Periodical MLA citation is all about magazines, journals, and newspapers. Pay attention to this – if you include the month of publication, make sure to abbreviate it (e.g., Jan., Feb., or Mar.)
The general format of citations will look like this:
Example:
Author. Title. Title of Container (Journal), Volume and/or Number, Publisher, Date, Location (Page Numbers).
In our citation examples, we use the following color coding:
- Red – Author
- Blue – Title of book/article/charter/webpage
- Pink – Date
- Green – Title of journal
- Black – Volume/issue
- Sienna – Pages
- Peach – Additional information about the source (i.e. its type, specific features etc.)
Magazine
Example:
Semuels, Alana. “Stop Looking for Your Forever Home.” Time, 21 Mar. 2024, pp. 12-14.
Scholarly Journal (Paginated by Issue)
Example:
Fischer, Thomas, and Sim B. Sitkin. “Leadership Styles: A Comprehensive Assessment and
Way Forward.” Academy of Management Annals, vol. 17, no. 1, 2023, pp. 331-372.
If there is no author at all, format your source this way:
Example:
“Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” International Journal of Research, vol. 5, no. 1, 2022, pp. 1-9.
Daily Newspaper
Example:
Waters, Christopher. “Artificial Intelligence Hasn’t Perfected Winemaking Yet.” The Globe
and Mail [Toronto], 20 Mar. 2024, p. 2.
Do you need to cite some well-known newspaperы such as The Guardian or The New York Times?
Good for you – no brackets should be used in that case.
Editorial in Newspaper
Editorial is cited as any article in a periodical, but it is necessary to state that the author is the Editorial Board.
Example:
Editorial Board. “Coronavirus in America.” The New York Times, 5 Apr. 2020, p. 8.
Letter to the Editor
Example:
Skverer, Silvina. “Coronavirus in America.” Letter. The New York Times, 5 Apr. 2020, p. 8
Don’t forget to include the word “Letter”. It’s really important to specify what you are citing.
Book or Film Review
When it comes to a book review, you should remember to include: 1) the reviewer and their work and 2) the original work that is reviewed.
Example:
Enwright, Catherine. “David Jones’s Medieval Voices.” Review of Poet of the Medieval
Modern, by Francesca Brooks. Journal of Modern Literature, vol. 47, no. 1, 2023, pp. 165-168.