Citing Sources Guide

Two authors 

• Only the first author's name is inverted.

Format:

Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name.

Example:

Rettberg, Jill, and Radhika Gajjala.

Three or more authors 

• Use "et. Al." 
• Only the first author is listed

Format:

Last Name, First Name, et al. 

Example:

Wright, Chrysalis, et al.

No Author

• If there is no author, begin with the "Article Title."

Journal Article in a Database

Format:

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, volume number, issue number, date, page number. Name of the database, doi.

Example:

Lee, Derek. "Dark Romantic: F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Specters of Gothic Modernism." Journal of Modern Literature, vol. 41, no. 4, 2018, pp. 125-42. Ebsco, https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113572. 

Journal Article in a Database with a Season

Format:

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, volume number, issue number, season date, page number.

Example:

Goldman, Anne. "Questions of Transport: Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante." The Georgia Review, vol. 64, no. 1, spring 2010, pp. 69-88. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41403188.

Journal Article in Print

Format

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, volume number, issue number, date, page number.

Example:

Meisenhelder, Susan. "Conflict and Resistance in Zora Neale Hurston's Mules and Men." Journal of American Folklore, vol. 109, no.433, 1996, pp. 267.

Newspaper Article from a Database

Format:

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper, Day Month Year of publication, URL.

Example:

Davis, Anna, and Sophia Sleigh. "London Teens in Record A-Level Surge." Evening Standard, 10 Aug. 2021, www.proquest.com/newspapers/london-teens-record-level-surge/docview/2559699413/se-2?accountid=35757. 

Newspaper Article by a Group (Opinion or Editorial Board) from a Database

Format:

Name of Group. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper, Day Month Year of publication, URL.

Example:

Editorial Board. "The Plight of 'Boarder Babies'." The Christian Science Monitor, 06 Jul. 1992, http://rocky.iona.edu:2048/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/plight-boarder-babies/docview/291210942/se-2?accountid=35757.

Newspaper Article in Print

Format:

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper, Day, Month, Year of publication, p. page#.

Example:

Mueller, Benjamin. "Despite Another Covid Surge, Deaths Stay Near Lows." The New York Times, 21 June 2022, p.A1.

Magazine Article without an Author from a Database

Format:

"Title of Article." Title of Magazine, volume number, issue number, day, month and year of publication, page number. Name of the database, DOI, or permalink. 

Example:

"Gustav Mahler." Billboard, vol. 128, no. 31, 10 Dec. 2016, p. 32. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A481243580/ITOF?u=nysl_me_iona&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=89fd9eaa.

Magazine Article in Print

Format:

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine, volume number, issue number, day, month and year of publication, page number.

Example:

Coppins, McCay. "The Men Who Are Killing America's Newspapers." The Atlantic, Nov. 2021, pp. 32-40.

E-book from a Database

Format:

​Last name, First name. Title of the Book. Publisher, Year of Publication. Name of E Provider, URL.

Example:

Milne, A A. Winnie-the-Pooh. Illustrated by Ernest H Shepard, McClelland & Stewart, Ltd, 1926, Project Guttenberg, www.gutenberg.org/files/67098/67098-h/67098-h.htm.

E-book from an App

Format:

Last Name, First Name. Title of the Book. App Source ed., Publisher, Date.

Example:

Swartz, Omar. The View from on the Road: The Rhetorical Vision of Jack Kerouac. Kindle ed., Southern Illinois University Press, 1999.

Print Book with a Single Author

Format:

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

Example:

Mantel, Hilary. Wolf Hall: A Novel. 2nd ed., Henry Holt, 2009.

Print Book with Two Authors

Format:

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

Example:

King, Steven, and Peter Straub. The Talisman. Viking, 1984.

Print Book with Three or more Authors

*Note only the first author is listed, and then all names are combined into et al.,

Format:

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

Example:

Griliches, Zvi, et al., Handbook of Econometrics. North-Holland Pub. Co, 1983.

Print Book with an  Author and an Editor/Translator/Illustrator

Format:

Last Name, First Name. Title of the Book. Edited/Translated/Illustrated by First Name Last Name, Publisher, Date.

Example:

Shakespeare, William. A Midsummers Night's Dream. Edited by Linda Buckle, Cambridge University Press, 2019.

Flaubert, Gustave. Madame Bovary. Translated by Eleanor Marx-Aveling, Independently Published, 2021.

Baum, Frank L. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Illustrated by W.W. Denslow, SeaWolf Press, 2019.

Book with an  Unknown Author and an Editor/Translator/Illustrator

Format:

Title of the Book. Translated by First Name Last Name, Edited/Translated/Illustrated by First Name Last Name, Publisher, Date.

Example:

The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights. Translated by Malcolm C. Lyons, Edited by Robert Irwin, Penguin Classics. 2010.

Chapter in a Print Book

Format:

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Chapter." Title of the Book. Publisher, Date.

Example:

Chaucer, Geoffrey. "The Monk's Tale." The Canterbury Tales. Penguin Books, 2007.

Chapter in an Print Anthology

Format:

Last name, First name. "Title of Chapter." Title of the Book: Plus a Subtitle, Edited by First name Last name, Publisher, Year of Publication. Inclusive Page Numbers.

Example:

Shikibu, Murasaki. "The Tale of Genji." The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Edited by Martin Puchner et al., W.W. Norton & Company, 2019, pp. 1237-1418.

Example of Short Story Posted by Professor on a Course Management Platform:

Note if the Professor provides a link to an external site, then use that site for the citation and not the course management platform.

Format:

​Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Short Story." Learning Management System, Day Month Year, URL.

Example:

​Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." Blackboard, uploaded by Jane Doe, 5 March 2024, learn.iona.edu.

Short Story on a Website:

Format:

​Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Short Story." Title of Website, Year, URL.

Example:

​Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." AmericanLiterature.com, 2024, URL.

Short Story from an Anthology:

Format:

​Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Short Story." Title of Anthology, edited by First Name Last Name and First Name Last Name, Edition, Publisher, Year, pages.

Example:

​Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." Novels and Stories: The Lottery, The Haunting of Hill House, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Other Stories and Sketches. edited by Joyce Carol Oates, Library of America, 2010, pp.. 3-33.

General Information on Citing Shakespeare

• Italicize the titles of the plays – Macbeth (for the play)

• Use standard font for the name of a character Macbeth – (for the character)

• You may abbreviate the title of the play in the parenthetical citation (check with your instructor first)

  • Macbeth – Mac.
  • Hamlet – Ham.
• Do not use page numbers in parenthetical citation – always include (act.scene.lines)
  • Usually use Arabic numbers (1.5.4-5) or (2.1.110-13)
  • Some instructors prefer Roman numerals (II.iv.4-6)
• Always mention the author’s name in the text or the parenthetical citation.
  • If the author’s name is mentioned in the text, only put the page number in parentheses; otherwise (author’s last name #).
  • If there are no different sources between quotes – can use  (#) 

In-Text Citations

Short Quotes 

(Name of Play, Act. Scene, Line) or (Author, Act, Scene, Line)

• "Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift" (Hamlet 1.5.35).
•  "This is a sorry sight" (Shakespeare 2.2.26).

If the quote is more than one line, use the forward-slash between each line/verse.

 "Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift / As meditation … / May sweep to my revenge" (Hamlet 1.5.35-37).  

The forward-slash is separated from the text by spaces and indicates a new verse.

 The ellipsis ... indicates that part of the text was excluded.

References

Play in a Database

Example:

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Yale University Press, 2005. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1nq91p.

Play from a Website

Example:

Shakespeare, William. As You Like It, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. shakespeare.mit.edu/asyoulikeit/index.html.

Play in an E-book

Example:

Shakespeare, William. The Winter's Tale. Kindle ed., Simon & Schuster, 2016.

Play in a Print Book

Example:

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Bedford/St. Martins, 1999.

Play in a Print Anthology

Example:

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. The Complete Works, edited by Stanley Well, Oxford University Press, 1998, pp. 2501-2565.

Citing a song is dependent on how you access the song.

Format:

Artist or Band name. "Title of Song." Album Name, Label Producer, Date. Format.

Example:

Record:

Chapin, Harry. "Cat's in the Cradle." Verities & Balderdash, Electra, 1973. Vinyl EP.

Platform:

Chapin, Harry. "Cat's in the Cradle." Verities & Balderdash, Electra, 1973. Spotify, open.spotify.com/track/2obblQ6tcePeOEVJV6nEGD.

Online Dictionary

Format:

"Word, Part of Speech. (Number of the definition used)." Title of Book. Date, URL.

Example:

"Victorious, Adj. (2)." Merriam-Webster, 2021, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/victorious. 

Print Dictionary

Format:

"Word, Part of Speech. (Number of the definition used)." Title of Book. Edition, Publisher, Date, page number.

 Example:

"Amity, N. (1)." Shorter Oxford English, 2020, 5th ed., Shorter Oxford, 2002, p. 69.

Page on a Website

Format:

Last Name, First Name. "Page Title." Name of Website, day month year, URL/ DOI.

Example:

Carillo, Ellen, et al. "MLA Style Center, the Only Authorized Web Site on MLA Style, Provides Free Resources on Research, Writing, and Documentation." MLA Style Center, 2021, style.mla.org/?_ga=2.84140569.1427309408.1637273253153117140.1635779276.

Page on a Website without an author

Format: 

“Title of Publication.” Title of the Website. Publisher of the site, year of publication. URL. 

Example:

"It's Time to End Solitary Confinement: Ian Manuel Story."  ACLU, American Civil Liberties Union, 4 January 2024, https://www.aclu.org/podcast/its-time-to-end-solitary-confinement-ian-manuels-story.

Page of a Government Website

Format:

Name of Government Organization. "Page Name." Title of Source, Date of Source. URL

Example:

The United States Department of Justice. "Readout of Meeting between U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and United Kingdom Home Secretary Priti Patel." The United States Department of Justice, 19 Nov. 2021, www.justice.gov/opa/pr/readoutmeeting-between-us-deputy-attorney-general-lisa-o-monaco-and-united-kingdom-home.

Government Source in Print

Format:

Name of Government Organization. Title of Source. Date of Source. Publisher, Date of Publication.

Example:

United States, Congress, Committee on the Judiciary. Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure. 2010. Government Printing Office, 2020.

Report Published Online

Format:

Name of Author or Agency. Title of Source. Date of Source. URL.

Example:

D&B Hoovers. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. Profile. June 2023, www.proquest.com/reports/live-nation-entertainment-inc/docview/1860786790/se-2?accountid=35757.

Rules for citing the Bible

Books of the Bible are abbreviated; see the MLA Handbook for standard abbreviations.

Example: (Phil. 3.8)

A period, not a colon, separates chapter and verse.

When you first refer to a particular version, include the name, a comma, and the passage.

Examples: (New Revised Standard Version, Phil. 3.8) 

After this, only include the scripture reference unless you switch versions.

Online version of the Bible 

Format:

Title. Version, date. URL.

Example:

The Bible. King James Bible Online, 2022. www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/.

Print Religious Texts

Format:

Title. Version, Editor, Publisher, year.

Examples:

The Bible. Authorized King James Version, Oxford University Press, 2010.

The Qu'ran. Translated by M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, Oxford UP, 2015.

The New Jerusalem Bible. Edited by Henry Wansbrough, Doubleday, 1985.

Post 

Format:

Author Name. "Title of post." Social Media Forum, Day Month year, URL

Example of Post:

Modern Language Association. "If you're just beginning your PhD journey or are still in the early years of your program, these five tips can help you make the most of your experience." LinkedIn, 2021, www.linkedin.com/posts/modern-language-association_lessons-on-how-to-make-the-most-of-ones-activity-6808411708323901440-Xl8Z/.

Comment

Format:

Author Name. Comment on "Title of post," by Author of Post First Name Last Name. Social Media Forum, Day Month year, URL

Example of Comment:

Varro-reatinus. Comment on U/reggiew07's review of King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild. Reddit, 31 Oct. 2020, www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/jlbrs4/king_leopolds_ghost_a_story_of_greed_terror_and/.

Image

The description of the image can vary (Photo of or Cover of) and is only italicized if the name of a book,

Example:

Author Name. Description. Social Media Forum, Day Month year, URL

Format:

Thomas, Angie. Photo of The Hate U Give cover. Instagram, 4 Dec. 2018,  www.instagram.com/p/Bq_PaXKgqPw/.

Profile 

Format:

Name [@name]. "Description of Post." Social Media Platform, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

Example:

Meg [@literaturewithmeg]. "Finish a book with me." TikTok, www.tiktok.com/@literaturewithmeg/video/. Accessed 22 April 2020.

Thread 

Format:

@name. "Description of Post." Social Media Platform, Day Month Year of Post, URL.

Example:

@roopikarisam (Roopika Risam). "Thank you, @annetiquate & @caitduffy49 for the opportunity to speak today and to all of you who are participating. . . . "Twitter, 18 July 2019, twitter.com/roopikarisam/status/1151919685149036545.

Blog

Format:

Author Last Name, First Name, or Account Name. "Description of Post." Title of Blog, Day Month Year of Post, URL.

Example:

Liddon, Angela. "Perfect Little Pumpkin Cookies with Spiced Buttercream." Oh She Glows, An Elite Cafemedia a Food Publisher, 23 Feb. 2021, ohsheglows.com/2020/09/20/perfect-little-pumpkin-cookies-with-spiced-buttercream/.

Email

Format:

Sender Last Name, Sender First Name. Email to. day month year.

Example:

Kane, Doris. Email to Standards Committee. 21 June 2020.

X (Formally Twitter)

Use X now that Twitter no longer exists as older posts are now hosted on X. Also refer to "posts" rather than "tweets."

Format:

Author of the post or the account name "Title of the material or a description." Title of the social media site, Day Month Year of post, URL.

Example:

O’Connor, Kim. “Kelly Link on ‘nighttime logic.’” X, 13 Feb. 2024, x.com/X/status/1757476492647219227.

Kane, Doris. Email to Standards Committee. 21 June 2020.

TikTok

Format:

Author of the post or the account name "Title of the material or a description." Title of the social media site, Day Month Year of post, URL.

Example:

Keys, Alicia. “Videos.” TikTok, 2020, www.tiktok.com/@aliciakeys?lang=en.

Podcast

Format:

Creator. "Title." Name of Series, hosted by First name Last name. episode #, day Month Year, URL.

Example:

Turow, Scott. "How Scott Turow Writes." How Writers Write, hosted by Brian Murphy, episode 90, 23 Sept. 2021, podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-writers-write-by-happywriter/id1484859401.

YouTube

Format:

Creator. "Title (Video)." YouTube, uploaded by First name Last name, day Month Year of upload, URL.

Example:

Frost, Robert. "The Road not Taken (Video)." YouTube, uploaded by QuestioVerum2010, 8 Nov. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUaQgRiJukA.

Kanopy

Generating citations is a quick and easy way to begin the citation process. Be careful, though, as the generators are not 100% accurate. They will get you part of the way there, and then you will need to tailor each citation.

From the video home screen (the page after selecting a video before playing the video):

• Click the more tab
• Click the citation tool
• Choose between: MLA, APA & Chicago citation styles

TV Series Watched on an App

Format:

"Title of Episode." Directed by First Name Last Name. Name of Series, season #, episode #, Film Studio, Date. Name of app app.

Example:

"A Seat at the Table." Directed by Mimi Leder. The Morning Show, season 1, episode 2, Amazon Prime, 1 Nov. 2019. Amazon Prime Video app.

Film Watched on an App

Format:

Title. Film Studio, Date. Name of app app.

Example:

Freedom Writers. Paramount Pictures, 2007. Netflix app.

TV Series Watched on a Website

Format:

"Title of Episode." Name of Series, season #, episode #, Film Studio, Date. Name of Website, URL.

Example:

"The One Where the Monkey Gets Away." Friends, season 1, episode 20, Warner Bros., 9 Mar. 1995. Netflix, www.netflix.com.

Film watched on TV or in a Theater

Format:

Title. Directed by First Name Last Name, Film Studio, Date.

Example:

The Godfather. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Paramount Pictures, 1972.

Images Viewed Online

Format:

Artist Last Name, First Name. Title of Piece. Date. Name of Institute, URL.

Example:

Kandinsky, Wassily. Composition VII. 1913. The State Tretyakov Gallery, artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/vasily-kandinsky-counterpointcomposition-vi-composition-vii/UgKCjKX9MXThIw. 

Images Viewed in Person

Format:

Artist Last Name, First Name. Title of Piece. Date, Name of Institute, Place.

Example:

Matisse, Henri. Dance. 1910, Museum of Modern Art, New York City.

Image Viewed in a Print Book 

Format:

Artist Last Name, First Name. Title of Piece. Date of Piece, Name of Institute. Title of Book, by First Name Last Name, Publisher, Date, Page.

Example:

Hirkoshige, Andō. Yamabushi Valley in Mimasaka Provinces. Circa 1853-56, Österreichische Museum für Angewandte Kunst. Japonisme: The Japanese Influence on Western Art in the 19th and 20th Centuries, by Siegfried Wichmann, Park Lane, 1980, p. 277.

On a learning management system - Blackboard, Moodle, Canvas...

Format:

"Slides Name or Number." Title of Course, taught by First Name Last Lame. Learning Management System, University, Day Month Year, URL.

Example:

"Slides on Fitzpatrick." English 102, taught by Sally Smith. Moodle, Iona University, 9 Oct. 2019, URL.

In-Text Citation Example:

(Instructor's last name, Slide #)

Example of Short Story Posted by Professor:

Note: if the Professor provides a link to an external site, use that site for the citation and not the course management platform.

Format:

​Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Short Story." Learning Management System, Day Month Year, URL.

Example:

​Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." Blackboard, uploaded by Jane Doe, 5 March 2024, learn.iona.edu.

If your professor permits the use of AI, you need to create a reference and use in-text citations when quoting or paraphrasing AI-generated information.

Format:

"Title of posed request" prompt. Name of AI tool, version of AI tool, Name of company, Date prompt was generated, URL.

Example:

"Describe how Animal Farm is an allegory" prompt. ChatGPT, 5 May version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.

MLA Style guidance:

• Cite all quotes and paraphrased information generated by AI that you include in your writing
• Add an acknowledgment if you use AI to edit your writing
• Evaluate all sources suggested by AI

Core Elements:

• Author: do not use AI as an author
• Title of Source: use the prompt you entered in the AI tool
• Title of Container: name of AI tool
• Version: version of AI
• Publisher: company or creator of the AI tool
• Date: date the content was generated
• Location: If your generated response is retrievable, use that URL; otherwise, use the general URL of the tool

Additional examples are available on the MLA Style - Ask The MLA - How do I cite generative AI in MLA style page found at style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/?utm_campaign=sourcemar23&utm_medium=email&utm_source=mlaoutreach.