How to Cite a Book in MLA Format (9th Edition)

• Jun 11, 2024
• 8 min read

• Tags: MLA Citations, MLA Styles

Citing a book in MLA format can seem scary, but it’s quite straightforward. You just have to remember four parts of the citation entry and you’re good to go! Now, if you’re citing an eBook or a paragraph from a book, things can get slightly tricky. So let’s simplify things and learn how to cite a book in MLA format, with the help of plenty of examples!

We’ve also listed several variations of MLA in-text citations for books and added relevant examples. So whether you want to cite a translated book, reference book, or short story collection, we have the answer. Let’s start with the basic MLA book citation format.

How to cite a book in MLA style

MLA citation for a book features four essential elements: author, book title, publisher, and publication date. If your book has an editor or translator, one more element gets added to the citation. Similarly, all you have to do is mention an additional detail while citing book chapters, alternate editions, volumes, and formats.

Here’s how to cite books in MLA style:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Publisher, Year of Publication.

Morrison, Toni. Paradise. Vintage, 1999.

Sometimes, you may need to add the city of publication for your book. This is only required if:

• The publisher operates in several countries
• The publisher isn’t well-known in North America
• The book was published before 1900

Here’s the modified MLA book citation:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Book Title. City of Publication, Publisher, Year of Publication.

Karunatilaka, Shehan. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. London, Sort of Books, 2022.

Remember these details while writing your MLA citation for a book:

• Start the citation with the author’s last name, followed by the first name.
• Write the book title in the title case and italicize it.
• Don’t italicize the period after the book title.
• Mention the city of publication if it’s relevant.
• Separate the city of publication, publisher’s name, and year of publication with commas.
• Add a hanging indent of 0.5 inches.

Variations of the MLA book citation format

The MLA citation format for a book can vary based on elements like the number of authors, editions, and publication details. We’ve compiled some of the most common variations of the format and added corresponding MLA book citation examples. Take a look:

1. Book by two authors

Author 1 Last Name, First Name, and Author 2 First Name Last Name. Book Title. Publisher, Year of Publication.

Abebe, Imani, and Zoish Wadia. Understanding Science. University Press, 2007.

(Abebe and Wadia 45)

2. Book by three or more authors

Author 1 Last Name, First Name, et al. Book Title. Publisher, Year of Publication.

Johnson, Michael, et al. Environmental Studies. Nature Publishers, 2011.

(Johnson et al. 157)

3. Book with an editor

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Book Title, edited by Editor’s First Name Last Name, Publisher, Year of Publication.

Adamu, Sydney. The Knife and the Board, edited by Jeremy Allen White, Harper Publication, 2023.

4. Edited book with no author

Editor’s Last Name, First Name, editor. Book Title. Publisher, Year of Publication.

Barnes, Steve, editor. The Art of Renaissance. Art Press, 2016.

(Barnes 102)

5. Chapter or part of a book

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Chapter Title.” Book Title, edited by Editor’s First Name Last Name, Publisher Name, Year of Publication, page range.

Tufte, Edward. “Visual Confections: Juxtapositions from the Ocean of the Streams of Story.” Visual Explanations, edited by Robert Harris, Graphics Press, 1997, pp. 121–136.

(Tufte 128)

6. Book published by an organization

Organization Name. Book Title. Edition (if applicable), Publisher (if different from the organization), Year of Publication.

World Health Organization. Global Health and Aging. 2011.

(World Health Organization 45)

7. Translated book

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Translated by Translator’s First Name Last Name, Publisher, Year of Publication.

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Translated by Stanley Corngold, Bantam Classics, 1972.

(Kafka 102)

8. EBook

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Publisher, Year of Publication. Title of the Website or Database, URL (without the http:// or https://).

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Penguin Classics, 2008. Google Books, books.google.com/books?id=s1gVAAAAYAAJ.

(Austen 118)

9. Reference books (Dictionaries and Encyclopedias)

Author’s Last Name, First Name (if available). “Title of Entry.” Book Title, edited by Editor’s First Name Last Name, edition (if not the first), volume number, Publisher, Year of Publication, page number(s).

“Hemisphere.” Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed., Merriam-Webster, 2003, p. 582.

(Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 582)

10. Collection of short stories, poems, and essays

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Work.” Title of Collection, edited by Editor’s First Name Last Name, Publisher, Year of Publication, page range.

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Tell-Tale Heart.” The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, edited by James Harrison, Barnes & Noble Books, 2004, pp. 368–372.

(Poe 370)

Now that we’ve covered the citation format, here are some bonus tips:

• Always double-check the spelling of authors’ names and book titles.
• Italicize the entire book title, including the subtitle. Separate the subtitle by a colon and a single space.
• While citing a digital book, include the format type (PDF) or database name after the publication details. If possible, include a stable URL or DOI.
• Check the formatting of all your citations once you’re done.

How to write an MLA in-text citation for a book

An MLA in-text citation includes the author’s last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken, all enclosed in parentheses.

Here is how to format an in-text citation for a book:

(Author’s Last Name page number)

(Jordan 234)

This format will change depending on your quotation and writing preferences. Take a look: 

1. Author’s name already mentioned in the text:

Strunk emphasizes the need for writers to indicate who is speaking (72).

In the essay, Robinson explains how “schools kill creativity” (39).

2. Citing more than one work by the same author:

(Author’s Last Name, Book Title page number)

(Austen, Pride 165)

Note that the book title in the in-text citation is always a shortened version. So, Pride and Prejudice in our MLA book citation example is shortened to just Pride.

3. The book has two authors:

(Author 1 Last Name and Author 2 Last Name page number)

(Kent and Khan 49)

4. The book has three or more authors:

(Author Last Name et al. page number)

(Wei et al. 45)

5. The book has no author:

(Book Title page number)

(The Noble Quran 2:1–6) 

Note that the verse number is mentioned instead of the page number. This is done in the case of unconventional books.

If you’ve already mentioned the book title in your writing, the page number will suffice.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient Mesopotamian poem that tells the story of the hero Gilgamesh and his quest for immortality (10).

6. The book has no author, only an editor or an organization:

(Editor’s Last Name page number)

(Wintour 34)

(Organization’s Name page number)

(World Health Organization 469)

7. Citing more than one page:

(Author’s Last Name page number rage)

(Zamfir 123–25)

(Author’s Last Name page number 1, page number 2, page number 3)

(Zamfir 123, 130, 145)

Remember these details while writing your MLA in-text citation:

• Pay attention to the punctuation marks used in your citation.
• Always add the period after the in-text citation.
• Use an en dash (–) instead of a hyphen (-) to indicate a range of numbers.
• Ensure a corresponding entry in the Works Cited list for each in-text citation.

So that concludes our guide on MLA citation for books! We hope it helped you understand how to cite a book in MLA style. When you know the principle behind the citation style, you don’t have to rely on an online tool!

If you still need an academic expert to review your MLA book citations, our editing services are at your disposal. If you’d like to keep learning about citation, formatting, and academic writing, here are some more resources that could help:

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Tanvi

With a foundation in Life Sciences, Tanvi enjoys curating technical writing tips tailored for ESL students. When she's not translating complex concepts into bite-sized nuggets, she can be found playing with dogs or painting landscapes.