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MLA - Newspaper
MLA (Modern Language Association) is an author-page number style, based on listing core elements of your source in a particular order. It has the flexibility to reference a wide variety of source materials. A summary of this approach is available at Purdue OWL, and a practice template is available at style.mla.org (practice template).
Works Cited
Add a 'Works Cited' list at the end of your essay, citing all sources used in the body of your writing.
If citing a magazine, add a volume and issue if relevant. For newspapers, add an edition if relevant, eg ‘early ed.’ Be as specific as you can with the date of publication.
One author
Formats (Electronic)
Author. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper, Edition if relevant, date of publication, edition, pp. page/section numbers. URL.
Formats (Print)
Author. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper, Edition if relevant, date of publication, edition, pp. page/section numbers.
Be as specific as you can with the date of publication. The year of publication may be preceded by the name of an edition, eg ‘Spring 2015.’
Examples
Peters, J. W., & Rutenberg, J. "Race at Issue for Obama as Right Revives '07 Talk." New York Times, 04 Oct 2012, A23. search.proquest.com.ezproxy.auckland.ac.nz/docview/1705815263?accountid=8424
Collins, Simon. "We Can Turn Crisis Around: Missioner." The New Zealand Herald, 10 June 2016, pp. A14-A15.
Two authors
Reverse the order of the first author's name. Place a comma preceding an ‘and’ before the second author's name.
Format
Author One, Author Two. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper, Edition if relevant, date of publication, edition, pp. page/section numbers.
Example
Orsman, Bernard, and Gareth Vaughan. "Rat Blamed for Latest Telecom Blackout." The New Zealand Herald, 21 June 2005, p. A3.
See One Author above for Formats (Electronic and Print)
Three or more authors
Include only the first author's name, followed by ‘et al.’
Format
Author One, et al. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper, Edition if relevant, date of publication, edition, pp. page/section numbers.
Example
Jenkins, Edward, et al. "Tax Incentives for Offshore Companies." Institutional Investor, no. 331, Feb. 2054, pp. 9-10.
See One Author above for Formats (Electronic and Print)
Unknown author
If the author is unknown, start with the article title.
Format
"Title of Article." Title of Newspaper, Edition if relevant, date of publication, edition, pp. page/section numbers.
Example
"Professor to Talk Rubbish at Next Council Meeting." Herald Tribune, 15 Dec. 2006, p. A5.
See One Author above for Formats (Electronic and Print)
In-text citation
Cite the source when paraphrasing another person's ideas or words. Either add parenthesised author and page number following the cited material, or if you name the author in the structure of your text, just add the page number at the end of your sentence. When citing material from the same author in the same paragraph, only the page number is needed, as long as the work cannot be confused with other citations.
One author
- It is suggested that a lack of resourcing in mental health services has exacerbated the crisis (Collins A14, par. 3). Another observation is that homelessness is on the rise (par. 7).
- Collins suggests that a lack of resourcing in mental health services has exacerbated the crisis (A14, par 3.). He also observes that homelessness is on the rise (par. 7).
Two authors
- ... in a recent article (Orsman and Vaughan A3). Another finding was that ... (A3).
- In a recent article, Orsman and Vaughan stated that ... (A3) Another finding was that ... (A3).
Three or more authors
When the work has three or more authors, either cite all names as they appear in the article, or only the first author, followed by et al.
- ... was found to be the case in a recent study (Jenkins et al. 9). Another finding was that ... (10).
- In a recent study, Jenkins et al. showed that ... (9).Another finding was that ... (10).
Unknown author
Use the article title, enclosed in speech marks. You may shorten the title if it appears within parentheses, otherwise, if it is mentioned in the structure of your sentence, write the title out in full.
- ... and the latest research shows that plastic recycling does more harm than good ("Professor to Talk Rubbish" par. 6).
- ... and in the article "Professor to Talk Rubbish at Next Council Meeting", the latest research shows that plastic recycling does more harm than good (par. 6).
Quoting
Direct quotes require quotation marks and page numbers.
- It was suggested that "huge holes in our mental health system as a major cause of homelessness" (Collins A14).
- Collins suggests that "huge holes in our mental health system as a major cause of homelessness" (A14).
See also: more on quoting, including long quotes ...
This material is based on:
MLA Handbook. 8th ed. Modern Language Association of America, 2016.
"MLA Works Cited: Other Common Sources." Purdue Online Writing Lab. Purdue University, 2016. owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/09.
For further information please consult the manual directly.
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