MLA Format for Citing Electronic Library Databases
Basic Form:
Author’s last name, comma, first name, middle, period : Ponder, Jennifer B.
If no author is listed, begin citation with title
Article title, period, in quotes: “The Butterfly Effect: The Impact of Citizenship Education.”
Journal title, italicized: Social Studies Journal
Date -
- For a scholarly journal, use volume number, period, issue number, year in parentheses, colon: 100.3 (2009):
- For a popular magazine or newspaper, use date and edition elements that are available for your citation—day month year, comma, edition, period, colon: 12 Sept. 2009, late ed.:
- If there is no edition, use day month year, colon: 12 Sept. 2009:
- If there is no day, use month year, colon: Sept. 2009:
Page numbers:
- Inclusive page numbers, period: 129-135.
- If there are no page numbers, use abbreviation for no pagination: n. pag.
- If page numbering is not continuous, use first page number and plus sign, period: 14+.
Database name, italicized, period: Wilson Omnifile.
Medium of publication (for database articles use Web), period: Web.
Day month and year accessed, period: 14 Aug. 2009.
Put together, citations should look like the following examples, with first line starting at margin and subsequent lines indented. Typing should be double-spaced.
Scholarly journal article from an online library database:
Ponder, Jennifer B. “The Butterfly Effect: The Impact of Citizenship Education.”Social Studies Journal 100.3 (2009): 129-135. Wilson Omnifile. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
Popular magazine article from an online library database:
Mangels, Reed. “Hold the Beef and the Bacon.” Vegetarian Journal Jan. - Feb. 2006: 12. Alt Health Watch. Web. 12 Sept. 2009.
Newspaper article without an author from an online library database:
“Hollywood Night of Offbeat Choices.” New York Times 13 Jan. 2009: C1. LexisNexis. Web. 15 May 2009.