According to the MLA Handbook, the publisher is the organization that produces a work or makes it available to the public (164). A book publishing company is often is this part of a citation. However, many other sources have a company, organization, or entity that produces the source.
A few guidelines
MLA recommends some abbreviations for publishers.
- Omit words such as company, corporation, incorporated, and limited
- Abbreviate University Press to UP (Tulane University Press will be listed as Tulane UP)
- Abbreviate University to U and Press to P (University of Texas Press will be listed as U of Texas P)
There are some times you will leave the publisher out of your citation, either because there is no publisher or because it is not necessary.
- Do not include a publisher for a periodical article
- If the title of a website is identical or nearly identical to the name of the publisher, only list the website's title
- A work published by its author or editor
Example citations
Pinsky, Robert, editor. The Best of the Best American Poetry. Scribner Poetry, 2013.
United States Dept. of Health and Human Services. “Alcohol Use and Your Health.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Nov. 2014, www.cdc.gov/alcohol/pdfs/alcoholyourhealth.pdf.
Boyd, Andy. “Crowdsourced Problem Solving.” Engines of Our Ingenuity, no. 3064, U of Houston, 12 May 2016, www.uh.edu/engines/epi3064.htm.
The Wizard of Oz. Directed by Victor Fleming, performance by Judy Garland, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 25 Aug. 1939.
Solkin, David, H. Art in Britain: 1600-1815. Yale UP, 2015.