Citelle · Library
MLA 9: cite a book
Cite a standalone book in MLA 9 with the italic title, 2nd ed. as its own element, publisher and year, and no city of publication.
A standalone book has no container
A whole book is cited on its own, without a container. The italic title follows the author, then the edition, the publisher and the year, separated by commas. The page lists London as the place of publication, but this MLA entry does not print it.
In works-cited form, Stone's book reads: Stone, Maya. A Small Book. 2nd ed., Example Press, 2024.
Book fields for works cited
Copy reference copies the plain text, without italics. If your browser blocks copying, the workbench says so and suggests Download TXT, which saves the same text as citelle-reference.txt. Restore the italics on A Small Book in your document.
- Choose MLA 9 works-cited entry, Authored book and Print version.
- Enter Maya Stone, A small book and the title-case form A Small Book.
- Type 2 in Numbered edition; the entry shows 2nd ed. and leaves out a first edition.
- Fill Example Press and 2024. A city in Publication or institution city/place is not printed in this MLA entry.
- Press Create reference.
Editors and other contributors
The workbench's Authored book kind has no editor rows, so it covers only a book credited to its author. A book with an editor, translator or other contributor needs elements this tool does not offer; follow the MLA book page linked below for those. The edition is printed exactly from the number you type, and the workbench cannot tell whether your copy is a new edition or a reprint.
Getting the book into the app
Scan the ISBN with Scan barcode, or type it into Add a source and tap Find. The app reads the edition record from Open Library and turns edition wording into a number. In MLA the app's book entry gives the edition, publisher and year after the title, and adds Edited by when both an author and an editor are recorded. Check the title-page details on the Edit source screen.
When you scan, the app checks the ISBN's check digit and shows That barcode isn't an ISBN if the code does not pass, instead of looking up a wrong book.
Common book errors in MLA
- Naming the ebook platform or the device as publisher.
- Writing a printing date as an edition.
- Adding the city because the record has one.
- Citing the book when you used one chapter by another author.
- Writing the edition in words inside the title instead of in Numbered edition.
Gather the source details
- Check the exact author or editor role.
- Record the complete book title and the edition used.
- Verify the publication year and publisher.
- Keep the publication place only when the selected convention requires it.
- Author
- Maya Stone
- Title as supplied
- A small book
- Publication year
- 2024
- Publisher
- Example Press
- Edition
- 2
- Publication place
- London
Tools
Sources
Next guide: NLM Vancouver: cite a book