how to cite a movie in a research paper

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APA Style (7th Edition) Citation Guide: Films/Videos/TV Shows

• Introduction
• Journal Articles
• Magazine/Newspaper Articles
• Books & Ebooks
• Government & Legal Documents
• Biblical Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Films/Videos/TV Shows
• How to Cite: Other
• Additional Help

Table of Contents

Film or Video

Streaming Video From a Website (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)

Streaming video from a subscription media website (netflix, amazon prime, hulu, etc.), streaming video from a library database, television series episode.

Note: All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent in a Reference List.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

This Microsoft support page contains instructions about how to format a hanging indent in a paper.

Who to Credit - Film or Video

The director should be credited as the author of a film. If the director is unknown, someone in a similar role, such as a producer and/or writer, can be credited. To clarify what role the person has in the production, their job title such as Director is put after their name in round brackets if the job title is known.

Who to Credit - Streaming Video from a Website

For videos from websites such as YouTube or Vimeo, credit the person who posted the content. If a real name is provided, use that followed by the person's user name in square brackets. If the real name of the person who posted the content is not known, just use their user name without brackets.

Note : It is not necessary to specify how you watched a film or video (e.g. motion picture, DVD, streaming online). 

In the Body of a Paper

Books, Journals, Reports, Webpages, etc.: When you refer to titles of a “stand-alone work,” as the APA calls them on their APA Style website, such as books, journals, reports, and webpages, you should italicize them. Capitalize words as you would for an article title in a reference, e.g., In the book Crying in H Mart: A memoir , author Michelle Zauner (2021) describes her biracial origin and its impact on her identity.

Article or Chapter: When you refer to the title of a part of a work, such as an article or a chapter, put quotation marks around the title and capitalize it as you would for a journal title in a reference, e.g., In the chapter “Where’s the Wine,” Zauner (2021) describes how she decided to become a musician.

The APA Sample Paper below has more information about formatting your paper.

• APA 7th ed. Sample Paper

Film or Video

When the Director, Producer and/or Writer is known:

Director/Producer/Writer's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if given. (Job Title). (Year film was produced).  Title of film: Subtitle if any  [Film]. Production Company.

Note: If not produced in the United States, list the city name and the country.

Hallam, J. (Producer, Writer), & Lam, K. (Producer, Director). (2010).  Staff relations in healthcare: Working as a team  [Film]. Insight Media.

• When you have more than one producer, writer and/or writer to credit, separate the names with a comma and put an ampersand (&) before the last person's last name.
• Serling, R. (Executive Producer). (1959–1964). The twilight zone [TV series]. Cayuga Productions; CBS Productions.

In-Text Paraphrase:

(Producer/Director/Writer's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Hallam & Lam, 2010)

Note: This example has two people to credit, so both last names are given)

In-Text Quote:

(Producer/Director/Writer's Last Name, Year, Timestamp)

Example: (Hallam & Lam, 2010, 2:30)

Note: Because the timestamp serves the same purpose in a video as page numbers, paragraph numbers or section headings, you include it in the in-text citation. Include only the beginning timestamp.

When the Director, Producer and/or Writer is not known:  Start the citation with the film title.

Title of film: Subtitle if any  [Film]. (Year film was produced). Production Company if Known.

Era of viruses  [Film]. (2006). Films for the Humanities and Sciences.

( Title of Film , Year)

Example: ( Era of Viruses , 2006)

Note: Italicize the title of the film and capitalize the words for the in-text citation.

( Title of Film , Year, Timestamp)

Example: ( Era of Viruses , 2006, 40:00)

When the Poster's Name is known: 

Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial. of person who posted the video if known. [User name that posted the video]. (Year video was posted, Month Day).  Title of video  [Video]. Website Name. URL

Note: According to APA, for citing purposes the person who posted the video is credited as the author.

Nye, B. [TheRealBillNye]. (2009, April 8).  Bill Nye the science guy on energy  [Video]. YouTube. http://youtu.be/0ASLLiuejAo

(Creator's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Nye, 2009)

(Creator's Last Name, Year, timestamp)

Example: (Nye, 2009, 0:55)

When the Poster's Name is not known: 

User name that posted the video. (Year video was posted, Month Day).  Title of video  [Video]. Website Name. URL

All Aces Media. (2012, January 19).  Often awesome the series  [Video]. Vimeo. http://vimeo.com/35311255

(User name, Year)

Example: (All Aces Media, 2012)

Example: (All Aces Media, 2012, timestamp)

Producer's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Producer). (Year of Publication).  Title of Video  [Video]. Website Name. URL

Note:  When you have one producer (Producer) is used after the producer's name. If you have more than one producer use (Producers) instead.

Allen, T., et. al. (Producers). (2017). The story of Diana  [Video]. Netflix. http://www.netflix.com

(Producer Last name, Year)

Example: (Allen, et. al., 2017)

(Producer Last name, Year, Timestamp)

Example: (Allen, et. al., 2017, 6:45)

Name of Company/Organization that Provided Content or Creator's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial. if known. (Year video was created, Month Day if known).  Title of video  [Video]. Database Name.

National Film Board of Canada. (2014).  Making movie history: The women  [Video]. NFB Campus. 

(Name of Company/Organization, Year)

Example: (National Film Board of Canada, 2014)

(Name of Company/Organization, Year, Timestamp)

Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if given. (Job Title) if known. (Year the episode was originally aired). Title of episode (Season No., Episode No.) [TV series episode]. In Executive Producer's First Initial. Last Name (Executive producer) if known,  Television series name . Production Company.

Note: For other countries, list the city name and the country.

Young, R. (Writer, Producer, Director). (2010). Flying cheap (Season 2010, Episode 2) [TV series episode]. In  Frontline . American University School of Communication's Investigative Reporting Workshop.

(Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Young, 2010)

(Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, Year, Timestamp)

Example: (Young, 2010, 15:38)

Television Series Episode Viewed on a Subscription Media Website 

Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if given. (Job Title) if known. (Year the episode was originally aired). Title of episode (Season No., Episode No.) [TV series episode]. In Executive Producer's First Initial. Last Name (Executive producer) if known,  Television series name . Streaming Video Site. URL

Attenborough, D. (Writer). (2001). Ocean world (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In A. Fothergill (Executive producer),  Blue planet: A natural history of the oceans . Netflix. http://www.netflix.com

Example: (Attenborough, 2001)

 (Writer, Producer and/or Director's Last Name, Year, Timestamp)

Example: (Attenborough, 2001, 10:12)

• << Previous: Secondary Sources
• Next: How to Cite: Other >>
• Last Updated: Sep 5, 2024 3:20 PM
• URL: https://libguides.up.edu/apa

• Bibliography Answers

How to cite a movie in APA, MLA, or Harvard style

It’s not often that you need to cite a movie, but it’s actually straightforward to do so. Our guide below details how to cite a movie in APA, MLA, or Harvard format.

 How to cite a movie automatically

If you want to skip the tedium of writing a movie citation out by hand then we’ve made a citation generator to do it for you. Simply select Film/Movie from the More dropdown below, complete the form, and we’ll put everything in the right order.

 How to cite a movie manually

To cite a movie yourself just follow the instructions below. For the 3 most popular styles–APA, MLA 8, and Harvard–this is as follows:

 In APA style

You need to locate these details for the movie: director, movie title (duh!), release date, distributor, distributor location, and medium (or format) .

• The director can usually be found in the credits for the movie, or on the IMDb or Wikipedia page for the movie.
• The movie title should be pretty straightforward – it’s the name of the movie you’re citing.
• The release date is the date that the movie was first released or published. This can also be found on the IMdb or Wikipedia page.
• The distributor is the company that handled publishing of the movie. For example, the movie Avengers 2: Age of Ultron was distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
• The distributor location is the city or state that the distributor is located in. You can find this by looking up the distributor on Wikipedia.
• The medium is the format that you watched the movie in. This could be something like DVD, internet stream, or cinema.

Then use this template, replacing the colored placeholders with the information you found on the page:

Author last name , Author first name initial . ( release date year , release date month and day ). Page title [ medium ]. Distributor location : Distributor .

The final formatted citation should look like this:

Whedon, J. (2015). Avengers 2: Age of Ultron [DVD]. California: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

 In MLA 8 style

You need to locate these details for the movie: director, movie title, release date, and distributor .

Then use this template:

Director last name , Director first name . Movie title . Distributor , Year published .

Whedon, Joss. Avengers 2: Age of Ultron . Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2015.

 In Harvard style

Harvard format is very similar to APA. First, locate these details for the movie: director, movie title, release date, distributor, distributor location, and medium (or format) .

Author last name , Author first name initial . ( release date year ) Movie title . Distributor location : Distributor .

Whedon, J. (2015) Avengers 2: Age of Ultron . California: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Daniel is a qualified librarian, former teacher, and citation expert. He has been contributing to MyBib since 2018.

How to Cite a Movie in Text (APA & MLA Citation Formats)

How to cite a movie in text (apa & mla citation formats).

Citing movie sources in academic papers is an essential skill that demonstrates your ability to access credible information and uphold academic integrity. In this article, we will explore how to cite a movie within your paper’s text following the guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Modern Language Association (MLA) citation formats. We will also address common questions and provide comprehensive answers to help you cite movies effectively.

APA Format:

How do I cite a movie in-text using APA format?

In APA format, the general method to cite a movie in-text involves placing the author’s name or the title of the film in parentheses, followed by the year of release. For example:

– (Spielberg, 1993)

If the movie does not have an identifiable author, you can use the title of the film instead. However, it is recommended to provide the name of the director as the creator, or use the studio as the author if the director is not known:

– (Higgins & Martinez, 2018) – (20th Century Fox, 1999)

How do I cite a specific scene or dialogue from a movie in-text using APA format?

To cite a specific scene or dialogue from a movie, include a timestamp in the format of hours:minutes:seconds, preceded by the abbreviation “Timestamp.” For example:

– (Timestamp: 1:23:15)

In this case, the timestamp refers to one hour, twenty-three minutes, and fifteen seconds into the movie.

MLA Format:

How do I cite a movie in-text using MLA format?

In MLA format, citing a movie in-text requires the title of the film in italics and the director’s last name in parentheses, followed by the appropriate timestamp if needed. For example:

– (Spielberg)

If the director’s name is already mentioned in the text, you can omit it from the parenthetical citation:

– According to Spielberg, “[quote from the movie]” (33).

How do I cite a specific scene or dialogue from a movie in-text using MLA format?

In MLA format, to cite a specific scene or dialogue from a movie, include the timestamp in hours:minutes:seconds format. For example:

– (1:23:15)

What should I do if the movie does not have a release date?

If the movie does not have a release date, you can use n.d. (no date) in both APA and MLA citation formats. For example:

– (Higgins & Martinez, n.d.)

How do I cite a documentary in-text?

Documentaries can be cited similarly to movies in both APA and MLA. Include the creator’s name or the title of the documentary, followed by the year of release. For example:

– (Smith, 2010) – (“The Cove,” 2009)

Properly citing movies in-text is crucial when incorporating information from films into your academic work. APA and MLA provide clear guidelines for referencing movies within an essay or research paper. Remember to cite the author or title and the year of release. For specific scenes or dialogues, providing a timestamp is necessary. By adhering to the respective formatting guidelines for APA and MLA citation styles, you can confidently incorporate movie references into your scholarly writing while acknowledging the creators and maintaining academic integrity.

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Professors share 5 myths students believe about college, anxiety among students: what do teachers think about it, how to write a character analysis essay, dorm overbooking and transitional housing: problems colleges are trying to solve, how to cite a movie.

Image: freepik.com

When crafting an academic paper, the inclusion of diverse sources like movies can significantly enrich your research and argumentation. The key to using such a unique source effectively lies in understanding how to cite it properly. In this article, we will explore how to cite a movie in various academic styles, including APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and Vancouver. Each of these styles offers a unique approach to citation, and knowing their nuances can greatly improve the credibility and professionalism of your work.

The APA style, governed by the American Psychological Association, is predominantly used in social sciences. It emphasizes an author-date citation system. When citing movies in APA, the focus is on the director’s name, serving as the author, followed by the year of release .

In APA, the citation begins with the director’s last name and initials, followed by their role (usually as a director), the year of release in parentheses, the movie title in italics, and finally, the format in square brackets. The production company’s name concludes the citation.

Bibliography entry

In-text citation

The MLA style, preferred in the humanities, emphasizes the work rather than the author. It is managed by the Modern Language Association and features a format focusing on the title of the work.

An MLA movie citation starts with the film’s title (in italics), followed by “Directed by” and the director’s first and last name . If other significant contributors are mentioned, such as actors, their names follow the director’s, along with their roles. The production company and the release year are placed at the end.

In-text citations include the movie title and the time frame in minutes and seconds that you’re referring to in your paper.

Chicago Style

The Chicago Manual of Style is versatile, offering two citation methods: author-date and notes-bibliography. The latter is more suitable for non-conventional sources like films, particularly in the arts and humanities.

For the notes-bibliography method in Chicago style, the citation starts with the director’s name (first name followed by last name), followed by the title of the movie in italics . Then, include the production company and the release year. For the author-date system, the format is similar but starts with the last name and the first name.

Vancouver Style

The number-endnote scheme is used in Vancouver reference style. The sources are numbered in parentheses and correspond to the items in the document’s reference list. This means that each movie you cite has a unique number, and you use the same number when mentioning the same movie more than once.

Keep in mind that there are variations in Vancouver-style referencing, including the use of square brackets, parentheses, and numbers to link in-text citations with entries in the reference list . Consult your course materials or library guides to determine the preferred format. The key aspect is to keep your citations and references thorough and uniform across your entire document.

Citing a movie correctly in various academic styles is a crucial aspect of writing a well-researched paper. Whether you’re using APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, or Vancouver styles, understanding the specific requirements of each makes your work academically rigorous and respectful to the sources used. Accurate citations not only provide your audience with the necessary information to locate the original sources but also lend credibility to your scholarly work . Remember, attention to detail in citations reflects the overall quality of your academic writing.

How do you cite a movie with multiple producers?

To cite a movie with multiple producers, list the producers’ names in the order they appear in the credits, followed by “Producers,” and then the other relevant details like the movie title, director, and release year.

How do you cite a movie without an author?

When citing a movie without an author, start with the movie title in italics, followed by the director’s name (if available), the production company, and the release year.

What are the easy movie citation methods?

Some of the easy movie citation methods include using online citation generators, referencing guides from academic institutions, or following a specific citation style guide like APA, MLA, or Chicago style, which provide clear guidelines for citing movies.

Follow us on Reddit for more insights and updates.

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MLA Film Citation

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Website Book Journal Movie

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How to cite a film in a bibliography using MLA

The most basic MLA entry for a film citation consists of the movie title, director, production company, and release date. You may also choose to include other contributors, such as the writer(s), performer(s), and producer(s) if they are relevant to your assignment’s discussion. You may also include the film’s original release date if you’re citing a new release or special edition.

Film Title . Directed by First Name Last Name, Production Company, Release Date.

BibMe: The Movie . Directed by John Smith, Columbia Pictures, 2009.

Foreign Language Film with Translated Title:

Begin the film citation entry with the film’s title in italics, followed by a period. If the film is dubbed in English, begin by including the English title, followed by the translated title in square brackets.

BibMe: The Movie [BibMe: La Película ]. Directed by John Smith, Columbia Pictures, 2009.

Cite the director’s name after the movie title by writing “Directed by” with the director’s first and last name in normal order.

Film with Other Contributors:

If relevant, you may also choose to include the names of other key contributors in the author element, including writer(s), performer(s), and/or producer(s). Group different types of personnel together and separate each personnel group by a period. Write these personnel names in normal order – do not reverse the first and last names. Write these additional contributions according to the role of the person or group. For instance, “produced by,” “screenplay by,” or “performance by.” If you can’t describe the role using a phrase with “by,” include the role using a noun or noun phrase. Use commas to separate the name of the person (in normal order) from their role (Larry David, general editor).

BibMe: The Movie . Directed by John Smith, performances by Mike Jones and Jim Jones. Columbia Pictures, 2009.

If you would like to emphasize the contributions of a specific person because you focus on their role or contribution, include their role and name with contributors, not with authors. If you include the author, in the case of film, the director and their name, you style the entry as shown above. However, if you omit the director role and name, you start the film citation as above with the film title, followed by a period, and instead of a director, include the role and name of another contributor. For example, “Performances by Sharon Stone and Meryl Streep. List the film’s distribution company, followed by a comma, the year released, and a period.

BibMe: The Movie . Performances by Sharon Stone and Meryl Streep, Columbia Pictures, 2009.

Film with Alternate Original Release Date:

If the film’s original year of release differs from the year of release for the copy of the film you viewed, include the original year of release after film title, and place the year of release for the copy of the film you viewed after the film’s distribution company at the end of the entry. Usually, when citing a film with an original release date and a new release date, there has been a special update. You may also include details in the version element, such as “Director’s cut” or “Digitally enhanced edition.” Include those details after the original release date.

BibMe: The Movie . 2007. Director’s cut, Columbia, 2009.

Film Viewed on an App or Website:

If you viewed the film on an app or a website, include specific location details if it will help readers locate the specific copy you viewed. Capitalize and italicize the app or site name.

BibMe: The Slide Program . Columbia Pictures, 2009. Netflix app.

BibMe: The Slide Program . Columbia Pictures, 2009. Netflix , www.netflix.com.

If you viewed the film in person in a theater, cite the film without any additional format or location details.

Film Viewed on Physical Media:

If you viewed the film on physical media, such as a DVD, follow the release date with a comma and a disc number, followed by a period. End the entry with “DVD.”

BibMe: The Movie . 2007. Director’s cut, Columbia, 2009, disc 1. DVD.

If there is no disc number, simply include “DVD.”

BibMe: The Movie . 2007. Director’s cut, Columbia, 2009. DVD.

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / Harvard Referencing / Harvard Referencing Style Examples / How to Reference a Movie in Harvard Referencing Style

How to Reference a Movie in Harvard Referencing Style

This article will help you learn the correct way of citing a film based on the Harvard style of referencing. Specifically, you’ll need to cite your source in two places:

• In your paper via an in-text citation
• In your reference list via a full reference

An in-text citation is when you refer to the source material within the body of your work or text. The reference list is usually placed at the end of your work. It has a full reference for every source that has an in-text citation. The reference list goes beyond the in-text citation and gives a complete list of information about the works you have cited, so that the reader can find and read the original source.

If you are trying to cite a source that was posted on YouTube, you’ll instead need to know how to cite a YouTube video in Harvard style .

Here are some examples of how to reference films in Harvard style:

Film seen at the cinema

To reference a film seen at a cinema, you’ll need the following information:

• Title (in italics)
• Release year (in round brackets)
• Director name
• [Feature film]
• Place of distribution: Distributor

The Help (2011) Directed by Tate Taylor. [Feature film]. Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

For the in-text citation, the title of the film is used, followed by the release year separated by a comma, if the film title is not mentioned already. If the title is mentioned in the text, then only the year should be given, in round brackets.

The characters in The Help (2011) reveal…

The film showcases race relations during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi ( The Help , 2011).

Film from a streaming service

If you are referencing a film you viewed via a streaming service, here’s the information you’ll need for your reference:

• Name of the streaming service or DOI
• (Accessed: date)

Changeling (2008) Directed by Clint Eastwood. Available at: Netflix (Accessed: 22 September 2020).

For the in-text citation, the title of the film and date are used, separated by a comma, if the film title is not already mentioned. If it is, then only the date is necessary.

In Changeling (2008), Angelina Jolie plays the character…

Angelina Jolie ( Changeling , 2008) plays the character of a mother whose…

Film from a physical copy (DVD/Blu-ray)

If you want to reference a film you viewed on DVD or Blu-ray, you’ll need the following information:

• [DVD, catalogue number] or [Blu-ray, catalogue number] (in square brackets)

The BFG: Big Friendly Giant (2016) Directed by Steven Spielberg. [Blu-ray, 8042180]. Burbank, CA: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

The in-text citation method is the same as in the previous two examples.

Key takeaways

• The methods for referencing films and videos differ according to the mode of viewing.
• The name of the film and year suffice for in-text citations of films viewed at the cinema, on DVD or through a streaming platform.

Published October 29, 2020.

Harvard Formatting Guide

Harvard Formatting

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Film and Television References

This page contains reference examples for film and television, including the following:

• Film or movie
• Film or movie, in another language
• Episode of a TV show

1. Film or movie

Verrette, T. (Director). (2021). Zero gravity [Film]. Skylight Cinema; 20th Digital Studio.

• Parenthetical citation : (Verrette, 2021)
• Narrative citation : Verrette (2021)
• Provide the director in the author element of the reference, followed by the notation “(Director).”
• Provide the production company or companies in the source element of the reference. Separate multiple production companies with a semicolon.

2. Film or movie, in another language

Alfredson, T. (Director). (2008). Låt den rätte komma in [Let the right one in] [Film]. EFTI; Sveriges Television (SVT); Filmpool Nord; Sandrew Metronome; WAG; Fido Film; The Chimney Pot; Ljudligan.

• Parenthetical citation : (Alfredson, 2008)
• Narrative citation : Alfredson (2008)
• As in all references, if the original title of the work is a language different from that of the paper you are writing, provide a translation of the title in square brackets after the title and before the bracketed description and period.

3. TV series

Serling, R. (Executive Producer). (1959–1964). The twilight zone [TV series]. Cayuga Productions; CBS Productions.

• Parenthetical citation : (Serling, 1959–1964)
• Narrative citation : Serling (1959–1964)
• Provide the executive producer(s) in the author element of the reference.
• When there is one executive producer, use the notation “(Executive Producer).” When there are multiple executive producers, provide the notation once after all the producers’ names, the same as you would the notation “(Eds.)” for an edited book: “(Executive Producers).”
• Provide the year(s) during which the series aired in the date element of the reference.
• If the series is still airing at the time you are writing the paper, replace the second year with “present”: (2017–present).

4. Episode of a TV show

Favreau, J. (Writer), & Filoni, D. (Director). (2019, November 12). Chapter 1 (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In J. Favreau, D. Filoni, K. Kennedy, & C. Wilson (Executive Producers), The Mandalorian . Lucasfilm; Golem Creations.

Sherman-Palladino, A. (Writer & Director). (2018, December 5). All alone (Season 2, Episode 10) [TV series episode]. In A. Sherman-Palladino, D. Palladino, D. Gilbert, M. Shapiro, S. Carino, & S. Lawrence (Executive Producers), The marvelous Mrs. Mais el . Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions; Picrow; Amazon Studios.

• Parenthetical citations : (Favreau & Filoni, 2019; Sherman-Palladino, 2018)
• Narrative citations : Favreau and Filoni (2019) and Sherman-Palladino (2018)
• Include the writers and directors for the episode. Include the contributor’s role in parentheses after each name.
• If one person performed multiple roles, combine the descriptions with an ampersand.
• Provide the season number and episode number after the title in parentheses.

Film and television references are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 10.12 and the Concise Guide Section 10.10

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How to Cite a Movie Using MLA Style

Last Updated: February 17, 2020

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. This article has been viewed 392,385 times.

You might need to use Modern Language Association (MLA) style guidelines if you're writing a paper for your middle, high school, or college-level class. You may also be a graduate student or researcher who uses MLA citations all the time! If you're writing a paper about movies, or you want to include a movie in a research paper on some other topic, you'll need to cite it properly. Making a correctly formatted Works Cited and adding in-text citations to your essays shows your audience that you're not plagiarizing.

Citation Templates

Making the Works Cited

• For now, your citation should just look like: “ Notting Hill .”
• If the title is a translation, include the original title in brackets. For example, “ The Chorus [Les Choristes] .”

• Your citation should now look something like this: “ Notting Hill . Dir. Roger Michell.”

• These citations look like this: “Michell, Roger, dir. Notting Hill .”

• The citation should now look like: “ Notting Hill . Dir. Roger Michell. Perf. Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, and Richard McCabe.”
• If your paper is about a particular actor, you can begin the citation with their name. This formatting looks like this: “Roberts, Julia, perf. Notting Hill . Dir. Roger Michell.”

• Almost there! Your citation should now look something like this: “ Notting Hill . Dir. Roger Michell. Perf. Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, and Richard McCabe. Universal Pictures, 1999.”

• If you watched the film online, you can skip to step 8.
• For VHS, type out “videocassette” in your citation. It'll look like this: “ Notting Hill . Dir. Roger Michell. Perf. Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, and Richard McCabe. Universal Pictures, 1999. Videocassette.”
• If you watched the movie at the theater, you can just type out “Film” for a complete citation! It'll look like this: “ Notting Hill . Dir. Roger Michell. Perf. Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, and Richard McCabe. Universal Pictures, 1999. Film.”

• If you watched Notting Hill on Blu-Ray, for example, your citation will look like this: “ Notting Hill . Dir. Roger Michell. Perf. Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, and Richard McCabe. 1999. Universal Pictures, 2013. Blu-Ray.”

• This citation will look something like this: “ Notting Hill . Dir. Roger Michell. Perf. Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, and Richard McCabe. Universal Pictures, 1999. Netflix . Web. 18 July 2017.”

• Your Works Cited should be on a separate page at the end of the paper, and it should be titled Works Cited. You don't need to put quotation marks around the words Works Cited, or italicize them.
• Make the whole document double-spaced, but don't add extra spaces between citations.

Doing In Text Citations

• For example, “ Notting Hill is a perfect illustration of a typical late 1990s rom-com ( Notting Hill ).”

• “Michell went for a personal touch in his directing for this film (Michell, Notting Hill ).”

• So, for example, “Roberts's classic wide smile made appearances throughout the movie (Roberts, Notting Hill ).”

• Add the timestamp like this: “Roberts lays her heart out on the floor in front of Grant at the end of the film (Roberts, Notting Hill , 02:01:33-02:03:10).”

Expert Q&A

• MLA citation requirements for movies and television are a little more flexible than those for other sources, which is why you're allowed to sometimes start with director or performers' names. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ https://www.american.edu/library/documents/upload/Film-Video-Citation-Guide.pdf
• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/
• ↑ http://libguides.bates.edu/mla

About This Article

Citing a movie using Modern Language Association style is relatively simple once you know how. If you’re discussing the movie in general, write the title in italics and parenthesis at the end of the sentence when you mention it. If you’re discussing a director or actor in the movie, include their surname in the parenthesis before the title. If you’re referencing a specific shot, you should also include a timestamp at the end. In your works cited section, start with the title in italics, then write “Dir.” followed by the director’s full name. Then, include any relevant actors by writing “perf.” followed by their names. After that, write the movie’s distributor, like Universal Pictures, and the release date. Finally, write the format you watched the movie in, like VHS, DVD, or Netflix. If you saw it in the cinema, write “film” instead. For more tips from our Educational co-author, including how to organize your works cited list, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Cite a Movie: MLA, APA, Chicago, and Harvard Styles

Wondering how to cite a movie? Learn the straightforward steps for citing movies across different citation styles.

Accurately citing movies is crucial for anyone involved in academic or professional writing. Proper citation not only acknowledges the intellectual property of filmmakers but also enhances the credibility and reliability of your work by allowing readers to verify your sources. 

This article will explain the key points to consider when citing a movie, covering various citation styles such as MLA, APA, Chicago, and Harvard. By understanding and practicing correct citation methods, writers can avoid plagiarism, give due credit to original creators, and uphold the integrity of their work. 

You will learn straightforward steps and best practices for citing movies to ensure your references are accurate and effective. Keep an eye out for more helpful articles on our blog that will guide you through the nuances of citation and other essential academic skills.

The Importance of Correct Citation

What is citation.

Citation is the practice of crediting the sources of information, ideas, or data used in a work. It involves providing detailed references that enable readers to locate the sources. Proper citation is fundamental in academic and professional writing for several reasons:

• Acknowledging the intellectual property of the original creators gives them due credit.
• Allowing readers to verify your information’s sources enhances your work’s credibility and reliability.
• Preventing plagiarism, the unethical act of presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, is achieved through proper citation.

Consequences of Incorrect Citation

Failing to cite sources correctly can lead to a range of serious issues. Academically, it can result in accusations of plagiarism, which can have severe repercussions, including failing grades, academic probation, or expulsion. Professionally, improper citation can damage your reputation and credibility, leading to a loss of trust and potential legal consequences. Incorrect citations can also mislead readers, making it difficult for them to trace the original sources and verify the information, thus undermining the integrity of your work. Therefore, understanding and practicing correct citation is crucial for maintaining ethical standards and contributing to the scholarly community.

Information Needed for Citing a Movie

When citing a movie, it is essential to gather specific details to ensure your citation is complete and accurate. Below is a list of common information required for movie citations across various citation styles:

Title of the Movie : The full title as it appears in the official release.

Director : The name(s) of the director(s) who directed the movie.

Release Year : The year the movie was released to the public.

Production Company : The company that produced or distributed the movie.

Format : The medium in which the movie was viewed, such as DVD, Blu-Ray, streaming service, or cinema.

Other Contributors : Names of significant contributors such as screenwriters, producers, or leading actors, if relevant to your work.

Duration : The total runtime of the movie.

Location of Production : The place where the movie was produced or released, if applicable.

Version : If applicable, the version of the movie, such as Director’s Cut or Extended Edition.

How to Cite a Movie in MLA Format

In-text citation.

In MLA format , in-text citations for a movie should include the title of the movie in italics and the time range of the scene you are referring to, if applicable. If the title of the movie is mentioned in the text, you only need to include the time range in parentheses.

In-text citation: ( The Art of Filmmaking , 30:15:20-42:39:17)

Works Cited Entry

Step-by-step guide to creating a Works Cited entry in MLA style:

Title: The full title of the movie as it appears in the official release.

Director: The name(s) of the director(s), which can usually be found in the movie credits or on the IMDb or Wikipedia page.

Relevant Contributors: Any other relevant contributors (e.g., performers, writers) if they are important to your discussion.

Production/Distribution Company: The company that handled the production or distribution of the movie.

Year of Release: The year the movie was first released or published, also found on IMDb or Wikipedia.

Version: If there are multiple versions of a film, identify the specific version you are citing.

Format the Citation:

• Italicize the movie title.
• List the director’s name, starting with the last name followed by the first name.
• If applicable, add any other important contributors.
• Include the company responsible for production or distribution.
• Follow with the year of release.
• If applicable, specify the version of the movie.

The Art of Filmmaking. Directed by John Smith, Director’s cut, FilmHouse Productions, 2020.

How to Cite a Movie in APA Format

For in-text citations of a movie in APA format , list the director’s last name and the year of release in parentheses. When using a direct quote or referencing a particular scene, include the timestamp of the starting point in an hour:minute format. This covers the basics for citing a movie in APA format, which is useful when writing an essay.

In-text citation: (Smith, 2020)

Reference List Entry

Steps to compose a movie reference in APA format:

Director : The name(s) of the director(s), typically found in the movie credits or on IMDb or Wikipedia.

Release Date : The year the movie was released, found on IMDb or Wikipedia.

Movie Title : The full title of the movie as it appears in the official release.

Medium (Format) : The format in which you watched the movie, such as DVD, internet stream, or cinema.

Distributor : The company that handled the publishing of the movie.

Format the citation :

• List the director’s last name followed by their initials followed by the notation (Director).
• Include the release year in parentheses.
• Specify the medium in square brackets.
• Provide the distributor’s name.

Smith, J. (director). (2020). The Art of Filmmaking [Blu-Ray] . FilmHouse Productions.

How to Cite a Movie in Chicago Style

In-text citation or footnotes.

In Chicago style , in-text citations for movies include the director’s last name and the year of release. Footnotes provide additional information or commentary at the bottom of the page.

Chicago’s footnote/endnote style doesn’t interrupt the text but requires more organization. Footnotes and endnotes can be full or short notes, depending on whether the source has been referenced before. A full note is used for the first reference, while a short note is used for subsequent references, each providing different amounts of information about the source.

Bibliography Entry

To create a bibliography entry for a movie in Chicago style, follow these steps:

Director : Last name, First name, typically found in the movie credits or on IMDb.

Year : The year the movie was released to the public.

• List the director’s last name first, followed by their first name and the role “dir” (director).
• Italicize the movie title with the original year.
• Include the production company followed by a comma and the year of release.

Smith, John. dir. The Art of Filmmaking. 2019; New York, NY: FilmHouse Productions 2020, Blu-ray.

How to Cite a Movie in Harvard Referencing

In Harvard style, in-text citations for movies include the full title of the movie and the year of release within parentheses.

In-text citation: ( The Art of Filmmaking , 2020)

Framework for a Harvard reference list entry for a movie:

Release Date : The year of release, found on IMDb or Wikipedia.

Distributor Location : The city or state where the distributor is located, which can be found on Wikipedia or other sources.

• Title of film (in initials)
• Include the release year (in round brackets).
• Medium (in square brackets).
• Directed by the director’s name.
• Place of production.
• Production company.

The Art of Filmmaking. (2020). [Blu-ray]. Directed by Smith, John. New York, NY: FilmHouse Productions.

Tips for Effective Citation of Movies

Gather Complete Information : Before creating a citation, collect all necessary details: director, movie title, release date, distributor, distributor location, and medium (e.g., DVD, streaming). This ensures your citation is comprehensive and accurate.

Follow Citation Style Guidelines : Each citation style (MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard) has specific requirements. Refer to the latest guidelines or style manuals to ensure you format your citations correctly.

Use Reliable Sources : Verify information using trustworthy sources like IMDb , official movie credits, or reputable websites. Avoid relying on unofficial or user-generated content that may be inaccurate.

Pay Attention to Formatting : Proper formatting is crucial for citations. Italicize movie titles, use correct punctuation, and follow the specified order of information as per the citation style.

Consult Style Guides : Use official style guides or trusted online resources to verify your citations. Style guides provide detailed instructions and examples to help you format your citations correctly.

Stay Consistent : Use the same citation style throughout your work. Mixing styles can confuse readers and detract from the professionalism of your writing.

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Citation Guides

• APA: Articles
• APA: Websites and Software
• APA: Film, TV, Video
• APA: Images, Photographs
• APA: Talon, Guidelines, Policies, Emails
• APA: In-text Citations
• APA: References Page Formatting
• MLA: Articles
• MLA: Websites
• MLA: Social media (Instagram, TikTok, etc.)
• MLA: Generative AI, ChatGPT
• MLA: Film, TV, Video, Audio

MLA Film, Television, Video, and Audio

• MLA: Photos, Images, Artwork
• MLA: Talon, Self-citing, Interview
• MLA: In-text Citations
• MLA: Works Cited Formatting
• MLA: Tutorials
• MLA: Details on core elements
• Citation Managers
• Chicago Style

Film, Television and Video

• The citation format for a film or television episode depends on whether your focus is on a particular person involved in the creation (director, actor, writer, etc.) or on the film or episode as a whole.
• If the focus of your discussion is on a person, you begin with that person's name and the role they play. Some roles include: director, creator, performer, writer.
• If the discussion is of the film or episode as a whole, you may begin the citation with the title.

Example of film, focus on a person:

Last name, First name, role.  Title of Film . Distributor of film, Date released.

Garland, Judy, performer.  The Wizard of Oz.  Loew's, 1939.

Examples of film, focus on entire work, DVD:

Title of Film.  Directed by First name Last name, performances by First name Last name, Distributor, date released.

It's a Wonderful Life.  Directed by Frank Capra, RKO, 1946.

Philadelphia Story.  Directed by George Cukor, performances by Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1940.

Examples of film, streaming:

Last name, First name, role.  Title of Film.  Distributors of Film, date released. Website or Database Name,  URL.

Talreja, Sanjay and Sut Jhally, filmmakers. Advertising and the End of the World. Media Education Foundation, 1997.  Kanopy, kirkwood.kanopystreaming.com/video/advertising-end-world.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  Directed by Milos Forman, United Artists, 1975.  Talon,  talon.kirkwood.edu.

Big Fish.  Directed by Tim Burton, Sony Pictures, 2003.  Netflix,  www.netflix.com.

Example of TV episode, focus on a person:

Last name, First name, role. "Title of Episode."  Title of Series , season number, episode number, Distributor, date released.

Whedon, Joss, creator. "Hush."  Buffy the Vampire Slayer,  season 4, episode 10, Twentieth Century Fox, 14 Dec. 1999.

Example of TV episode, focus on a person, viewed online:

Duffer Brothers, creators. "Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street."  Stranger Things , season 1, episode 2, Netflix, 15 July 2016.  Netflix , www.netflix.com. 

Example of TV episode, focus on a person, viewed on an app:

Evans, Simon and Phin Glynn, creators. "The Dirty Mochyns."  Staged , season 2, episode 3, Infinity Hill - GCB Films, 2021. Hulu  app.

Examples of videos posted online:

• If you don't have the director's name, you may use the poster's name or user name, or company name where appropriate.
• If no creator, poster, or director's name is given, begin with the title.

Director Last Name, First Name, director. “Title of Video/Segment.” Title of Website/Program,  Publisher of Website, Date of Release, URL.

Khan Academy. “Converting Fractions to Decimals.” YouTube , 8 Apr. 2007, youtu.be/Gn2pdkvdbGQ. 

McGonigal, Jane. “Gaming and Productivity.” YouTube , uploaded by Big Think, 3 July 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkdzy9bWW3E.

• Podcasts, like films or television shows, may be delivered through different stations, services, or apps. We give a number of examples below, based on the different ways you might have accessed the podcast.
• Remember, any elements not available for your source may be left out.
• You may also choose to apply the rules listed above under "Film, Television, and Video" about which contributor or creator was your focus in your use of the resource. For example, your discussion of the podcast might focus on the person being interviewed, on the host's commentary, or on the words spoken by the narrator. Include this information about the role of the contributor in your citation.

Podcast, accessed through the podcast's website:

Name(s) of creator, host, or narrator. "Title of Episode."  Title of Podcast , other contributors if relevant, season and episode number if available, publisher, date published, URL.

Del Toro, Guillermo. "Guillermo del Toro."  WTF , interviewed by Marc Maron, episode 1290, 23 Dec. 2021, www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1290-guillermo-del-toro. 

Podcast, accessed through a browser and part of a larger website:

Name(s) of creator, host, or narrator. "Title of Episode."  Title of Podcast , other contributors if relevant, season and episode number if available, publisher, date published.  Title of Website,  URL. 

Douthat, Ross, et al., hosts. "The Pandemic vs. The President."  The Argument,  The New York Times, 12 Mar. 2020. The New York TImes,  www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/opinion/the-argument-coronavirus-trump.html.

Clark, Josh, and Chuck Bryant, hosts. "How Bail Works."  Stuff You Should Know,  23 Feb. 2010. iHeart , www.iheart.com/podcast/105-stuff-you-should-know-26940277/episode/how-bail-works-29468033/.

Podcast, accessed through an app:

Name(s) of creator, host, narrator, or interviewee. "Title of Episode."  Title of Podcast , other contributors if relevant, season and episode number if available, publisher if available, date published.  Name of app.

Roose, Kevin, narrator. "One: Wonderland."  Rabbit Hole,  New York Times, 16 Apr. 2020.  Spotify  app.

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• How to cite a movie in APA Style (6th edition)

Citing a Movie in APA Style (6th Edition) | Format & Examples

Published on November 5, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on January 17, 2024.

To cite a movie in APA Style , list the film’s producer(s) and director as authors and the production studio as publisher. The title is written in sentence case and italicized, followed by the label “Motion picture” in square brackets.

The APA 6 in-text citation includes the last names of the producer(s) and the year. If you are referring to a specific quote or scene from the movie, add a timestamp to direct the reader to the relevant part.

Table of contents

Citing movies in different formats, where to find source information for a movie citation.

In general, you don’t need to specify the format in which you watched the film. However, if you are discussing a specific version of the film (for example, if you refer to the special features of a DVD), you can specify the version in the citation.

In these cases, the publication date is the release year of the specific version, not the general release:

Dempsey, C., Guiney, E., & Magiday, L. (Producers), & Lanthimos, Y. (Director & Producer). (2016). The lobster [Motion picture; DVD release ]. UK: Film4.

As in the above example, when the director is also a producer, this information should be included.

Movies on Netflix and other streaming services

You don’t usually need to state that a film was viewed on a particular streaming service (like Netflix or Hulu). Just follow the standard format without mentioning where you viewed the film.

However, if the film was also produced by a streaming company (e.g. a Netflix Original), you should replace the studio information with a URL linking to their site:

Johnson, M., Bernstein, M., Newirth, C., & Paul, A. (Producers), & Gilligan, V. (Director & Producer). (2019). El Camino: A breaking bad movie [Motion picture]. Retrieved from https://www.netflix.com

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The source information you need for your citation can usually be found in the movie’s end credits or on the packaging for a physical release. Otherwise, you can find it on IMDb .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2024, January 17). Citing a Movie in APA Style (6th Edition) | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/6th-edition/archived-movie/

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How to Cite a Movie: MLA, APA, and Chicago Style

• Posted on January 28, 2022

Writing a research paper doesn’t mean limiting your sources to books and articles. You might use a movie, and if you do, you need to know how to cite it properly. Since there are different citation guides , you must follow the directions specific to your paper style.

The most popular formats are MLA style, APA format, and Chicago style. Each style guide has unique, yet very specific guidelines for spacing, punctuation, italics, and more.

Creating a movie citation for a motion picture you’re referencing protects you against plagiarism. When you’re using other people’s ideas or words, you have to credit them in your work. Otherwise, it looks like you’re passing the information off as your own. If you write anything that isn’t an original idea, you need to credit the person who said it first or you are plagiarizing.

Referencing a movie in your paper can take many different forms. You might mention the film in passing. You might compare it to other films or works of literature. You could also dedicate a whole paper to discussing one specific movie and its impact on popular culture.

You can quote lines from films in your paper just as you’d quote a researcher. Put the sentence in quotation marks and include an in-text citation. You’ll find out how to do that when you learn how to cite a movie in MLA, APA, and Chicago Style.

Common Movie Citation Formats

To cite a motion picture, you’ll need some basic information. Having these details on hand will help whether you’re using MLA, APA, or Chicago style for the film citation. All citation guides require information like:

• Title of the movie
• Name of the director
• Production company
• Film distributor
• Year of release

There are certain instances to use each format, so below are citation examples for MLA style, APA style, and Chicago style.

The  Modern Language Association  created MLA style. The handbook has undergone many changes over the years and is now in its ninth edition. It’s updated as technology and research change. The original handbook had information about citing books and papers, yet the modern edition tells you how to cite song lyrics, social media posts, and more.

You’re likely to use MLA style when writing papers for the humanities, such as language arts or cultural studies. Writing a film critique or using movies to comment on society falls under the humanities umbrella, and you are likely to use MLA style for such projects.

MLA Style Movie Citations

Citing a movie in MLA style is very similar to citing other sources. Start with the movie title in italics, then identify the director or directors. You can list a few stars if you mention them in your paper. This level of detail helps readers find the exact citation in your MLA Works Cited page.

Most of the punctuation in a movie citation using MLA format is a comma. This punctuation differs from other MLA citations that use a lot of periods or put information in parenthesis. Here is an example of a movie formatted for an MLA citation:

Movie. Directed by Bob Action, performances by Ima Star, Big Name, and Too Famous, Movie Studios, 2020.

It’s a straightforward process with room to specify what version you’re referencing if there are multiple versions of the film. In that case, you would add the version after the director’s name. For example:

Movie. Directed by Bob Action, extended version, Movie Studios, 2020.

If you watched the movie on a streaming service, you should indicate that information. Just as when you’re citing journal articles found online with a URL or DOI, the streaming service helps the reader find the exact film.

Most streaming services upload the regular version of the movie, but including this detail erases all doubt.  Netflix  and other streaming services change up their inventory periodically, so cover your bases by including the date you watched the movie. Otherwise, a reader might think you’re making up information because the film isn’t currently available through the service.

Maybe the service censored the line you quoted, and people who own the DVD know the real language. They might think you got the information wrong in your paper. When they go to your reference page, they’ll see where you accessed the movie and understand how your experience could differ. Here is an example of a movie formatted for an MLA citation if it was on a streaming service:

Movie. Directed by Bob Action, Movie Studios, 2020. Netflix, 13 May 2021.

You can also cite movies you watched on  YouTube . The format is similar to that of a streaming service, except you include the name of the user who uploaded the film and the specific URL. For example:

Movie. Directed by Bob Action, Movie Studios, 2020. Movie. Directed by Bob Action, performances by Ima Star, Big Name, and Too Famous, Movie Studios, 2020. YouTube, uploaded by Film Appreciation Community, 13 May 2021, http://www.youtube.com/specificvideo .

When you compile your works cited list, you’ll put the movie citation in alphabetical order according to the movie title.

MLA Style In-text Citations

You need to include an in-text citation whenever you mention the film in your paper. If you paraphrase anything from the movie, you need to show the reader what you’re referencing. Text citations are easy to figure out once you have the reference completed for your works cited page.

Use parentheses to signal that you’re citing a source in the body of your paper. After the opening parenthesis, put the movie title in italics. For example:

However, there are other times when you’ll need in-text citations. If you use a direct quote from the movie, close the quotation marks of the passage, and include the text citation before the ending punctuation. This citation will include the title of the movie and the timestamp of when the character speaks the specific line. You still put the movie title in italics inside of the parenthesis. Follow the title with the timestamp and duration of the line using a semicolon to show the time. For example:

(Movie 15:10-35)

If the quote goes beyond one minute, clarify the time range with more details, such as:

(Movie 15:10-16:07)

You can also mention the movie title in your text using general context without needing an in-text citation. For example:

In Movie, the viewer goes on a wild adventure that spans just two hours.

If you mention a specific part of the movie, you’ll need to add an in-text citation with the time stamp. For example:

In Movie, the viewer first visits the graveyard at night (1:03-50).

If the movie title is long, you can shorten it to the first few words, so your in-text citations are concise.

The  American Psychological Association  created the APA style guide. It has detailed parameters for academic and research papers. You use the APA format when working in the social sciences, like psychology, sociology, economics, and related fields.

APA Style Movie Citations

While a movie citation in MLA style is very basic, there is more specific formatting for an APA citation. Instead of starting with the movie title, you list the director starting with the last name, then the first initial. Specify that the person is the director in parentheses. Documentaries would have a producer instead of a director, so you’d use that job title instead.

Next, you put the year the company produced the movie, then the title. In square brackets, specify that it’s a film because TV shows use a similar style, and last is the name of the production company. Here is an example of a movie formatted for an APA citation:

Action, B. (Director). (2020). Movie [Film]. Movie Studios.

You might refer to the special features included on a DVD version of the film, so you’ll add this information to your citation. For example:

Action, B. (Director). (2020). Movie [Film; DVD release]. Movie Studios.

If you watched the film on a streaming service, the citation includes those details as well. For example:

Action, B. (Director). (2020). Movie [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.netflix.com

When you compile your reference list, you’ll put the movie citation in alphabetical order according to the director’s last name.

APA Style In-text Citations

In-text citations for APA format are similar to those of MLA style. As always, you use parentheses to offset the information from the body of your paper and the citation goes inside of the ending punctuation of a sentence.

While MLA uses the movie title, APA calls for the director’s last name and the year of the movie. For example:

(Action, 2020)

If you’re quoting the film or mentioning a specific scene, include the timestamp after the director’s name and year. For example:

(Action, 2020, 0:15:10)

Chicago Style

The University of Chicago created  Chicago Style  for use in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences. This format differs from both MLA and APA by having a bibliography instead of works cited or reference pages. Some papers using Chicago Style ask for you to create endnotes as well.

Chicago Style Movie Citations

Chicago Style has two options: author-date or notes-bibliography. Your professor will tell you what to use for a student paper. If you’re writing an article to submit to a journal, the submission guidelines will clarify which format you need to use.

The author-date format is similar to APA citations. You start with the director’s last name, then their first name, then the job title of the director. This detail is to clarify the person’s role in the movie because a documentary would have a producer instead of a director.

Next is the year the production company released the movie, followed by the movie’s title in italics. Check out this citation example to see how similar it is to APA format:

Action, Bob, director. 2020. Movie. Movie Studios.

If you watched the movie online, you would add the streaming service and direct URL to the movie. Here is an example:

Action, Bob, director. 2020. Movie. Netflix. http://www.netflix.com/movieaddress

If you’re using the notes-bibliography style instead of author-date, you need all the same information but the order is different. Here is an example:

Action, Bob, director. Movie. Movie Studios, 2020.

If you watched the movie online through a streaming service, you add that information in slightly different places as well. For example:

Action, Bob, director. Movie. Netflix, 2020. http://www.netflix.com/movieaddress

Chicago Style In-text Citations

The author-date in-text citation format is also similar to APA’s text citation, without a comma. In Chicago Style, an author-date in-text citation example is:

(Action 2020)

If you’re referencing a specific quote or scene, you’d include the timestamp of the duration. Instead of using a dash like in MLA format, you write the word “to.” Here is an example:

(Action 2020 0:15:10 to 0:15:35)

The in-text citations for author-date style are the same whether you watched the movie on DVD or on Netflix. The reader can find that information when they look for the citation in your bibliography.

When you’re using the notes-bibliography style, in-text citations are understandably different. You number the note and include all the information from the bibliography citation for the first note. Later, you can use a shortened note to reference each movie version because you’ve already given the entire information in the first note.

Considerations for Citing Movies

Citing a movie isn’t too different from citing a book across various style guides, but you must pay attention to the details. Streaming services like Netflix and Hulu  changed the TV industry . It’s very simple to access movies and TV series you might not find otherwise.

When you watch movies online, make sure to cite if it came from Netflix or if it’s a YouTube video. While this article focused on movie citations, there are also differences when citing a TV show or podcast.

Easy Ways to Cite a Movie

Once you learn the basic information needed for a citation, it’s relatively simple to follow the specific formats for MLA, APA, or Chicago Style.

Doing large amounts of research can make it hard to focus on your references. Using the  Quetext citation generator  simplifies the process for you. Whether you’re working on an academic paper, a professional article, or checking your students’ work, Quetext helps with the citations while also checking for any sign of plagiarism.

Take out the stress and confusion of punctuation and parentheses, and let Quetext do the work for you.

Sign Up for Quetext Today!

Click below to find a pricing plan that fits your needs.

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How to Cite a Movie | APA, MLA, Chicago & Vancouver

Movies are a valid source of information for research papers, but you might not have heard about how to cite movies in your classes on citation practices. In this article, you will learn how to correctly reference different types of movies in all the common formatting styles .

The elements that should always be included are the movie’s title, the year of release, the director, other relevant contributors, and the production/distribution company. You can find these details on your DVD, on a movie’s website, or in online databases like IMDb.

If you want to cite a specific quote or refer to a scene from a movie, you can also include a timestamp to guide the reader to the relevant part.

Citing a Movie in a different language

When a film was produced in a language other than English, always list the original title followed by the translation in brackets. If the film is in a language that does not use the Roman alphabet, transliterate the title, as well as any names, and arrange the latter in “Western order.”

For example, the Mexican comedy-drama “No se aceptan devoluciones” would be included in your bibliography as “No se aceptan devoluciones [Instructions not included]”. Always check if there is an official English version of a movie (Wikipedia is a good source for such details) before you translate a movie title yourself.

Citing a Movie in APA Style  

To cite a movie in APA style, it does not matter whether you watched it in the theater, on DVD, or on a streaming service—citations always follow the same format:

Director Last Name, F.M. (Director). (Release Year). Title of motion picture [Film]. Studio.

The bibliography of your paper on the use of mise-en-scène to convey narrative in the movie Titanic should contain the following entry:

Cameron, J. (Director). (1997). Titanic [Film]. Paramount Pictures.

Your in-text citation only lists the director’s last name, the year of release, and a timestamp if needed:

(Cameron, 1997, 0:46:12)

Citing a movie: APA 6 vs. APA 7 differences

There are no specific differences in the way movies are cited between the APA 6 and APA 7 style guidelines—but if you follow the newer rules, keep in mind that timestamps are generally recommended now to refer readers directly to a quote or scene.

Use our APA Citation Generator to cite references for movies in APA 6 or APA 7 style .

Citing a Movie in MLA Style

An MLA movie citation starts with the film’s title ( in italics ), followed by “Directed by” and the director’s first and last name: 

Titanic. Directed by James Cameron, Paramount Pictures, 1997.

If you mention specific performances in your paper or other aspects of the movie, you can add other contributors—just specify their role and separate them with commas:

Titanic. Directed by James Cameron, performances by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, music by James Horner, Paramount Pictures, 1997.

If you want to refer to a specific version of a movie, you can add that to the reference as well:

Titanic. Directed by James Cameron, performances by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, music by James Horner, extended version , Paramount Pictures, 1997.

If you watched the movie on an app or a website, consider including specific location details (if you think it is relevant for readers). Make sure to capitalize and italicize the app or site name:

Titanic. Directed by James Cameron, Paramount Pictures, 1997. Netflix .

If you watched the movie on a DVD and want to include the specific version, add it after the release date, separate it with a comma, and end with the disc number (if applicable) and “DVD”:

Titanic. Directed by James Cameron, Paramount Pictures, 1997, disc 1. DVD.

MLA in-text movie citations list the title (or a shortened version of it) and the time range of the part you want readers to look at: 

( Titanic 45:12–49:08)

Use our MLA Citation Generator to cite references for movies in MLA 7 or MLA 8 style .

Citing a Movie: MLA 8 vs. MLA 9 differences

The rules above are taken from the new MLA 9 guidelines. According to the MLA 8 rules, a movie bibliography entry started with the name of the director (now: with the title), and URLs needed to be provided for databases and streaming services. This is no longer necessary.

Citing a Movie in Chicago Style

The Chicago style guide gives you the choice between author-date citations and footnote style. 

A Chicago footnote style bibliography entry for a movie lists the director as the author (followed by “director”), specifies the length of the movie (in hours and minutes), and includes a URL at the end (if watched online) or details about the physical format:

Director last name, First name, director. Movie Title. Production Company or Distributor, Year. Movie length. URL/format.

Cameron, James, director. Titanic . Paramount Pictures, 1997. 3 hr., 14 min. https://www.amazon.com/Titanic-Leonardo-DiCaprio/dp/B008PHN6F6 .

Cameron, James, director. Titanic . Paramount Pictures, 1997. 3 hr., 14 min. Blu-ray Disc, 1080p HD.

Notes start with the movie title, followed by the director’s name. You can refer to a specific moment in the film using timestamps.

1. Titanic , directed by James Cameron (Paramount Pictures, 1997), 1:12:02. https://www.amazon.com/Titanic-Leonardo-DiCaprio/dp/B008PHN6F6

Short note:

Titanic , 1:12:02 to 1:14:12.

The Chicago style guidelines also allow you to include information about contributors other than the director, if they are relevant to the analysis you present or the argument you want to make:

Cameron, James, director. Titanic . Featuring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. Music by James Horner. Paramount Pictures, 1997. 3 hr., 14 min. Blu-ray Disc, 1080p HD.

In Chicago author-date style, citations are in parentheses and consist of the director’s last name, the year, and a timestamp, if relevant: 

(Cameron 1997, 1:12:02).

The reference list is identical to the footnote style bibliography, except that the year is listed before the movie title:

Cameron, James, director. 1997. Titanic . Paramount Pictures, 1997. 3 hr., 14 min. Blu-ray Disc, 1080p HD.

Use our Chicago Citation Generator to cite references for movies in Chicago 17th style .

Citing a Movie in Vancouver Style

Vancouver reference style follows a number–endnote system: Sources are numbered sequentially, in brackets, corresponding to entries in the reference list at the end of the document. That means every movie you cite has its own number, and if you mention the same movie several times, you use the same number.

(Citation number) Film Title . [Film] Directed by: Name of Director. Country of Production: Production Company; year.

Our above example would appear like this in a Vancouver style reference list:

(1) Titanic . [Film] Directed by: James Cameron. USA: Paramount Pictures; 1997.

If you quote directly, include a timestamp in brackets after the endnote number. For example:

The most iconic scene of the movie is undoubtedly the moment when Jack teaches Rose to fly and declares that he is the “king of the world” (1: 00:32:17).

Remember that Vancouver-style references vary, and that square brackets, round brackets, and superscript numbers are all acceptable ways of connecting in-text citations to reference list entries. Your course material or library resources should tell you which version to follow. The most important thing is to make your citations and references complete and consistent throughout your paper.

Use our Vancouver Citation Generator to cite references for movies in Vancouver style .

• Lawrence W. Tyree Library
• Subject Guides

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• How to Cite in MLA
• How to Search
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MLA Citations

More resources, citation examples.

• Where to Get Help

The following links and tutorials will help you create MLA citations for the sources you need to cite.

• The MLA Style Center Includes Ask the MLA
• Tyree Library's Guide to MLA
• KnightCite Citation Service: MLA
• Author: Vincent LoBrutto
• Title: The art and craft of motion pictures : 25 movies to make you film literate
• Publisher: Praeger
• Publication Date: 2019

MLA Citation

LoBrutto, Vincent. The Art and Craft of Motion Pictures: 25 Movies to Make You Film Literate . Praeger, 2019.

In-Text Citation

(LoBrutto 16)

Chapter in an Edited Book

• Author(s) of Chapter: Noel Burch
• Title of Chapter: Cinema, Theory, Women
• Page Range: 41-56
• Publication Date: 2012
• Editor(s) of Book: Clive Myer and Bill Nichols
• Title of Book: Critical Cinema : Beyond the Theory of Practice
• Publisher: Columbia University Press

Burch, Noel. "Cinema, Theory, Women." Critical Cinema: Beyond the Theory of Practice , edited by Clive Myer and Bill Nichols, Columbia University Press, 2012, pp. 25-37.

• Author: Michael Rabiger and Mick Hurbis-Cherrier
• Title: Directing : Film Techniques and Aesthetics
• Edition: 5th edition
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Publication Date: 2013
• Database: Ebook Central
• URL: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sfcollege-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1125193

Rabiger, Michael, and Mick Hurbis-Cherrier. Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics . 5th ed., Taylor & Francis, 2013.  Ebook Central , ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sfcollege-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1125193.

(Rabinger and Hurbis-Cherrier 63)

MLA: Citing Books & eBooks from Lawrence W. Tyree Library on Vimeo .

View Transcript

Hello! In this video tutorial, we will learn how to cite books and eBooks in MLA style.

MLA citations may include a variety of components. Sources may be part of a larger source, called a container. Examples of containers may be a database, website, or a book. The following examples will show you how to identify these components and how to place and format them into a proper MLA citation.

The examples in this tutorial include a basic book, a chapter in an edited book, an eBook, and what to do if you have multiple authors or if a book has an edition statement.

Example 1: A Book With One Author

For the first example, you will learn how to cite this book: Visual Shock: A History of Art Controversies in American Culture .

The first step is to identify the author of the book. This can usually be found on the cover or title page.

To list an author, type the name in reverse order. Type the last name , a comma , and the first name , followed by a period . If the author's middle name or initial is given, include it after the first name.

Example: Kammen, Michael.

Next, identify the title of the book. In this example, the title is Visual Shock: A History of Art Controversies in American Culture . Even though there is no colon on the title page, A History of Art Controversies in American Culture is styled differently and in a smaller font. This shows that it is the subtitle and should be separated from the title with a colon .

List the title of the book, in italics , after the author. Capitalize the first word of the title , the first word of the subtitle (which comes after the colon), and all important words . End with a period.

Example: Kammen, Michael. Visual Shock: A History of Art Controversies in American Culture.

Finally, identify the publication information . This is the name of the publisher and the year it was published. If this information is not available on the title page, look for it on the back of the title page.

The publisher's name is listed after the title, followed by a comma, and then the year the book was published. End with a period. This completes the citation.

Example: Kammen, Michael. Visual Shock: A History of Art Controversies in American Culture. Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.

If you refer to a work in your paper, by directly quoting, paraphrasing, or by referring to main ideas, you will need to include an in-text parenthetical citation. There are a number of ways to do this. In this example, a signal phrase is used to introduce a direct quote. The author's name is included in the text, and the page number is enclosed in parentheses at the end of the sentence.

Example: Americans have increasingly shown their support of art through museum visits. As reported by Kammen , "Attendance at art museums rose from 22 million per year in 1962 to well over 100 million in 2000" (304) .

Example 2: A Chapter in an Edited Book

In this next example, the book is overseen by editors, but each chapter has a different author. If you only use information from a single chapter, you will cite that chapter only. You will need to locate the same citation components as the first example, but also the title , author , and page ranges of the chapter you are citing.

First, begin with the author of the chapter you are using, followed by the  title of the chapter . Enclose the title of the chapter in quotation marks. For this example, the first word of the title is italicized since it is the title of a book, but the rest of the chapter title is not italicized.

Example: Nelson, Claudia. " Jade and the Tomboy Tradition."

The chapter title is followed by the italicized  book title , a comma , the phrase  edited by , and the  editors' names in normal order.

Example: Nelson, Claudia. " Jade and the Tomboy Tradition." The Oxford Handbook of Children's Literature , edited by Julia L. Mickenberg and Lynne Vallone,

Include the publisher and date as usual, and then list the  page numbers of the chapter after the date. This completes the citation. In this example, the phrase University Press is abbreviated to UP .

Example: Nelson, Claudia. " Jade and the Tomboy Tradition." The Oxford Handbook of Children's Literature , edited by Julia L. Mickenberg and Lynne Vallone, Oxford UP, 2011, pp. 497–517.

Example 3: An eBook with Multiple Authors and Editions

In the last example, there are a few new characteristics. This is an eBook located through a library database. The eBook has two authors, and it is a second edition. You will need to include this information in your citation.

Once you have found and opened an eBook, scroll to the title page to locate the citation components.

For books with two authors, list the first author's name in reverse order, followed by a  comma  and the word  and . Then list the next author in normal order. If a book has three or more authors, list only the first author's name, followed by a comma and the abbreviation  et al.

Example: Metcalfe, Barbara D., and Thomas R. Metcalfe.

List the title next, in italics, and then a period. The  edition  is listed after the title. Type the edition number, followed by  ed. (which stands for edition), and a comma.

Example: Metcalfe, Barbara D., and Thomas R. Metcalfe. A Concise History of Modern India . 2nd ed.,

List the publisher and date as before, ending with a period.

Example: Metcalfe, Barbara D., and Thomas R. Metcalfe. A Concise History of Modern India . 2nd ed., Cambridge UP, 2006.

When citing an eBook from a database, include the  name of the database . The name of this database, Ebook Central , is listed at the top of the screen. Finally, you need the URL of the eBook. In Ebook Central, this can be found in the address bar. Look for a  Permalink  option within other databases.

Format the title of the database or website in italics, type a comma , and then copy and paste the URL . Remove the https:// from the beginning of the URL. End the citation with a period. This concludes the citation.

Example: Metcalfe, Barbara D., and Thomas R. Metcalfe. A Concise History of Modern India . 2nd ed., Cambridge UP, 2006. ProQuest Ebook Central , ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sfcollege-ebooks/reader.action?docID=274880.

Some scholarly books have a digital object identifier, known as a  DOI . This can be found on the title page or the next page. If a DOI is given, use that instead of the URL, using the format  https://doi.org/  and then provide the DOI.

Example: McGraw, Seamus. Betting the Farm on a Drought . U of Texas P, 2015. Ebook Central , https://doi.org/10.7560/756618.

In-text citations for works with two authors will include both last names. For works with three or more authors, list the first author’s last name and then the abbreviation et al.

Examples: Metcalfe and Metcalfe discuss the legacy of British rule on the current political structure and constitution of India. Jones et al. found that veterinary students suffer higher rates of depression and anxiety than other graduate students.

For more examples and additional situations you may encounter when citing books, visit the Tyree Library's MLA Citations guide. This can be found by visiting the Library's website, clicking Guides ,and then How-To Guides.

This concludes the video tutorial on citing books using MLA style. If you have any questions, please contact a librarian:

352-395-5409 [email protected] Building Y, NW Campus sfcollege.edu/library

Journal Article (DOI)

• Authors: Derek Long
• Article Title: Production Cultures and the "Look" of Nostalgia: The Rocketeer as Failed Franchise
• Journal Title: Velvet Light Trap: A Critical Journal of Film & Television
• Volume number: 84
• Issue number: none
• Pages: 3-17
• Database: Academic Search Complete
• DOI: 10.7560/vlt8402

Long, Derek. "Production Cultures and the 'Look' of Nostalgia: The Rocketeer as Failed Franchise." Velvet Light Trap: A Critical Journal of Film & Television , vol. 84, 2019, pp. 3–17. Academic Search Complete , https://doi.org/10.7560/vlt8402.

Journal Article (no DOI)

• Author(s):  Carlo Rotella
• Article Title: Boxing Lessons: Hollywood's Infatuation with the Fights
• Journal Title: Virginia Quarterly Review
• Volume number: 97
• Issue number: 4
• Publication Date: 2021
• Pages: 12-22
• Permalink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=a9h&AN=154573890&site=ehost-live&scope=site&custid=sfcc

Rotella, Carlo. "Boxing Lessons: Hollywood's Infatuation with the Fights." Virginia Quarterly Review , vol. 97, no. 4, 2021, pp. 12–22. Academic Search Complete , search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=a9h&AN=154131225&site=ehost-live&scope=site&custid=sfcc.

(Rotella 18)

Newspaper Article

• Author: Bernard Weinraub
• Article Title: A Foul Mouth With a Following: 20 Years Later, Pacino's 'Scarface' Resonates With a Young Audience
• Newspaper Title: New York Times
• Publication Date: September 23, 2003
• Database: New York Times Historical
• URL: https://www.proquest.com/hnpnewyorktimes/docview/92486204/19BECC3E4F0D42DEPQ/4?accountid=45765

Weinraub, Bernard. "A Foul Mouth With a Following: 20 Years Later, Pacino's 'Scarface' Resonates With a Young Audience." New York Times , 23 Sept. 2003. New York Times Historical , www.proquest.com/hnpnewyorktimes/docview/92486204/19BECC3E4F0D42DEPQ/4?accountid=45765.

Film Review

Use this format for reviews without specific titles.

• Author: Jordan Cronk
• Film Being Reviewed: Divinely Evil
• Director of Film: Gustavo Vinagre
• Title of Source: Film Comment
• Additional Source Information:  volume 56, issue 3, page 23
• Publication Date: May/June 2020
• DOI or URL: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=a9h&AN=142917711&site=ehost-live&scope=site&custid=sfcc

Cronk, Jordan. Review of Divinely Evil , directed by Gustavo Vinagre. Film Comment , vol. 56, no. 3, May/June 2020, p. 23. Academic Search Complete , search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=a9h&AN=142917711&site=ehost-live&scope=site&custid=sfcc.

MLA: Citing Journal Articles from Lawrence W. Tyree Library on Vimeo .

Hello! In this video tutorial, we will learn how to cite journal articles in MLA style.

The examples in this tutorial include journal articles with and without a DOI and open access journal articles.

Example 1: A Journal Article without a DOI

As you research, you will often find journal articles online using the library's databases. This article was found online using the database Academic Search Complete.

The first step is to identify the  author  of the article. You can find this on the first page of the article or in the database record.

Example: Orme, Jennifer.

Next, identify the title of the article. The title will usually be at the top of the article, in a font that is larger than the text.

Type the title of the article, enclosed in quotation marks, after the author. Capitalize the first word of the title , the first word of the subtitle , which comes after a colon, and all important words . Place a period after the title, but within the quotation marks. In this example, Pan's Labyrinth is italicized because it is the name of a film.

Example: Orme, Jennifer. "Narrative Desire and Disobedience in Pan’s Labyrinth ."

Next, identify the publication information . This includes the title of the journal ; the volume, issue, and page numbers ; and the year of publication . The issue may be referred to as the number . This information can be located most easily on the database record. In this example, all the publication information is located in the Source line.

Type the journal title , in italics . Then, type a comma, the abbreviation vol. , the volume number , a comma , the abbreviation no. and then the issue number . Type a comma, then give the year of publication . Type another comma, the abbreviation pp. and the page numbers . End this section with a period. If there is no issue number, omit that component.

Example: Orme, Jennifer. "Narrative Desire and Disobedience in Pan's Labyrinth ." Marvels & Tales , vol. 24, no. 2, 2010, pp. 219–234.

Finally, you will need to include the name of the database that the article was found in and either a DOI or a permalink. DOI stands for Digital Object Identifier and can be found in the article's record or on the first page of the article. Not all articles have a DOI. If no DOI is present, as in this example, use a database permalink instead.

Format the title of the database in italics , type a comma , and then copy and paste the URL . Remove the https:// from the beginning of the URL. End the citation with a period. This concludes the citation.

Example: Orme, Jennifer. "Narrative Desire and Disobedience in Pan's Labyrinth." Marvels & Tales , vol. 24, no. 2, 2010, pp. 219–234. Academic Search Complete , search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=a9h&AN=54969134&site=ehost-live&scope=site&custid=sfcc.

Example: Orme disputes the idea that Pan's Labyrinth is a mere 'adult fairy tale,' instead referring to it as a "juxtaposition of the fairy tale with [a] period film of civilian political resistance" (224) .

Example 2: DOI and Multiple Authors

In this article, there are four authors, and a DOI is present. Many newer research articles include DOIs. Always look carefully at the first page of an article and the database record to determine if a DOI is present.

MLA guidelines state that for works with three or more authors, only list the first author , a comma , and then the abbreviation et al. , which means ‘and all the rest.’

Example: Berry, Devon, et al.

Continue with the article title, journal title, volume, issue, year, and page numbers as in the previous example.

Example: Berry, Devon, et al. "Risk, Religiosity, and Emerging Adulthood: Description of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim University Students at Entering the Freshman Year." Mental Health, Religion & Culture , vol. 16, no. 7, 2013, pp. 695–710.

As before, include the database name in italics . Because this article has a DOI , that will be included instead of a link. Format the DOI as a URL, with the prefix https://doi.org/ . End the citation with a period. Unlike other URLs, leave the https:// in the DOI.

Example: Berry, Devon, et al. "Risk, Religiosity, and Emerging Adulthood: Description of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim University Students at Entering the Freshman Year." Mental Health, Religion & Culture , vol. 16, no. 7, 2013, pp. 695–710. Academic Search Complete , https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2012.715145.

In-text citations for articles with three or more authors similarly use the et al. abbreviation within the narrative.

Example: Berry et al. found that religious or spiritual undergraduate students were less likely to engage in risky behaviors.

Example 3: An Open Access Journal Article

You may encounter open access full-text journal articles while searching online via search engines or other websites. This article is from the online-only journal Australian Humanities Review .

Look for the information needed to cite the article at the top of the page or on the journal's table of contents page. In this example, the journal does not have volumes. Instead there are only issues. Also, since the articles are presented as HTML files, there are no page numbers.

For articles with two authors, list the first author's name in reverse order, followed by a  comma  and the word  and . Then, list the second author in normal order.

Example: Robinson, Alice, and Dan Tout.

Cite the journal article as before. Since this article does not have a volume number, the issue number stands alone. There are no page numbers, so that element is skipped. Add the URL, omitting the http://. Place a period after the URL to complete the citation.

Example: Robinson, Alice, and Dan Tout. "Only Planet: Unsettling Travel, Culture and Climate Change in Settler Australia." Australian Humanities Review , no. 52 , 2012. australianhumanitiesreview.org/2012/05/01/only-planet-unsettling-travel-culture-and-climate-change-in-settler-australia/.

For more examples and additional situations you may encounter when citing journal articles, visit the Tyree Library's  MLA Citations  research guide. This can be found by visiting the Library's website, clicking  Guides and then  How-To Guides .

This concludes the video tutorial on citing journal articles using MLA style. If you have any questions, please contact a librarian:

• Film Title: The Godfather
• Director: Francis Ford Coppola
• Production Company*: Paramount Pictures
• Release Date: 1972

*For two or more production companies, separate with a forward slash /

The Godfather . Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Paramount Pictures, 1972..

( Godfather 00:15:20)

Specific Video Edition

• Film Title:  Blade Runner
• Director:  Ridley Scott
• Production Company: *
• Original Release Date: 1982
• Version:  director's cut
• Version Release Date:  1992

Blade Runner . 1982. Directed by Ridley Scott, director's cut, Warner Bros., 1992.

( Blade Runner )

MLA: Citing Videos from Lawrence W. Tyree Library on Vimeo .

Hello! In this video tutorial, we will learn how to cite videos in MLA style.

The examples in this tutorial include a film, a streaming video in Films on Demand, and a video on YouTube.

Example 1: Film

In the first example, you will learn how to cite a film. These guidelines apply to films in theaters, in a physical format like VHS, DVD, or Blu-Ray, or streamed online.

First, identify the title of the film.

List the title of the film in italics . Capitalize the first word of the title, the first word of the subtitle, which comes after a colon, and all other important words. End with a period . This film has no subtitle.

Example: Casablanca.

Next, identify the main contributor for this film. This is usually the director . You can find this information in the credits, on a DVD case, or by looking on IMDB.com.

Describe the role , followed by the name of the contributor , written in normal order—that is, first name and then last name. Examples include Directed by , Hosted by , or Performance by . End with a comma . You may include multiple contributors here if you wish by separating each one with a comma, especially if your paper is focusing on another contributor, such as an actor.

Example: Casablanca . Directed by Michael Curtis,

Next, identify the publisher of the film. This is usually a production company or film studio. There can sometimes be several companies listed. IMDb.com can help identify the roles each company played. Look in the Details section for the Production company . If two or more production companies appear to have equal responsibility, include them both.

List the production company , followed by a comma. If you are listing two or more companies, separate them with a forward slash .

Example: Casablanca . Directed by Michael Curtis, Warner Bros.,

Finally, identify when the film was released.

List the release year after the production company, followed by a period .

Example: Casablanca . Directed by Michael Curtis, Warner Bros., 1943.

If you watched the film online, you can add the app, service, or website at the end, in italics, followed by a period. This completes the citation.

Example: Casablanca . Directed by Michael Curtis, Warner Bros., 1943. HBO Max .

If you watched a specific version of a film, such as a director's cut or extended edition, you need to include a few more details in your citation.

Include the original release date after the title, followed by a period. Then describe the version before the producer, and the version date after the producer, all separated by commas.

Example: Justice League . 2017. Directed by Zack Snyder, director's cut, Warner Bros., 2021. HBO Max .

For in-text citations, use the first few words of the title, formatted as it is in the Works Cited page. Instead of a page number, you may choose to provide a  timestamp  to aid your readers in locating the same information.

Example: Casablanca  highlights the power of luck throughout the movie, with one prominent example being the song Sam sings early in the film, "Knock on Wood" (00:15:47) .

Example 2: Films on Demand Video

This example is for streaming videos found through the Library's Films on Demand database. To begin, identify the title of the video.

List the title of the video, in italics . Capitalize all important words and follow with a period.

Example: Shakespeare on the Silver Screen .

Include the director or other important contributors , such as a host, next. If there are no identifiable contributors, as in this example, move on to the publisher and date of the video. In Films on Demand, use the producer for the publisher.

List the publisher , followed by a comma, and then the date . End with a period.

Example: Shakespeare on the Silver Screen . NBD Television Limited, 2000.

Finally, identify the service providing the video, Films on Demand, and the URL .Look for the Record URL under Share and the Embed/Link tab.

List Films on Demand in italics . Type a comma, then paste the URL , omitting the beginning http://. Type a period to complete the citation.

Example: Shakespeare on the Silver Screen . NBD Television Limited, 2000. Films on Demand , go.openathens.net/redirector/sfcollege.edu?url=https%3a%2f%2ffod.infobase.com%2fPortalPlaylists.aspx%3fwID%3d99198%26xtid%3d12083.

Example 3: YouTube Video

This example will show you how to cite a YouTube video, but the same concepts can be used for other videos on websites. First, determine whether the user who uploaded the video is the creator. Some videos will be uploaded by people who did not participate in the original content. If the user is the creator, list them as the author. Otherwise, move on to the title. In this example, the creator is the organization Vox .

List the creator exactly as styled, followed by a period.

Example: Vox.

Next, identify the title of the video.

Type the title, in quotation marks, ending in a period. Capitalize the first word of the title , the first word of the subtitle , which comes after a colon, and all other important words . You may need to fix some of the formatting. After the title of the video, type the name of the website, YouTube , in italics , followed by a comma.

Example: Vox. "The Lies That Sell Fast Fashion." YouTube,

Next, identify the full date that this video was uploaded. This can be found underneath the video title. If you only see a vague time reference, like this example, "2 weeks ago," click that to see the full date.

List the entire date in Day Month Year order. Abbreviate months to the first three letters, except for May, June, and July. Type a comma after the date.

Example: Vox. "The Lies That Sell Fast Fashion." YouTube, 8 Apr. 2024,

The last piece of information you need is the URL of the video. This can be found in the address bar, or you can click Share and use the URL located there.

Paste the URL, omitting the https://. Type a period to complete the citation.

Example: Vox. "The Lies That Sell Fast Fashion." YouTube, 8 Apr. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaS-iVwaOLw.

For some videos, you may wish to differentiate between the person who created it and the person who uploaded it. This is common in TED talks, where the speaker is the creator, but the uploader is TED.

In this example, Josephine Philips is listed as the creator. Include the uploader, TED, with the words uploaded by after YouTube, separated by commas.

Example: Philips, Josephine. "The Simple Solution to Fast Fashion | Josephine Philips | TED." YouTube , uploaded by TED , 22 Sep. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh8dnw67rE0.

As both the past two examples include creators, you will use the last name of the creator or the full organization in your in-text citation.

Example: Philips  states that "fashion waste levels have reached 92 million metric tons" (00:02:28) . New companies are exacerbating the problem. Shein, a fast fashion company based in China, produces about 1.5 million new styles annually (Vox) .

For more examples and additional situations you may encounter when citing videos, visit the Tyree Library's MLA Citations research guide. This can be found by visiting the Library's website, clicking Guides , and then How-To Guides .

This concludes the video tutorial on citing videos using MLA style. If you have any questions, please contact a librarian:

• Authors: David Pyrooz, James Densley, and Scott H. Decker
• Webpage Title: ‘West Side Story’ may be timeless – but life in gangs today differs drastically from when the Jets and Sharks ruled the streets
• Website Title: The Conversation
• Publication Date: December 9, 2021
• URL of Webpage: https://theconversation.com/west-side-story-may-be-timeless-but-life-in-gangs-today-differs-drastically-from-when-the-jets-and-sharks-ruled-the-streets-173543

Pyrooz, David, et al. "'West Side Story' May Be Timeless – But Life in Gangs Today Differs Drastically from When the Jets and Sharks Ruled the Streets." The Conversation , 9 Dec. 2019, theconversation.com/west-side-story-may-be-timeless-but-life-in-gangs-today-differs-drastically-from-when-the-jets-and-sharks-ruled-the-streets-173543.

(Pyrooz et al.)

For works with three or more authors, only list the first author and the abbreviation et al. .

Webpage with Organizational Author and No Date

• Author: none listed
• Webpage Title: Early Movies
• Website Title: Smithsonian Institute
• Publication Date: none listed
• URL of Webpage: https://www.si.edu/spotlight/movies/early-movies

"Early Movies." Smithsonian Institute , www.si.edu/spotlight/movies/early-movies. Accessed 6 Feb. 2022.

("Early Movies")

MLA: Citing Web Resources from Lawrence W. Tyree Library on Vimeo .

Hello! In this video tutorial, we will learn how to cite Web resources in MLA style.

The examples in this tutorial include webpages, blog posts, and reports.

Example 1: A Webpage

For the first example, you will learn how to cite a webpage. A  webpage  is a single document within a website. The first step is to identify the  author  of the page.

Example: Austin, Ben S.

Next, determine the title of the webpage. The title of the webpage is usually found above the main content in the body of the page.

Type the title of the webpage, enclosed in quotation marks, after the author's name. Capitalize the first word of the title , the first word of the subtitle (when a subtitle is given), and all important words . Place a period before the last quotation mark.

Example: Austin, Ben S. "Holocaust Denial: A Brief History."

Next, determine the title of the website . The website is the overall container for the page or document you are using. The title of the website is usually found in a prominent place on the page or at the top of the browser screen.

Type the title of the website, in  italics , after the title of the webpage. Capitalize the  first word of the title , the  first word of the subtitle  (when a subtitle is given), and all  important words . End with a comma.

Example: Austin, Ben S. "Holocaust Denial: A Brief History." Jewish Virtual Library ,

Next, locate the publisher or sponsor of the website, and the date of publication . Look for these elements at the top and bottom of the page. The publisher may also be found on the website's About page. If the publisher is identical to the title of the website, do not include it. The publisher for this example is AICE. The About page for the site shows that AICE stands for American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. There may not be a separate publisher or sponsor for all websites.

Type the publisher after the website title, if applicable. After the publisher type a comma .

Example: Austin, Ben S. "Holocaust Denial: A Brief History." Jewish Virtual Library , American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise,

Look for a date at the top and bottom of the webpage. If there is no specific date listed, you may use the copyright date. If you are unable to locate any date, omit this component.

List the date, followed by a comma .

Example: Austin, Ben S. "Holocaust Denial: A Brief History." Jewish Virtual Library , American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, 2022

Finally, locate the URL of the webpage. The URL is found in the address bar of the browser.

Copy and paste the URL, omitting the beginning http:// . End with a period . With online sources that lack firm publication dates, you may include a Date Accessed component to the end of the citation. Start with the word Accessed and then in Day Month Year format, type the date you accessed the webpage. End with a period . This concludes the citation.

Example: Austin, Ben S. "Holocaust Denial: A Brief History." Jewish Virtual Library , American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, 2022, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/a-brief-history-of-holocaust-denial. Accessed 7 Jan. 2022.

If you refer to a work in your paper by directly quoting, paraphrasing, or by referring to main ideas, you will need to include an in-text parenthetical citation. There are a number of ways to do this. In this example, a signal phrase is used to introduce a direct quote, and the author's name is included in the narrative. If there are no specific page numbers, as in most webpages, use only the author.

Example: As Austin notes, "The very first Holocaust deniers were the Nazis themselves."

If you are missing any information, such as an author, publisher, or date, simply omit the element and move on to the next part of the citation. In this example, there is no specific author listed, so the citation begins with the webpage. There is also no date listed, so that component is omitted.

Example: "The Swahili." The Story of Africa , BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index_section5.shtml. Accessed 7 Jan. 2022.

Example 2: A Blog Post

Blog posts follow the same guidelines as webpages. In this example, the title of the blog post is Misty Copeland and the Newness of the Ballerina Body , and it is part of the blog Sociological Images .

The remaining elements required for the citation are located at the top of the post. The publisher can be found at the top in this example, but you may need to look at a copyright statement, the footer, or an About page to identify them.

The citation for a blog post follows the structure shown in the previous example. The author is listed first, followed by the blog post title, the title of the blog, and the publisher. The date component is listed in Day Month Year format. Abbreviate all months except for May, June, and July. End with the URL.

Example: Wade, Lisa. "Misty Copeland and the Newness of the Ballerina Body." Sociological Images , The Society Pages, 26 Apr. 2016, thesocietypages.org/socimages/2016/04/26/misty-copeland-and-the-newness-of-the-ballerina-body/.

Example 3: Reports

You may find reports from various organizations in your research online. Reports will follow the same basic template as previous example, but there may be a report series present.

For reports with two authors, list the first author's name in reverse order, followed by a comma and the word and . Then list the next author in normal order. If a report has three or more authors, list only the first author's name, followed by a comma and the abbreviation et al.

Example: Adams, Brian, and Randal Verbrugge.

Report titles are italicized, and the website or agency responsible will be listed in normal font.

Example: Adams, Brian, and Randal Verbrugge. Location, Location, Structure Type: Rent Divergence within Neighborhoods. United States Department of Labor,

Follow the same template as shown in previous examples. If a report has a series, include that at the end of the citation, concluding with a period.

Example: Adams, Brian, and Randal Verbrugge. Location, Location, Structure Type: Rent Divergence within Neighborhoods. United States Department of Labor, 9 Dec. 2020, www.bls.gov/osmr/research-papers/2020/pdf/ec200150.pdf. Working Paper 533.

Reports may include a suggested citation. Be aware that this may not be in the appropriate style you need. This example is not in MLA style.

For more examples and additional situations you may encounter when citing Web resources, visit the Tyree Library's MLA Citations research guide. This can be found by visiting the Library's website, clicking Guides, and then How-To Guide s.

This concludes the video tutorial on citing Web resources using MLA style. If you have any questions, please contact a librarian:

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

MLA Formatting and Style Guide

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

The following overview should help you better understand how to cite sources using MLA  9 th edition, including how to format the Works Cited page and in-text citations.

Please use the example at the bottom of this page to cite the Purdue OWL in MLA. See also our MLA vidcast series on the Purdue OWL YouTube Channel .

Creating a Works Cited list using the ninth edition

MLA is a style of documentation that may be applied to many different types of writing. Since texts have become increasingly digital, and the same document may often be found in several different sources, following a set of rigid rules no longer suffices.

Thus, the current system is based on a few guiding principles, rather than an extensive list of specific rules. While the handbook still describes how to cite sources, it is organized according to the process of documentation, rather than by the sources themselves. This gives writers a flexible method that is near-universally applicable.

Once you are familiar with the method, you can use it to document any type of source, for any type of paper, in any field.

Here is an overview of the process:

When deciding how to cite your source, start by consulting the list of core elements. These are the general pieces of information that MLA suggests including in each Works Cited entry. In your citation, the elements should be listed in the following order:

• Title of source.
• Title of container,
• Other contributors,
• Publication date,

Each element should be followed by the corresponding punctuation mark shown above. Earlier editions of the handbook included the place of publication and required different punctuation (such as journal editions in parentheses and colons after issue numbers) depending on the type of source. In the current version, punctuation is simpler (only commas and periods separate the elements), and information about the source is kept to the basics.

Begin the entry with the author’s last name, followed by a comma and the rest of the name, as presented in the work. End this element with a period.

Bhabha, Homi K. The Location of Culture. Routledge, 1994.

Title of source

The title of the source should follow the author’s name. Depending upon the type of source, it should be listed in italics or quotation marks.

A book should be in italics:

Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House . MacMurray, 1999.

An individual webpage should be in quotation marks. The name of the parent website, which MLA treats as a "container," should follow in italics:

Lundman, Susan. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow, www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html.*

A periodical (journal, magazine, newspaper) article should be in quotation marks:

Bagchi, Alaknanda. "Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahasweta Devi's Bashai Tudu." Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature , vol. 15, no. 1, 1996, pp. 41-50.

A song or piece of music on an album should be in quotation marks. The name of the album should then follow in italics:

Beyoncé. "Pray You Catch Me." Lemonade, Parkwood Entertainment, 2016, www.beyonce.com/album/lemonade-visual-album/.

*The MLA handbook recommends including URLs when citing online sources. For more information, see the “Optional Elements” section below.

Title of container

The eighth edition of the MLA handbook introduced what are referred to as "containers," which are the larger wholes in which the source is located. For example, if you want to cite a poem that is listed in a collection of poems, the individual poem is the source, while the larger collection is the container. The title of the container is usually italicized and followed by a comma, since the information that follows next describes the container.

Kincaid, Jamaica. "Girl." The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories, edited by Tobias Wolff, Vintage, 1994, pp. 306-07.

The container may also be a television series, which is made up of episodes.

“94 Meetings.” Parks and Recreation, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, performance by Amy Poehler, season 2, episode 21, Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2010.

The container may also be a website, which contains articles, postings, and other works.

Wise, DeWanda. “Why TV Shows Make Me Feel Less Alone.”  NAMI,  31 May 2019,  www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/May-2019/How-TV-Shows-Make-Me-Feel-Less-Alone . Accessed 3 June 2019.

In some cases, a container might be within a larger container. You might have read a book of short stories on Google Books , or watched a television series on Netflix . You might have found the electronic version of a journal on JSTOR. It is important to cite these containers within containers so that your readers can find the exact source that you used.

“94 Meetings.” Parks and Recreation , season 2, episode 21, NBC , 29 Apr. 2010. Netflix, www.netflix.com/watch/70152031?trackId=200256157&tctx=0%2C20%2C0974d361-27cd-44de-9c2a-2d9d868b9f64-12120962.

Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical Journal , vol. 50, no. 1, 2007, pp. 173-96. ProQuest, doi:10.1017/S0018246X06005966. Accessed 27 May 2009.

Other contributors

In addition to the author, there may be other contributors to the source who should be credited, such as editors, illustrators, translators, etc. If their contributions are relevant to your research, or necessary to identify the source, include their names in your documentation.

Foucault, Michel. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason. Translated by Richard Howard , Vintage-Random House, 1988.

Woolf, Virginia. Jacob’s Room . Annotated and with an introduction by Vara Neverow, Harcourt, Inc., 2008.

If a source is listed as an edition or version of a work, include it in your citation.

The Bible . Authorized King James Version, Oxford UP, 1998.

Crowley, Sharon, and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. 3rd ed., Pearson, 2004.

If a source is part of a numbered sequence, such as a multi-volume book or journal with both volume and issue numbers, those numbers must be listed in your citation.

Dolby, Nadine. “Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future Directions.” Social Work and Society: The International Online-Only Journal, vol. 6, no. 2, 2008, www.socwork.net/sws/article/view/60/362. Accessed 20 May 2009.

Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria. Translated by H. E. Butler, vol. 2, Loeb-Harvard UP, 1980.

The publisher produces or distributes the source to the public. If there is more than one publisher, and they are all are relevant to your research, list them in your citation, separated by a forward slash (/).

Klee, Paul. Twittering Machine. 1922. Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Artchive, www.artchive.com/artchive/K/klee/twittering_machine.jpg.html. Accessed May 2006.

Women's Health: Problems of the Digestive System . American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2006.

Daniels, Greg and Michael Schur, creators. Parks and Recreation . Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2015.

Note : The publisher’s name need not be included in the following sources: periodicals, works published by their author or editor, websites whose titles are the same name as their publisher, websites that make works available but do not actually publish them (such as  YouTube ,  WordPress , or  JSTOR ).

Publication date

The same source may have been published on more than one date, such as an online version of an original source. For example, a television series might have aired on a broadcast network on one date, but released on  Netflix  on a different date. When the source has more than one date, it is sufficient to use the date that is most relevant to your writing. If you’re unsure about which date to use, go with the date of the source’s original publication.

In the following example, Mutant Enemy is the primary production company, and “Hush” was released in 1999. Below is a general citation for this television episode:

“Hush.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer , created by Joss Whedon, performance by Sarah Michelle Gellar, season 4, Mutant Enemy, 1999 .

However, if you are discussing, for example, the historical context in which the episode originally aired, you should cite the full date. Because you are specifying the date of airing, you would then use WB Television Network (rather than Mutant Enemy), because it was the network (rather than the production company) that aired the episode on the date you’re citing.

“Hush.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer, created by Joss Whedon, performance by Sarah Michelle Gellar, season 4, episode 10, WB Television Network, 14 Dec. 1999 .

You should be as specific as possible in identifying a work’s location.

An essay in a book or an article in a journal should include page numbers.

Adiche, Chimamanda Ngozi. “On Monday of Last Week.” The Thing around Your Neck, Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, pp. 74-94 .

The location of an online work should include a URL.  Remove any "http://" or "https://" tag from the beginning of the URL.

Wheelis, Mark. "Investigating Disease Outbreaks Under a Protocol to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention." Emerging Infectious Diseases , vol. 6, no. 6, 2000, pp. 595-600, wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/6/6/00-0607_article. Accessed 8 Feb. 2009.

When citing a physical object that you experienced firsthand, identify the place of location.

Matisse, Henri. The Swimming Pool. 1952, Museum of Modern Art, New York .

Optional elements

The ninth edition is designed to be as streamlined as possible. The author should include any information that helps readers easily identify the source, without including unnecessary information that may be distracting. The following is a list of optional elements that can be included in a documented source at the writer’s discretion.

Date of original publication:

If a source has been published on more than one date, the writer may want to include both dates if it will provide the reader with necessary or helpful information.

Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine. 1984. Perennial-Harper, 1993.

City of publication:

The seventh edition handbook required the city in which a publisher is located, but the eighth edition states that this is only necessary in particular instances, such as in a work published before 1900. Since pre-1900 works were usually associated with the city in which they were published, your documentation may substitute the city name for the publisher’s name.

Thoreau, Henry David. Excursions . Boston, 1863.

Date of access:

When you cite an online source, the MLA Handbook recommends including a date of access on which you accessed the material, since an online work may change or move at any time.

Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web." A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites, 16 Aug. 2002, alistapart.com/article/writeliving. Accessed 4 May 2009.

As mentioned above, while the MLA handbook recommends including URLs when you cite online sources, you should always check with your instructor or editor and include URLs at their discretion.

A DOI, or digital object identifier, is a series of digits and letters that leads to the location of an online source. Articles in journals are often assigned DOIs to ensure that the source is locatable, even if the URL changes. If your source is listed with a DOI, use that instead of a URL.

Alonso, Alvaro, and Julio A. Camargo. "Toxicity of Nitrite to Three Species of Freshwater Invertebrates." Environmental Toxicology , vol. 21, no. 1, 3 Feb. 2006, pp. 90-94. Wiley Online Library, doi: 10.1002/tox.20155.

Creating in-text citations using the previous (eighth) edition

Although the MLA handbook is currently in its ninth edition, some information about citing in the text using the older (eighth) edition is being retained. The in-text citation is a brief reference within your text that indicates the source you consulted. It should properly attribute any ideas, paraphrases, or direct quotations to your source, and should direct readers to the entry in the Works Cited list. For the most part, an in-text citation is the  author’s name and the page number (or just the page number, if the author is named in the sentence) in parentheses :

When creating in-text citations for media that has a runtime, such as a movie or podcast, include the range of hours, minutes and seconds you plan to reference. For example: (00:02:15-00:02:35).

Again, your goal is to attribute your source and provide a reference without interrupting your text. Your readers should be able to follow the flow of your argument without becoming distracted by extra information.

How to Cite the Purdue OWL in MLA

Entire Website

The Purdue OWL . Purdue U Writing Lab, 2019.

Individual Resources

Contributors' names. "Title of Resource." The Purdue OWL , Purdue U Writing Lab, Last edited date.

The new OWL no longer lists most pages' authors or publication dates. Thus, in most cases, citations will begin with the title of the resource, rather than the developer's name.

"MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The Purdue OWL, Purdue U Writing Lab. Accessed 18 Jun. 2018.