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MLA Quick Guide: 7th Edition: Journal/Magazine Article

A simple introduction to citing sources following the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed.

Model Citation for a Journal Article

Works Cited Entry, Basic Form

Author Name, Reversed. "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Date): Pagination. Medium of publication.

  • Use the prescribed punctuation between each element of the citation.
  • Title of the article is in double quotes.  Title of the journal is in italics.
  • Include pagination of the entire article (not just the part you are citing).
  • Use hanging indent (all lines after the first indented 1/2 inch).

Article in a Print Journal

 

Lepine, Anna. "'Strange and Rare Visitants': Spinsters and Domestic Space in Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford." Nineteenth-Century Contexts 32.2 (2010): 121-137. Print.

 

 

Article in a Journal from a Library Database

 

Bedigian, Dorothea, and Jack R. Harlan. "Evidence for Cultivation of Sesame in the Ancient World." Economic Botany 40.2 (1986): 137-154. JSTOR. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.

 

Article in an Online Journal

Nitta, Reiko. "Kurt Vonnegut’s Psychological Strategies in Slaughterhouse-Five." PsyArt: An Online Journal for the Psychological Study of the Arts (2011): n. pag. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.

Article in a Print Magazine

 

Royte, Elizabeth. "What the Frack Is in Our Food?" Nation 17 Dec. 2012: 11-18. Print

 

Article in a Magazine from a Library Database

 

Wallace, Jonathan D. "Teacher evaluation: A conversation among educators." Phi Delta Kappan Nov. 2012: 44-46. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.

 

More Information

For more details on citing articles in journals, see MLA Handbook, chapter 5.4, p. 136-148, and chapter 5.6.3-4, p. 190-193.

Citation Managers