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Referencing styles - a Practical Guide

MLA

MLA referencing style

Used by: English (as well as Chicago), Philosophy (as well as Harvard)

Introduction to MLA referencing style

This guide is based on the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook.

The Modern Languages Association of America (MLA) style used for acknowledging source materials in humanities subjects.

You can consult the full MLA Handbook 9th edition on the link below, under Useful Resources.

The previous version of this guide, which was based on the 8th edition, can be consulted by clicking on this link.

In-text citations

Information from sources in the text is shown with in-text citations that include the author's surname and the page number(s), or line number for poetry.

Citations can appear after the information, or integrated into the sentence:

The conversation between a patient and their doctor can be an awkward interaction (Hall 7-10).

The awkwardness of conversations between a patient and doctor has been presented in Hall (7-10).

Hall’s The Coroner (7-10) describes an awkward consultation between a patient and doctor.

Where no page number can be given for a source (eg, webpage), include just the name of the author/ organisation, or add ‘n.pag.’ for ‘no pagination’ to indicate a lack of page numbering.

Reference list

A list of works cited/bibliography at the end of the document includes the full details of each source so the reader can find them themselves. The list is organised alphabetically by author surname. 

The information to include depends on the types of source - see the examples.

Useful Resources

Guidance for all source types

1 or 2 authors

Give all author names within your in-text citation and name all the authors in your works cited/ bibliography. Name authors in the order they appear in the source. 

In-text:
(Swales and Feak 87)

Works cited/ bibliography:

For the first author, give their name as Surname, First name Initial. (eg, Ritter, Joshua R.). For subsequent authors, give their name as Forename Initial. Surname (eg, Joshua R. Ritter)

Swales, John M., and Christine B. Feak. Academic writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills. 2nd ed., U of Michigan Press, 2011.

3+ authors

In-text:
If you refer to the authors in your prose rather than in a parenthetical citation, you may list all the names or provide the name of the first collaborator followed by “and others” or “and colleagues.” In a parenthetical citation, list the surname of the first author and et al. The full stop is important!

For example, (Moore et al. 26)

Works cited/ bibliography:

List all named authors in the works cited/ bibliography, or give the first author followed by et al. Be consistent in your choice.

For the first author, give their name as Surname, First name Initial. (eg, Ritter, Joshua R.). For subsequent authors, give their name as Forename Initial. Surname (eg, Joshua R. Ritter)

Moore, Sarah, Colin Neville, Maura Murphy, and Cornelia Connolly. The Ultimate Study Skills Handbook. OU Press, 2010.

OR

Moore, Sarah, et al. The Ultimate Study Skills Handbook. OU Press, 2010. 

It is not required to provide the type of source. It is recommended, however, that you consider whether you should provide further information to enable your reader to locate a source.

Add a short description from the title to distinguish the two sources when using them in-text.

(Horowitz, Necropolis 89) and (Horowitz, Oblivion 4).


You will then be able to distinguish between the two sources in the works cited/ bibliography. In the works cited/ bibliography, repeated use of the same author’s name can be presented using ‘---‘ in place of the name in the second and subsequent uses of that author where all authors of the sources listed are the same. Order the sources alphabetically by title when the name is the same. For example:

Horowitz, Anthony. Necropolis. Walker, 2009.
---. Oblivion. London: Walker, 2012. 


If you are citing the same person but individually and in co-authored works you should write their name in full in the works cited/ bibliography for each source cited with different authors, for example:

Smith, Emma. A History of Surrealism. National Gallery, 2005.
Smith, Emma, and Anne Jones. Surrealist Artists. Easel Books, 2007.
--. Joan Miro. Easel Books, 2009.
Smith, Emma, James Jackson, and Anne Jones. A Young Person’s Guide to Surrealism. National Gallery, 2009. 

No author name

It is important to use quality sources to support your arguments and so you should consider carefully the value of using any source when you cannot identify its author.

For online sources, look carefully for named contributors, such as in the ‘about us’ sections. For printed material, look carefully at the publication/ copyright information, which is often on the inside cover of a book or back page of a report.

If you cannot locate the author information, do not use ‘Anon.’ or ‘Anonymous’, instead you could use:

  • The name of the organisation in place of the author – (British Museum 23)
  • The title of the work/ webpage in the text, in full or in short form, in such a way as to easily locate the source in the list of works cited/ bibliography, with a page number if possible – (The Georgian Assembly Hall 23) or (Georgian Assembly 23).

In the list of works cited/ bibliography, the work would then be listed alphabetically by the first major word of its title, that is, the above would be listed under G.

The Georgian Assembly Hall, York: Wright’s Books, 1885. Print.  

 

No publication date

Knowing when a source was created, published, or last updated is important as this helps you to determine the relevance and reliability of the source. Sacred and classical works where dates are not given (precisely) are, however, also commonly used. For online sources, look carefully for created and/ or last updated dates on the page(s).

If the source does not give the date, but you have found reference to it elsewhere, put the date in [ ] to indicate this, adding a ? to emphasise any uncertainty, for example:

John, Jeremy. My Poems from the Trenches. Knight Books, [1919?].

If you know an approximate date use ‘c.’, for ‘circa’, for example:

Singh, Gita. Monsoon Heat. Jaipur: Tiger, [c.1935]. Print.

If you cannot locate or estimate a publication date, use ‘n.d.’ for no date in place of the year.

Quotations are word-for-word text included in your work and must be clearly distinguished from your own words and ideas.

Short quotations (of less than four lines of prose or two to three short lines of poetry)

Use a brief phrase within your paragraph or sentence to introduce the quotation, before including it inside double quotation marks “ “. Give the page number for a discursive quotation, inside the end punctuation, for example:

As Neville states, “you should cite all sources and present full details of these in your list of references” (37).

Give the line number(s) for lines of poetry or a play script, for example:

Coward creates a delicate image of nature in “To a Maidenhair Fern”, which begins “You pretty thing/ each dainty frond unbending” (1-2).

In the Coward example, the name of the poem is given in quotation marks, as it is the title of a poem within a collected edition.

Longer quotations (of more than 4 lines of prose/ poetry)

Use block quotation, without quotation marks, but clearly indented to indicate these words are not your own. Include the page/ line number outside of the end punctuation. For example:

Neville comments that:
It can sometimes be difficult, if not impossible, to avoid using some of the author’s original words, particularly those that describe or label phenomena. However, you need to avoid copying out what the author said, word for word. Choose words that you feel give a true impression of the author’s original ideas or action. (38)


For poetry, either indent the full quotation and left align, or if appropriate, retain the unusual spacing. For example:

Coward creates an optimistic image of nature in “To a Maidenhair Fern”:
                                                             You pretty thing,
                                             Each dainty frond unbending,
                                             Supple unending,
                                                            Like pearls on a string –
                                             Your message in sending
                                                            A promise of spring. (1-6)


The poem’s title will be included in the list of works cited/ bibliography.

A secondary reference/ indirect citation is given when you are referring to a source which you have not read yourself, but have read about in another source, for example referring to Jones’ work that you have read about in Smith.

Avoid using secondary references wherever possible and locate the original source and reference that. Only give a secondary reference where this is not possible and you deem it essential to use the material. It is important to think carefully about using secondary references as the explanation or interpretation of that source by the author you have read may not be accurate. If you must use them, use the following format:

In-text:

In Colleer Abbott's "The Life and Letters of George Darley, Poet and Critic" (qtd. in Chirico 47) ... , 

Works cited/ bibliography:

Chirico, Paul. John Clare and the Imagination of the Reader. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

If you are citing works by different authors with the same name, include the initial as well as the last name, or the full first name if the initial is also shared. For example:

(J. Smith 33; P. Smith 49)

Or 

(John Smith 33; Jenny Smith 49)

It is important to give a page number in an in-text citation in the following circumstances:

  • when quoting directly.
  • when referring to a specific detail in a text (for example, a specific theory or idea, an illustration, a table, a set of statistics).

This might mean giving an individual page number or a small range of pages from which you have taken the information. Giving page numbers enables the reader to locate the specific item to which you refer.

Note: Where no page or paragraph number can be given for a source, such as on the web, it is acceptable to just give the name of the author/ organisation in ( ) or to name the author and the source title in the sentence. You can also use ‘n.pag.’ for ‘no pagination’ in your works cited/ bibliography to indicate a lack of page numbering.

You should capitalise the first word, the last word and any major word of a book, journal article, etc. Also, capitalise the first word following a colon in the title.

Pride and Prejudice
Troy and Homer: Towards a Solution of an Old Mystery.

Usually in-text citations will be included in your word count as they are integral to your argument. This may vary depending on the assignment you are writing and you should confirm this with your module tutor. If in-text citations are included, this does not mean you should leave out citations where they are appropriate. 

Questions about referencing?

Contact your Faculty Librarians if you have any questions about referencing.

Commonly used sources

Examples of in-text citations and reference list entries for key source types.

Use these examples alongside the information given in the 'Guidance for all source types' box.

In-text:
(Bartley 100)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Information to include
Surname, Forename. Title of book. Publisher, year.

Bartley, Christopher. An Introduction to Indian Philosophy. Continuum, 2011.

Chapter in an edited book

In-text:
(Marenbon 45)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Information to include
Surname, Forename. "Title of chapter." Title of book, edited by Forename Surname, publisher, year, page range.

Marenbon, John. "The Medievals." The Oxford Handbook of Causation, edited by Helen Beebee, Christopher Hitchcock and Peter Menzies, Oxford UP, 2009, pp. 40-54.

Edited book

In-text:
(Beebee, Hitchcock and Menzies 4)
Works cited/ bibliography:

Information to include
Editor Surname, Forename., editor. Title of book. Publisher, year. Type (if needed).

Beebee, Helen, Christopher Hitchcock, and Peter Menzies, editors. The Oxford Handbook of
   Causation. Oxford UP, 2009.

Journal article / paper (print copy)

In-text: (Ritter 409)
Works cited/ bibliography:

Information to include
Surname, Forename, Initial. "Title of article / paper." Name of journal, vol. #, no. #, year, pp. #-#

Ritter, Joshua R. "Recovering Hyperbole: Rethinking the Limits of Rhetoric for an Age of Excess."
   Philosophy and Rhetoric, vol. 45, no.4, 2012, pp. 406-28.

 

Journal article / paper (electronic copy)

Normally, this format is used only for journals that do not have a print publication and are published only online, or that have a particular online version. For journals that have both print and online publication, use the referencing format for 'Journal article / paper (print copy)', even if you obtained your copy of the article / paper electronically. You can include a DOI or a URL; a DOI is preferable where available.

In-text:
(Buss 365)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Information to include
Surname, Forename, Initial. "Title of article / paper." Name of journal, vol. #, no. #, year, pp. #-#. DOI.

Buss, Sarah. "The Value of Humanity." The Journal of Philosophy, vol. 109, no.5/6, 2012, pp.341-77. https://doi.org/10.5840/jphil20121095/614.

Newspaper article (with author)

In-text:
(Hunter 1)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Information to include
Surname, Forename, Initial. "Title of article." Name of newspaper, day Mon. year, pp. #-#.

Hunter, Marjorie. “Johnson Antipoverty Bill Approved in House, 228-190, but Foes Balk Final Vote.” The New York Times, 8 Aug. 1964, pp. 1-2.

Newspaper article (no author)

For a source without an author it is acceptable to use the title, or a shortened version of it, in the in-text citation.

In-text:
(“French Elections” 26)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Information to include

"Title of article." Name of newspaper, day Mon. year, pp.#-#.

“French Elections. Bitter-Sweet Victory for the Left.” The Guardian, 23 Apr. 2012, p.26.

 

Newspaper article (online)

In-text:
Bean highlights the authors’ enthusiasm for the project…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Information to include
Surname, Forename, Initial. "Title of article." Name of newspaper, day Mon. year, URL.

Bean, Dan. “Rowntree’s Chocolate Factory Book in the Top 10 The Sunday Times Bestsellers
 Chart.” The Press [York], 7 June 2013. http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/10470330.Rowntree___s_chocolate_factory_book_in_the_Top_10  _of_bestsellers_chart/.

‘[York]’ has been used to denote the location of a local newspaper if this is not clear from the newspaper’s title.

Website with author

In-text:
Botton highlights the role of six great philosophers…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Information to include
Surname, Forename Initial. "Title of specific webpage." Name of overall website, day Mon. year. URL.

Botton, Alain. “The Consolations of Philosophy.” Alain de Botton, n.d., http://www.alaindebotton.com/philosophy.asp. Accessed 10 March 2017.

This example follows the MLA guidance for listing French names. In the list of works cited, the individual page is given in quotation marks and the overall website in italics. ‘n.d.’ denotes that the page is undated, and an accessed date is given instead.

 

Website with no author

The name of the organisation or the title of the specific webpage can be used if no author name is given.

In-text:
The University of York offers specific support to returning students…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Information to include

Organisation. "Title of specific webpage." Name of overall website, day Mon. year. URL.

University of York. "A Practical Guide for Returning Students." Practical Guides, 9 April 2025, https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/returning. 

Further sources

Examples of in-text citations and reference list entries for other source types.

Use these examples alongside the information given in the 'Guidance for all source types' box.

In-text:
In his blog “The Wicked Candor of Wanda Coleman”, Hayes expressed…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Hayes, Terrence. “The Wicked Candor of Wanda Coleman.” The Paris Review, 12 June 2020, 
www.theparisreview.org/blog/2020/06/12/the-wicked-candor-of-wanda-coleman/. The Daily.

Use this format if citing the illustrations used with a text, for example in children’s literature

In-text:
In this edition, Mr Toad is portrayed as…(Aitchison 27)
OR
In this edition, Mr Toad is portrayed as…(Grahame 27)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Aitchison, Martin, illustrator. The Wind in the Willows. By Kenneth Grahame. Retold,
  Joan Collins. Ladybird, 1983. 

OR

Grahame, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows. Retold, Joan Collins. Illustrated by Martin Aitchison.
  Ladybird, 1983. 

 

If you are reading an English language version of a book originally published in another language follow this example

In-text:
(Larsson, 24)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Larsson, Stieg. The Girl Who Played with Fire. Translated by Reg Keeland. MacLehose Press,
   2009. 

 

Follow this example if you read a book in another language.

In-text:
(Hoops 24)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Hoops, Johannes. Kommentar zum Beowulf [Commentary on Beowulf]. Carl Winters
    Universitatsbuchhandlung, 1932. 

Conference proceedings (full)

In-text:
The papers presented in Billings, Boyle and Griffiths…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Billings, Sabrina J., John P. Boyle and Aaron M. Griffith, editors. CLS 35 Part 1: Papers from the Main
   Session. Chicago Linguistic Society 35, 22-24 Apr. 1999.  

 

Conference paper (unpublished)

In-text:
Burge’s presentation discussed…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Burge, Amy. "A Very English Place: The Intimate Relationship Between Britain and Arabia in the
   Contemporary Sheikh Romance." EUPOP 2012: Inaugural Conference of the European Popular
   Culture Association. University of the Arts, London. 11-13 July 2012. Paper presentation.

Either cite the name of the writer or the work, depending on the emphasis in the text. 

In-text:
In the episode “How I got my Nose,” Harvey presents the humorous reminiscences of a young man...
OR
Harvey’s writing in “How I got my Nose” portrays…

Works cited/ bibliography:

“How I got my Nose”. Beautiful People. By Jonathan Harvey, directed by Gareth Carrivick, BBC
   Worldwide, 2008. DVD.

OR

Harvey, Jonathan, writer. “How I got my Nose.” Beautiful People. Directed by Gareth Carrivick,
   BBC Worldwide, 2008. DVD.

In-text:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream expressed the story through the music of Mendelssohn and Brahms.

Works cited/ bibliography:

Nixon, David, choreographer. A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Performance by Northern Ballet, 6 Sept. 2013, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds. 

Database Online (specific content)

In-text:
(Bockelman 38)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Bockelman, Brian. “Buenos Aires Bohème: Argentina and the Transatlantic Bohemian Renaissance, 1890–1910.” Modernism/Modernity, vol. 23, no. 1, Jan. 2016, pp. 37–63. Project Muse, https://doi.org/10.1353/mod.2016.0011.

 

Database Online (not referring to specific content)

In-text:
Sources were primarily located using Eighteenth Century Collections Online.

Works cited/ bibliography:

Eighteenth Century Collections Online. Cengage, 2008. http://gale.cengage.co.uk/product-highlights/history/eighteenth-century-collections-online.aspx. Accessed 10 March 2017.

In-text:
(Larkham 80)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Larkham, Thomas. The Diary of Thomas Larkham, 1647-1669, edited by Susan Hardman Moore,
   Boydell, 2011. 

Dictionary (with editor)

In-text:
(Blackburn 265)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Blackburn, Simon. "Norm." The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford UP, 1996. 

 

Dictionary (without editor)

In-text:
(“Norm,” def. 1a)

Works cited/ bibliography:

"Norm." Paperback Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, 2006. 


The in-text citation includes the relevant definition being referred to, in place of a page number.

E-book (online)

If page markers are not available on the e-book version you are using cite the chapter for specific references to the source (eg “…” (Berry ch.1)).

In-text:
(Berry 23)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Berry, Jessica N. Nietzsche and the Ancient Skeptical Tradition. Oxford UP, 2011.<http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195368420.001.0001/acprof-9780195368420>.

 

E-book (reader)

If viewing an e-book using an e-book reader it is important to reference the specific version of the publication for this reader. If page markers are not available on the e-book version you are using cite the chapter for specific references to the source (for example, (Collins ch.3)).

In-text:
(Collins 45)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. E-book ed., Scholastic Fiction, 2011. 

In-text:
In correspondence with the author, Johnson suggested…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Johnson, Irene. Email to the author. 3 June 2019. 

Encyclopedia (full)

In-text:
Banks’ work collates a range of ideas…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Banks, William P., editor. Encyclopedia of Consciousness. Vol. 1. Elsevier, 2009.

 

Encyclopedia (entry)

In-text:
With author given - (Mele 270)
OR
With no author given - (“Free Will” 270)

Works cited/ bibliography:

With author given

Mele, Alfred R. "Free Will." Encyclopedia of Consciousness, edited by William P. Banks, vol. 1, Elsevier, 2009.  


OR with no author given

"Free Will." Encyclopedia of Consciousness, edited by William P. Banks, vol. 1. Elsevier, 2009.

In-text:

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas presents two very different experiences of childhood.
OR
Herman directs an emotional story of…

Works cited/ bibliography:

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Directed by Mark Herman, Miramax Films, 2008. 

Graph, chart, table or figure (print copy)

In-text:
[INSERT FIGURE/ TABLE]
Fig. 1. E. K. Mickson, photograph from When the Heart Decides (1966); rpt. in Stephanie Newell, Ghanaian Popular Fiction: ‘Thrilling Discoveries in Conjugal Life’ and Other Tales, (James Currey, 2000; 7.1).

Works cited/ bibliography:

Newell, Stephanie. Ghanaian Popular Fiction: ‘Thrilling Discoveries in Conjugal Life’ and Other Tales. James Currey, 2000. 


‘rpt.’ stands for ‘reprinted’

Graph, chart, table or figure (online)

In-text:
[INSERT TABLE/ FIGURE]
Fig. 1. Word count by genre. "Shakespeare Text Statistics," OpenSource Shakespeare, (2013).

Works cited/ bibliography:

“Shakespeare Text Statistics.” OpenSource Shakespeare, George Mason
   University, 2013. www.opensourceshakespeare.org/statistics/. 

Note that in both cases the interviewee’s surname is the name you use for the in-text citation and the name at the beginning of the full reference.

Interview (conducted by someone else)

If referring to an interview conducted by someone else that has been published in such as a newspaper or journal you can reference in the following way:

In-text:
(Bacon, 2016)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Bacon, Francis. Interviews with Francis Bacon. Conducted by David Sylvester, Thames and Hudson, 2016.

 

Interview (conducted yourself)

If referring to an interview you have conducted as part of your research, consideration needs to be given to confidentiality and interviewee anonymity, as appropriate.

In-text:
During the interview, Wexler recalled…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Wexler, Jojo. Telephone interview with the author. 3 Nov. 2019.

In-text:
In his lecture, Jones proposed…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Jones, Nick. Lecture. “The Self and how to Know it.” Know Thyself Open Course. U of York, 3 Nov.
    2011. 

In-text:
(Jones 2)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Jones, N. Lecture notes. “The Self and how to Know it”. Know Thyself Open Course. U of York, 2011. pp. 1-3. 

Published

In-text:
In a letter to T. S. Eliot, Woolf stated that...

Works cited/ bibliography:

Woolf, Virginia. “To T. S. Eliot.” 28 July 1920. The Letters of Virginia Woolf, edited by Nigel Nicolson and Joanne Trautmann, vol. 2, Harvest Books / Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1976, pp. 437–38.

Unpublished

In-text:
In correspondence with the author, Johnson suggested…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Johnson, Irene. Letter to the author. 3 June 2013. Manuscript.


Add manuscript if the letter is handwritten and typescript if typed. 

Each one will have titles and references within it or you can refer to the actual microfiche record number and where it is stored. This is an example of a historical periodical.

In-text:
(Brown 19)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Brown, J. Freemason’s Magazine. J. W. Bunney, 1794. Microform. The Eighteenth Century. Reel 16298. Raymond Burton Library, University of York.

In-text:

The trio performed Vitebsk as part of a programme of…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Vitebsk. By Aaron Copland, performed by Sasaki Trio, 18 Jan. 2012, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, York. 

In-text:
The original story of Pucinni’s Tosca…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Puccini, G. Tosca. 1900. Milan: Ricardi, 1980. Score.

In-text:
Air Canada provides a unique insight into…

Works cited/ bibliography:

“Air Canada: We’re in the Business of You.” YouTube, uploaded by Air Canada, 8 Apr. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE9AFpsg7H8. 

Viewed first hand

In-text:
Monet’s The Water-Lily Pond demonstrates the artist’s…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Monet, Claude. The Water-Lily Pond. 1889, National Gallery, London.

Viewed online

In-text:
Bearden's work demonstrates...

Works cited/ bibliography:

Bearden, Romare. The Train. 1975. MOMA, www.moma.org/collection/works/65232?locale=en.

Viewed in a book

In-text:
In the painting by Velázquez...

Works cited/ bibliography:

Velázquez, Diego. An Old Woman Cooking Eggs. Circa 1618, Scottish National Gallery. The Vanishing Velázquez: A Nineteenth-Century Bookseller’s Obsession with a Lost Masterpiece, by Laura Cumming, Scribner, 2016, p. 27.

In-text:
(Graduate Students’ Association 3)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Graduate Guide 2013. Graduate students' Association, University of York, 2013. Booklet.

To cite and reference the programme for a performance such as a play, dance or concert, use the following example:

In-text:
(Foster n.pag)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Foster, Nikolai. “A Beautiful Re-discovery”. Theatre programme. Beautiful Thing. N.pag. West
   Yorkshire Playhouse. 3-8 June 2013.

The reference is for an authored contribution within the overall performance programme. ‘N. pag.’ in this example denotes no pagination.

Viewed first hand

In-text:
Jarche’s Miner with Pit Pony evocatively recalls…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Jarche, J. Miner with Pit Pony. 1931, National Media Museum, Bradford.

Viewed online

In-text:

In Sheldon's fascinating photograph...

Works cited/ bibliography:

Sheldon, Natasha. Photograph of The Muleteer. “Human Remains in Pompeii: The Body Casts,” by Sheldon, 23 Mar. 2014. Decoded Past, decodedpast.com/human-remains-pompeii-body-casts/7532/.

In-text:
Yes, Prime Minister revived the television series...

Works cited/ bibliography:

Lynn, Jonathan. Yes, Prime Minister. Directed by Jonathan Lynn, 16 Apr. 2012, Theatre Royal, York.

If you are citing from a prose play, give the page number(s) for the quotation. If you are citing from a verse play, give the act, scene and line(s) quoted and separated by a full stop.

In-text - prose play:
(Beckett 26)

In-text - verse play:
Iago recognises Othello's good nature: "..." (1.3.390-93).

Works cited/ bibliography:

Beckett, Samuel. Happy Days. Faber and Faber, 1961. 
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Edited by Jane Coles, Cambridge UP, 1992. 

In-text:
(Bairstow 3-5)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Bairstow, M. “The Storm.” English Folk Poetry: Structure and Meaning, edited by Roger de V Renwick,
  University of Pennsylvania, 1980, p. 163. 

In-text:
Waters admits in his interview with Marc Maron that his trip to Lebanon had a significant impact on him....

Works cited/ bibliography:

Maron, Marc. "Roger Waters." WTF with Marc Maron, 31 October 2016, http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-755-roger-waters?rq=roger%20waters. 

In-text:
Reflecting on her career to date, Hart suggested…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Hart, Miranda. Interview by Mark Lawson. Front Row. BBC Radio 4, 6 June 2013. 

These include the Bible, Talmud, Qur'an, Upanishads, and major classical works, such as the ancient Greek and Roman works. If you are quoting a verse or extract, you should include the detail in the text of the edition of the work you are using (and that will be in your works cited) the first time you cite from it, with the book, and specific details. 

In-text:
The film script at this point echoes the Bible: “And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.” (Good News Bible, Gen. 6.12).

Works cited/ bibliography:

Good News Bible. Rainbow Edition, Harper Collins, 2004. 

Reports (online)

In-text:
(NIACE 6)

Works cited/ bibliography:

NIACE. Work, Society and Lifelong Literacy: Report of the Inquiry into Adult Literacy in England. 2011, http://shop.niace.org.uk/media/catalog/product/l/i/literacy_inquiry_-  _exec_summary-web.pdf. 

 

Reports (hard copy)

In-text:
(Higher Education Academy 5)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Higher Education Academy. Ethnicity, Gender and Degree Attainment Project: Final Report. 
Higher Education Academy/ Equality Challenge Unit, 2008. 

This format is for when you read a more recent version of an older work. In the works cited/ bibliography insert the original publication date before the publication information.

In-text:
(Dickens 29)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. 1846. Broadview Press, 2005.

In-text:
(Warner 16)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Warner, M. “Travelling Text”. Review of The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, translated by Malcolm,
   C. Lyons. London Review of Books, vol 30, no.24, 2008, pp. 15-16. 

In-text:
Belle and Sebastian’s “Wrapped up in Books” provides the listener with…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Belle and Sebastian. “Wrapped up in Books.” Dear Catastrophe Waitress, Rough Trade, 2003. CD.

In-text:
In a conversation with the author, Johnson discussed…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Johnson, Irene. Telephone conversation with the author. 3 June 2013.

The title of the programme is given in italics and the title of the episode in quotation marks

In-text:
The edition of Panorama “Britain’s Crimes of Honour” explored…

Works cited/ bibliography:

“Britain’s Crimes of Honour.” Panorama. BBC1, 19 Mar. 2012. 

In-text:
In correspondence with the author, Johnson suggested…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Johnson, Irene. Text message to the author. 3 June 2013. 

In-text:
(Rice 58)

Works cited/ bibliography:

Rice, L.E. Medieval Mysteries in the Modern World: Contemporary Stagings of the York Mystery Plays. 2008. University of York, dissertation. 

In-text:
The literature search was conducted following guidelines on the VLE…

Works cited/ bibliography:

Else, Olivia and Kirsty Whitehead. "Searching for Academic Sources Tutorial." Library Skills for 3rd Year Humanities Students. Blackboard, University of York, https://xerte.york.ac.uk/play.php?template_id=4690#page1. Accessed 19 May 2025.

In-text:
According to Wikipedia, the University of York...

Works cited/ bibliography:

“University of York”. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 May 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_York. 

In-text, use either the proper name of the author where known, or if not, just the handle or pseudonym. In the works cited/ bibliography, give the author’s name if known with the pseudonym in square brackets.

In-text:
The University of York Library provided a photograph of the Sensory Rooms as part of a TikTok post showcasing their spaces.

Works cited/ bibliography:

University of York Library [uoylibrary]. "Fairhurst Foto-Dump." TikTok, 2024, https://www.tiktok.com/@uoylibrary/photo/7423766542023806241.

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