How to Cite a Book in MLA Format for Your Works Cited Page

Citing a book in MLA (Modern Language Association) format follows a structured set of guidelines updated in the 9th edition. This system relies on a "core elements" framework designed to be flexible enough for various source types while maintaining academic rigor. The standard citation for a print book includes the author's name, the book title, the publisher, and the publication year.

Quick Answer for Basic Book Citation

To cite a standard print book with one author, use the following template:

Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

Example: Morrison, Toni. Beloved. Knopf, 1987.

For in-text citations, use the author's last name and the page number in parentheses: (Morrison 42).

Understanding the Core Elements of MLA 9

The 9th edition of the MLA Handbook encourages writers to look for specific "core elements" within a source. For most books, you will only need the first few elements. The order and punctuation are fixed to ensure clarity for the reader.

Author. (Followed by a period)
Title of source. (Italicized, followed by a period)
Title of container, (Italicized, followed by a comma—used if the book is part of a larger collection or database)
Other contributors, (Followed by a comma—e.g., editors or translators)
Version, (Followed by a comma—e.g., "2nd ed.")
Number, (Followed by a comma—e.g., "vol. 1")
Publisher, (Followed by a comma)
Publication date, (Followed by a comma)
Location. (Followed by a period—e.g., page numbers or a DOI/URL)

Formatting the Author Component

The author’s name is the primary entry point for a Works Cited list. MLA requires a specific format to facilitate alphabetical sorting.

Books with One Author

List the author’s last name, followed by a comma, the first name, and any middle names or initials. Always end the element with a period.

Format: Last Name, First Name.
Example: Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point. Little, Brown, 2000.

Books with Two Authors

List the first author in "Last Name, First Name" format, followed by a comma and the word "and." The second author’s name is written in the standard "First Name Last Name" format.

Format: Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name.
Example: Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Allyn and Bacon, 2000.

Books with Three or More Authors

For sources with three or more authors, list only the first author’s name (Last Name, First Name) followed by a comma and the Latin abbreviation "et al." (meaning "and others").

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

Books with No Author

If no author is credited on the title page, begin the citation with the title of the book. Do not use "Anonymous." In your Works Cited list, alphabetize these entries by the first significant word of the title (ignoring articles like "A," "An," or "The").

Format: Title of Book. Publisher, Year.
Example: The Holy Bible. King James Version, Oxford UP, 1998.

Corporate or Organizational Authors

When a book is authored by a corporation, government agency, or organization, list the organization's name as the author. However, if the organization is both the author and the publisher, skip the author element and start with the title. List the organization only in the publisher slot.

Example (Organization as Author): American Allergy Association. Allergies in Children. Random House, 1998.
Example (Organization as Author and Publisher): Guide to Research Techniques. Modern Language Association of America, 2021.

Rules for Book Titles

Titles in MLA style must follow strict capitalization and styling rules.

Title Case Capitalization

In MLA, you must capitalize the first word, the last word, and all principal words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs). Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the), prepositions (in, on, at, to), or conjunctions (and, but, for) unless they are the first or last word of the title.

Italics

Book titles are always italicized. If a book title contains the title of another book (e.g., a book about The Great Gatsby), the nested title is not italicized but is placed in standard font within the italicized title.

Example: Miller, James. Critical Interpretations of The Great Gatsby. Scholar Press, 2015.

Handling Publisher Information

The publisher's name should be abbreviated where appropriate to keep citations concise.

Omit Business Suffixes: Do not include words like "Company" (Co.), "Corporation" (Corp.), "Incorporated" (Inc.), or "Limited" (Ltd.).
University Presses: Always use "UP" to represent "University Press." For example, "Oxford UP" instead of "Oxford University Press."
Multiple Publishers: If a book lists two or more publishers that are equally responsible for the work, separate them with a forward slash (/).
Omit Publishers for Periodicals: You do not need to list a publisher for a journal, magazine, or newspaper, but for books, it is mandatory.

Citing Different Book Formats

The medium through which you accessed the book changes the "Location" element of your citation.

Print Books

Print books are the most straightforward. After the publisher, list the year of publication and end with a period.

Example: Desai, Anita. Clear Light of Day. Penguin Books, 1980.

E-books and Digital Editions

If you read the book on an e-reader (like a Kindle), as a PDF, or through a website, you must identify the version or the location.

For an E-reader Edition: Add "E-book ed." or "Kindle ed." in the version slot.

Format: Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. E-book ed., Publisher, Year.
Example: Doerr, Anthony. All the Light We Cannot See. Kindle ed., Scribner, 2014.

For a Book Accessed via a Website: Include the URL at the end of the citation. Omit the "https://" protocol.

Format: Author. Title. Publisher, Year. Website Name, URL.
Example: Poe, Edgar Allan. The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales. Signet Classics, 1998. Google Books, books.google.com/books?id=example.

For a Book in an Online Database: If you accessed a scholarly book through a database like JSTOR or ProQuest, include the database name in italics and the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or URL.

Format: Author. Title. Publisher, Year. Database Name, DOI or URL.
Example: Smith, John. The Rise of Industry. Academic Press, 2012. JSTOR, doi:10.1007/s12109-012-9271-7.

Specialized Book Types

Academic research often requires citing books that have been translated, edited, or released in multiple volumes.

Edited Books

If you are citing an entire book that was prepared by an editor (like an anthology), place the editor's name in the author position followed by the label ", editor" or ", editors".

Example: Hill, Charles, editor. Collective Memories. Harvard UP, 2019.

If the book has an author but you want to mention the editor, place the editor after the title.

Example: Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Edited by Margaret Smith, Oxford UP, 1998.

Translated Books

If a book has been translated from another language, the translator's name appears after the title, preceded by "Translated by."

Example: Foucault, Michel. Madness and Civilization. Translated by Richard Howard, Vintage, 1988.

Subsequent Editions

If the book is a second, third, or "Revised" edition, include this information after the title. This is crucial because different editions often have different pagination.

Example: Crowly, Sharon. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. 3rd ed., Pearson, 2004.

Multi-volume Works

If you are citing only one volume of a multi-volume set, include the volume number.

Example: Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria. Translated by H. E. Butler, vol. 2, Harvard UP, 1980.

In-Text Citations for Books

MLA style uses parenthetical citations in the body of the text. These citations point the reader to the full entry on the Works Cited page.

The Basic Rule (Author and Page)

Include the author's last name and the page number(s) where the information was found. Do not use "p." or "pp." or commas between the name and the number.

Example: (Gleick 122)

Two Authors

Include both last names.

Example: (Gillespie and Lerner 45)

Three or More Authors

Use the first author's last name followed by "et al."

Example: (Wysocki et al. 77)

No Author

Use a shortened version of the title. If the title is a book, italicize it.

Example: (The Holy Bible 12)

Citing Multiple Works by the Same Author

If your Works Cited page has multiple books by the same author, you must include a shortened title in your in-text citation to distinguish them.

Example: (Morrison, Beloved 50) and (Morrison, Song of Solomon 22).

Formatting the Works Cited Page

The physical layout of your citation list is as important as the content of the citations themselves.

General Layout

Title: Center the words "Works Cited" (no bold, no italics, no quotation marks) at the top of a new page.
Alphabetization: Arrange entries alphabetically by the author's last name. If no author is listed, use the first word of the title (excluding articles).
Hanging Indent: Every line after the first line of an entry should be indented 0.5 inches from the left margin. This makes it easier for readers to scan the list for author names.
Double Spacing: The entire page should be double-spaced, both within and between entries.
Margins: Maintain 1-inch margins on all sides.
Font: Use a legible font, typically Times New Roman, 12pt.

Handling Multiple Works by the Same Author

On the Works Cited page, if you list multiple books by the same author, provide the name in the first entry only. In subsequent entries, replace the name with three hyphens and a period (---.).

Example:
- Palmer, William. Dickens and New Historicism. St. Martin's, 1997.
- ---. The Films of the Eighties. Southern Illinois UP, 1993.

Common Pitfalls in MLA Book Citations

Even seasoned researchers make mistakes when transitioning to the 9th edition. Here are specific things to watch for:

City of Publication: In older versions of MLA, the city of publication was required. In the 9th edition, you generally do not include the city unless the book was published before 1900 or the publisher has offices in multiple countries and identifying the city helps avoid confusion.
URLs: While the MLA Handbook recommends including URLs for digital books, it suggests omitting "https://" to save space and reduce clutter. Always check if a DOI is available first, as DOIs are more stable than URLs.
Access Dates: For online books, including the date you accessed the source is optional but recommended if the source does not have a publication date or if you suspect the content might change. Use the format "Accessed [Day] [Month] [Year]."
Publisher Names in Titles: If the title of a website or a book is the same as the publisher, you only need to list it once as the title, then move straight to the publication date.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about MLA Book Citations

How do I cite a book that I read on a library database like ProQuest?

Treat the database as a "container." List the book's core elements (Author, Title, Publisher, Year) followed by the name of the database in italics and the DOI or URL.

Do I need to include the page numbers of the whole book?

No. For an entire book, you do not list total page numbers in the Works Cited entry. Page numbers are only included for "work in an anthology" (like a short story in a collection) or in your in-text citations.

What if the book has a subtitle?

Include the full subtitle. Separate the main title and the subtitle with a colon and a space, even if the title page uses a different punctuation or font size.

How do I cite a book with a translator and an editor?

List them in the order they appear on the title page. Usually: Title. Translated by [Name], edited by [Name], Publisher, Year.

Can I use a citation generator?

Citation generators are helpful tools, but they often struggle with the nuances of the 9th edition, especially with "container" logic for ebooks. Always manually verify the output against the rules listed above.

Summary of MLA Book Citation

Mastering the MLA book citation requires attention to detail regarding authorship, title styling, and publication info. By identifying the core elements—Author, Title, Publisher, and Year—and arranging them with the correct punctuation (periods after author and title, commas after publisher and date), you create a transparent map for your readers. Whether you are citing a classic print novel or a modern e-book found in a scholarly database, the principles of the 9th edition ensure your academic work remains credible and easy to navigate. Remember to apply hanging indents and alphabetical ordering to your Works Cited page to meet professional academic standards.