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The library will be launching a new catalog on Thursday, November 20. From November 15 - 19, our current system for will be unavailable while we transition to the new system. Library services will remain available, but we do recommend holding on to any library items you need to return until after Thanksgiving break. Eagle Library Search and A-Z Databases will remain available. Please call one of our libraries if you have any questions.

MLA Style Guide for Citations (9th edition): Citing Books & Ebooks

Basic Format

The basic format for print books is:

Author. Title. Publisher, year of publication.

The basic format for ebooks is:

Author. Title. Publisher, year of publication. Database, URL.

You will need to include more information in your citation if it includes multiple authors, editors, or you are citing only one part of a book (e.g. a chapter).

Citation Examples of Books and Ebooks

Print book with one author

Ford, Richard. Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History. Simon & Schuster, 2021.

Print books with two authors

Vedantam, Shankar, and Bill Mesler. Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain. W. W. Norton & Company, 2021.

Ebook with three authors

Snell, Ronald, et al. Fundamentals of Radio Astronomy: Astrophysics. CRC Press, 2019. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=2024082&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

A chapter, essay, or section of an ebook

 Baron, Naomi. “Digital Revolution and the Future of American Reading.” A Companion to American Literature, edited by Susan Belasco, Wiley-Blackwell, 2020, pp. 480-495. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=2436424&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

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