Library and Media Center--Citation Helps

Below you will find the information needed for a citation and some examples.  Remember that the order, punctuation, and formatting are all very specific.  Please consult easybib.com for further assistance. 

*Basic MLA information needed for a book
To cite a book you need 6 units of information, each followed by specific punctuation and spacing. Some books may not have all this information; provide what is available.  Double space your citations and indent line 2, 3 etc.

• the author's or editor’s name (last name, first name)
• the complete title and subtitle  All important words are capitalized.  Italicize titles.
• the city where the book was published
• the name of the publishing company
• the copyright date  (If there is more than 1 date, use the most recent one.)
• the word Print

You find all this information either on the title page or copyright page of the book.

 
Example of a book for the Works Cited page 

Reynolds, Aaron. Important Festivals: A History of Jewish Celebrations. New York: Grove

     Press, Inc., 2011. Print.

 

 

Examples of an in-text citation from this book

Jews traditionally observe the holy day of Yom Kipper with prayer and fasting. (Reynolds 80) 

 

*Basic MLA information needed for a web site
To cite a website you may need up to 8 units of information.  Note the punctuation in the example. Some sites may not have all this information; provide what is available.  Double space your citations and indent line 2, 3 etc.

• creator of the site (last name, first name)
• title of the article. All important words are capitalized. Put the title in quotation marks.
• name of the website
• the name of organization associated with the site
• the date of publication, or of the latest update (day month year)
• the word Web
• the date you viewed the site (day month year)
• the URL (up to the first backslash)

 

 
Example of a website for the Works Cited page

Levin, Ben. “How to Celebrate”. The Jewish Holidays.  B'nai B'rith International. 04 April

     2010. Web.14 Jan. 2011.< http://bnaibrith.org>

 

Examples of an in-text citation from this web site
According to a web page sponsored by B'Nai B'rith International, Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement, is a very solemn day of the year devoted to fasting, prayer, and repentance and is celebrated this year on Thursday, September 29, 2011. ("B'Nai B'rith: The Jewish Holidays").

 
*Basic MLA information needed for AHA online periodical database
To cite information from a database, you may need up to 9 units of information. Information needed will vary according to the type of database.  Note the punctuation in the example. Some sources may not have all this information; provide what is available. Double space your citations and indent line 2, 3 etc.

• Author (last name, first name)
• title of article (in quotation marks)
• name of book or magazine in which the article was published (italicized)
• publication information about the book or magazine (if book, put year in parentheses; if periodical, put publication month and year, followed by : and then page number/s.)
• name of specific database (italicized)
• the word Web
• name of the host company (Brittannica, Ebsco, Gale, OCLC or ProQuest). The database is italicized and the host company is not.
• the date you viewed the database (day month year)
• THE URL (stop after the first backslash)

 
Example of a database for the Works Cited page

Polster, Sarah. "Aaron's God-And Ours." Tikkun Sept. 2002: 29-30. Student Edition. Web.Gale.

     10 Jan. 2003. <http://www.galegroup.com>

 

Example of an  in-text citation from this database
 Polster writes, "The Torah portion read on Yom Kippur is Leviticus 16. In this passage, God invites Aaron to return to God's presence to atone for his sins and the sins of his household, and gives elaborate instructions about how to proceed.”