. The Capital Community College MLA Guide http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/mla
7. Three Rivers Community College MLA Guide
8. Visit My Writing Guide Page  for further links

Rules & Examples
Below are rules and examples of MLA documentation. I have made up some of the book titles,  articles, and  authors.   (Note: The first line of each entry is at the left margin. All subsequent lines are indented  one-half inch /5 spaces).

 Index  

In-Text citations                  
FAQ  & Sample  Entries

Q.  What should I cite in my essay or research paper?
A.......  Anything that is not generally known by the public.

Q.  What must I do when I don't quote a text, but just put it in my own words?
A.  This must still  be noted in your essay.

Sample: William Zinzer emphasizes that the first paragraph is the most important
paragraph in a  work because it may determine if an essay will be read (14).

The first paragraph is the most important one because it may determine
if an essay will be read (Zinzer 14).

Q.  How do I cite information if I quote it?
A.  Make the reader aware of the author and page #  when available.

Sample:  William Zinser writes, " The most important sentence in any article is the first one.
If it doesn't induce the reader to proceed to the second sentence, your article is dead" (14).

William Zinser indicates that if the first sentence "doesn't induce the reader
to proceed to the second sentence, your article is dead" (14).

Note:  There is no comma in the above quote because the sentence just flows.

Q.  What if I quote a long passage?
A.   Any quoted material that takes up more than four lines is indented ten spaces
( or one inch).
No quotation marks are used.
The parenthetical citation is placed AFTER the period.

Many times long quotes are introduced with a colon
      Note: Colons are used after an independent clause
                     He said the following:   (This is an independent clause)      
                       He said,                  (This is not an independent clause)

    William Zinser states the following in On Writing Well:   

The most important sentence in any article is the first one. If it doesn't   induce the reader to proceed

to the second sentence, your article is dead.    And if the second sentence doesn't induce him to

continue to the third    sentence, it's equally dead. Of such a progression of sentences, each     

tugging the reader forward until he is safely hooked, a writer construct    that fateful unit: the lead.

(41)

Q.   What if the quotation includes a question mark or an exclamation point?
A.  Do not add an extra period.

The writers ask, "What is the most effective way for writing introductions?" (Smith 51)no period.

Q.  What if I cite something from the Internet and don't know the author or page number?
A.  Refer to the title of the article either in parentheses or in the text itself.
There is no need to write that the author is unknown and that the pages are not numbered, 
as this is self-evident..

Samples:

An article from the Web entitled, "Students Today" states, "Seventy-five percent of community
college students juggle   jobs and studies and thirty-five percent of community college students
have family responsibilities too."

More students are holding more responsibilities. For example, "Seventy-five percent of community
college students juggle  jobs and studies and thirty-five percent of community college students have family responsibilities too" ("Students Today").

(l) One author
Doe, John J. Writing Strategies. New York: Harper, 1999.
Author      Book Underlined    Location     Abbreviated Publisher   Year
Name Reversed

(2) Two authors
Doe, John J. and Jane Smith. Writing Strategies. New York: Harper, 1999.
Type the authors’ names in the order in which they are given on the book’s title page.
(The names are not necessarily in alphabetical order. Reverse the name of the first author only,
putting the last name first.)

(3) Three authors
Doe, John J., Jane Smith, and John Smith. Writing Strategies. New York: Harper, 1999.
Type the authors’ names in the order in which they are given on the book’s title page.
(The names are not necessarily in alphabetical order. Reverse the name of the first author only,
putting the last name first.)

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(3) Three authors – edition after first edition
Doe, John J., Jane Smith, and John Smith. Writing Strategies. 2nd. ed. New York: Harper, 1999.
Include the edition after the book title

(3+) More than three authors
Doe,  John J.,  et al. Writing Strategies. New York: Harper, 1999.

Doe,  John J.,  et al.,  eds.  Writing Essays. New York: Harper, 1999.

Note: You may either type all of the authors’ names, or  type et.al after the first author’s name.
Commas are needed around et al. only when  it is followed by a   specification,  such as eds. (editors)
or trans. (translators)

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More than one book by the same author
Doe, John J. Writing Strategies. New York: Harper, 1999.
---. Writing Made Easy. New York: Harper, 1999.
The author’s name is included in only the first entry.

For subsequent entries, use three hyphens, a period, two spaces (then list the books/works alphabetically).

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Author and editor
Doe, John J. Writing Strategies. ed. .Mary Alice Smith. New York: Harper, 1999.
Type ed. for edited by

EXCEPTION/NOTE:  When the  emphasis is on the editor  (and not on the author),  and when you cite
an edited work by the editor's name,  the author would go after the book:

Smith, Mary, ed. Writing Strategies. By John Doe. New York: Harper, 1999.

Author Unknown
The Twelve Steps to Writing. New York: Comp Care, 1990.
Oxford World Atlas. New York: Oxford UP, 1996.
Begin with the title, underlined. Alphabetize by the first word in title other than a, an, or the.
Do not write author unknown or anonymous.

Corporate author

Association for the Advancement of English. Writing Strategies. New York: Harper, 1999.
Bank of Boston. Automated Banking. Boston: Bank of Boston, 1999.
A Corporate author would be listed on the title page The name of the corporate author may be the
same as the publisher’s name. Companies, groups, associations... are considered "authors."

Book with editor or editors                                                       

Doe, John J., Jane Smith, and John Smith, eds. Collected Writing Strategies. 2nd. ed. New York: Harper, 1999.
Gates, Henry Louis, Jr., and Nellie Y. McKay, eds. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. New York: Norton. 1999.

For books with editors instead of authors start with the editor(s), followed by a comma, and then the
abbreviation "ed." or "eds."

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Selection from an anthology, collection, or critical edition.

Brown, Jane. "The Winning Introduction." Writing for Success. Ed. James Smith. New York: Harper, 1999.
Many English students find themselves quoting short stories for an anthology or essays that have been
compiled by an editor.
Start with the authors’ name & then put quotation marks around the short story or essay. Then put the title
of the book underlined, followed by Ed for editor.
Additional example

Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gaoia. New York: Harper Collins, 1999. 373-75.

Bible

Don’t include the Bible in the list of works cited. If, however, you want to indicate the version of the
Bible you are citing, do so in the paper itself. – Note: the chapter and verse numbers must be mentioned
in the text (John 2.l). (John 2.1, RSV).

An encyclopedia or dictionary
Smith, John.  "Hieroglyphics."  Encyclopedia Britannica . 15th ed. 1999.
If a reference article is not signed,  just start with the title of the 
article
"Hieroglyphics." Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th ed. 1999.                                                       

Volume and page numbers are not necessary because entries are easy to locate.
Include the edition , if given.
If a reference work is not well known, provide complete publishing information too.

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 An introduction, preface, foreward, or afterward

Doe, John J. and Jane Smith. Foreward. Writing Strategies. By John W. Smith, Jr., and Mary Doe. New York: Harper, 1999. vi-xii.
Start with the name of the author who wrote the part being cited.
Doe, John J. Foreward. Writing Strategies. By Doe. New York: Harper, 1999. vi-xii.
If the writer of the specific part is also the author of the book, give the author’s last name preceded
by the word By.

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Multi-volume Work

Doe, John J. Writing Strategies. 3 vols. New York: Harper, 1999.
When citing more than one volume, write the total number of volumes after the title.

Multi-volume Work – citing one volume

Doe, John J. Writing Strategies. Vol. 2. New York: Harper, 1999. 3 vols.
When citing only one volume, state the volume with an upper case V.
State the total number of volumes after the date.

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Published prior  to 1900

Bacon, Francis.  The Essays, or Councils, Civil and Moral, of Sir Francis Bacon. London, 1706.
In most cases, omit the publisher's name for a work published before 1900.
Use a comma after the place of publication.

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Republished Book

Dewey, John. Experience and Education. 1938. New York: Collier. 1999.
Scott, Walter. Kenilworth. 1821. New York: Collier, 1999.
Insert the original publication date followed by a period.

Second or subsequent edition of a book
Doe, John J. Writing Strategies. New rev. 20^th anniversary ed. New York: Harper, 1999.
Doe, John J. Writing Strategies. 2nd. ed. New York: Harper, 1999.
Doe Harper, 1999., John J. Writing Strategies. 1999 ed. New York:

Identify the edition in the same way that it is identified on the book’s title page
By name ("Rev. ed." for Revised Edition)
By year (1999 ed.)
By number (2^nd ed., 3^rd. ed. 4^th ed. )

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Title within a title

Vanderham, Paul. James Joyce and Censorship: The Trials of Ulysses. New York: New York UP, 1997.
Gilbert, Sturart. James Joyce’s Ulysses. New York: Vintage-Random, 1955.
When the book title contains a title that is normally underlined, do not underline the internal title.

A translation
Aristotle. Poetics. Trans. John Doe. New York: Harper, 1999.

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 Electronic media

Note: Abbreviate all months except for May, June and July.
(Jan., Feb. Mar., Apr. May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.)                                                   

E-Mail

Start with the author's name (or alias or screen name) , & if there is a subject line, include that in
quotation marks.  Next type the designation  "E-mail to" followed by the name of the person to
whom the E-mail is addressed, and the date of the message.

Smith, John. "Censorship of Essays."   E-Mail to A. Rosa.  11 Nov. 1999.

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Online Magazine

Eskenazi, Michael.  "G.I. Blues in Black and White."  Time 24 Nov. 1999.  24 Nov. 1999
<http://pathfinder.com/time/interstitials/inter.html>.

Provide information in the following order:
author -last name first - a period after first name
Title of article - in quotes - place a period inside the quotation marks

Note:  If the title of the article is a question, include the question mark inside the quotation mark 
and do not include a period.   "What Can You Do to Promote Cultural Mainstreaming?"

Title of magazine underlined - with no punctuation following it.
Date of online magazine followed by a period
Date you accessed the magazine - no punctuation follows the year
URL address - in angle brackets.   A period follows the closing angle bracket.

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Online  Newspaper

Copage, Eric. "Tables are Waiting on the   Internet."  New York Times on the Web 24 Nov. 1999.  25 Nov. 1999
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/11/biztech/articles/24reserve.html>.

Provide the following information in the following order, when available:
author (last name first with a period after first name
title of article - in quotation marks with a period before the closing quotation mark.
Name of magazine underlined
Date of  newspaper followed by a period
Date you read the article  (no period or punctuation after the year
URL address - in angle brackets - followed by a period after the angle brackets

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Personal  and Professional Sites

Scorch, M. Welcome to Gran Gran's Graphics.  21 Nov. 1999 <http://home.att.net/~scorh2/>.

Smith, John.  Homepage.  29 Nov. 1999.  30 Nov. 1999 <http://members.tripod.com/smith>.

Include available information in the following order:
Start with the creator of the site  (not the editor or compiler )- last name first followed by a period
Type the title of the site, project, or database,  & underline it.
If there is no title, write a brief description, such as Homepage - but do not underline Homepage.
Editor or compiler of the project or database
Latest date on site followed by a period
Your access date
URL address in angle brackets.  A period follows the angle brackets.

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World Wide Web

Smith, John.  "Cloning and the Insurance Industry."  Electronic Genetics Newsletter. 29 Nov. 1999.  30 Nov. 1999 <http://www.westpub.com/Educate/matchsci/insure.htm>.

Include the following information, if available, in the following order:
author's name
title of the cited material in quotation marks
Title of the complete work  underlined (or italicized)
publication date
Date of access
URL address in angle brackets, all followed by a period.

Click on

http://www.mla.org/set_stl.htm 

for information on MLA style in the electronic age.

This site will provide you with documenting information, plus typing information

(italics, underlining, one space after a period...) and sample Works Cited entries.

PERIODICALS

Articles in periodicals
Note: Abbreviate all months except for May, June and July.
(Jan., Feb. Mar., Apr. May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.)                                                        

Monthly journal or magazine, pagination by issue
Smith, John Joseph. " Three Great Writers that Shaped the Nation." Smithsonian Nov. 1999: 10l-104.

Smith, John. "Three Great Writers that Shaped the Nation." Journal of Basic Writing 5.l (1999) 24-37.

When each issue of the journal is numbered separately, include both the volume & issue number.
Put a period after the volume number and write the issue number right after the period, so 5.1
indicated volume 5, issue 1.

Journal with continuous pagination                                                      

Smith, John. "The First Writers." National Geographic 173 (1999) 201-204.
Author Title of Article Title of Journal Volume # year consecutive pages
Bloom, Lynn. "Why I (Used to) Hate to Give Grades." Conference on College Composition and Communication 48 (1997): 360-71.

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Weekly or biweekly journal or magazine

Saporito, Bill. "Wrestling With Your Conscience." Time 15 Nov. 1999: 72-74.
Saporito, Bill. "Wrestling With Your Conscience." Time 15 Nov. 1999: 72+.
"Wrestling With Your Conscience." Time 15 Nov. 1999: 72-74.
For weekly or biweekly magazines include the day, the month and the year, followed by a colon
and the page numbers.
When pages are not consecutive in a magazine, include the plus sign.
When there is no author, start with the title of the article in quotes.

Daily Newspaper
Smith, John. "Censoring Writing." New York Times 5 Dec. 1999, nat. ed.: B1.

Unsigned article
"Censoring Writing." New York Times 5 Dec. 1999, nat. ed.: B1.

An Editorial
"Censoring Writing." Editorial. Norwich Bulletin 30 Nov. 1999: C3.
Smith, John. "Censoring Writing." Editorial. Boston Globe 30 Nov. 1999: C3.

Letter to an editor
Smith, John. Letter. Norwich Bulletin 1 Nov. 1999: C3.
Smith, John. Letter. New York Times 1 Nov. 1999, late ed.: A18.
Do not include the article (The, A, or An) before the title of the paper.
When the edition is included in the newspaper’s masthead, include it.
For editorials, provide the name of the author when known.

Book review

Smith, John. "Censoring Works." Rev. of Censoring Writing. by Brian Abbell. Boston Globe 30 Nov. 1999:C4.
Start with the name of the reviewer followed by the title of the review.
Rev. of stands for Review of.
Next, include the title of the piece being reviewed followed by a comma, and then
the word by & the name of the author of the piece being reviewed.
If the name of the reviewer is not given, start with the title of the review.
If the title of the review is not given, start with Rev. of.
End the entry with the standard newspaper and publication information

Other Printed Sources

An abstract
Smith, John. "Censoring Writing." Abstract. PMLA 105.1 (1999): 120.

Art

O'Keefe, Georgia.  The Poppy.  Metropolitan   Museum of Art, New York.
Cite the artist's name, followed by the title of the artwork (usually underlined).
Next provide the institution & city in which it can be viewed.

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A Cartoon
Smith, John. Cartoon. New Yorker 11 Nov. 1999: 33.
Smith, John. Cartoon. Norwich Bulletin 11 Nov. 2999: 2B.

A Chart
French Wheel. Chart. New York: Holt, 1999.

A government document
U.S. Bureau of the Census. Historical Statistics from 1900 –1910. Washington: GPO, 1999.
United States. Dept of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. "Population Profile of New England." Current Population Reports. Series P-10, no. 101. Washington: GPO, 1999.
Note: The author is he government bureau or office.
GPO stands for Government Printing Office

A map 
Connecticut. Map. Boston: Rand, 1991.                                                   

A Movie                                          

American Graffiti. Dir. George Lucas. Perf. Richard Dreyfus and Ronny Howard. Universal, 1973.
Usually a movie is listed by its title on the Works Cited page.
Identify the company that produced the film and the production date.                                          

A pamphlet
Smith, John. Successful Writing. New York: Writing Builder, 1990.                                                        

A Performance

Synergy.  Dance Capt. Alyson Portelance.    Perf. Joan Doe, Joan Smith ,  and the Synergy Dance Troupe.  Three Rivers Auditorium,  Norwich, Connecticut. 11 Nov. 1999.

A play, concert, dance, or opera begins with the title (underlined).
It includes information similar to that given for a film and ends with the performance site
(for example, the theatre and city) and the date of performance.

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A Personal Interview
Smith, John.  Personal interview.  1 Dec. 1999.
To cite an interview that you conducted, indicate the name of the person you interviewed (spoke with).
Then write the designation "Personal interview."
this is followed by the date of the interview.in

 A Personal letter
Smith, John. Letter to the author. 22 Dec. 1999.

A Sound  Recording
Scarlatti, Domenico.  Keyboard Sonatas.  Andras Schiff, piano. London, 1999

Jones, John.  Interview with John Smith.  Audiocassette. Columbia:  American Audio Prose Library, 1999.

List the
author or composer
the title of the work
names of the artists
the production company
the date
If the medium is not a compact disc, indicate Audiocassette, Audiotape, or LP before the name of the
production company.

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Speech or Lecture
Smith, John. "Ethics in Composition." College Forum.. NOTE Convention. New York. 12 Nov. 1999.
Start with the speaker and the title of the presentation in quotation marks.
When known, include the meeting and sponsoring organization, followed by the place where the
lecture was given and the date.

A television or radio program
"Migration Patterns." National Geographic Special. PBS. WGBH, Boston. 11 Nov. 1999.

"The New Face of Africa."  The Connection.  Host Christopher Lydon. Natl. Public Radio. WBUR. Boston. 11 Nov. 1999.
Type the title of the episode in quotation marks , if known.
Next type the title of the program (underlined).
Include known  relevant program information in the following order:
the writer (By)
director (Dir.)
narrator (Narr.)
Producer (Prod.)
or main actors (Perf.)
This should be followed by the network, the call numbers and local city, and the date of broadcast.

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An unpublished interview
Smith, John. Personal interview. 11 Nov. 1999.
Type the name of the person being interviewed, and the words Personal interview, and the date.

An unpublished manuscript or essay

Smith, John. "How Effective is Freshman Composition?" Unpublished essay, 1999.
Start with the name of the author, followed by the title of the piece being cited (in quotation marks).
The phrase Unpublished essay or Unpublished manuscript , a comma, and the date should follow.

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Videotape
Dream Trucks of the 50s. Videocassette. Compiled by John Smith. Greatimes Home Video. 1999.
Videotapes are usually listed by their title.