Use the following template or our MLA Citation Generator to cite a book. For help with other source types, like books, PDFs, or websites, check out our other guides. To have your reference list or bibliography automatically made for you, try our free citation generator.
Place this part in your bibliography or reference list at the end of your assignment.
Author Surname, Author Forename. Title. Publisher, Year Published.
Weir, Andy. Project Hail Mary. Ballantine Books, 2021.
Place this part right after the quote or reference to the source in your assignment.
(Author Surname Page number)
In the book, the main character says, "Only now does it occur to me: I don't know who I am" (Weir 7).
As per the MLA style, a works-cited list has different components for a print book, an e-book, and an audiobook. Use the formats below to understand the differences.
Format [Print book]
Last Name, First Name. Book Name. Edited by First Name, Last Name [if applicable], Publisher Name, Year.
Examples
Gann, Ernest K. A Hostage to Fortune. Alfred A. Knopf, 1978.
Shakespeare, William. Shakespeare: Complete Works. Edited by W. J. Craig, Oxford UP, 1969.
Format [e-Book]
Last Name, First Name. Book Name, E-book ed., Publisher Name, Year. File Format [optional].
Last Name, First Name. Book Name. Date. Publisher Name, URL .
Examples
Derr, Tony. The Love That Was Never Felt. E-book ed., Scrivener, 2019. Kindle.
Buchan, John. The Thirty-Nine Steps. 1915. Planet eBook, www.planetebook.com/the-thirty-nine-steps/.
Format [Audiobook]
Last Name, First Name. Book Name. Narrated by First Name, Last Name. audiobook ed., edition details., Publisher Name, Date.
Example
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Narrated by Tim Robbins, audiobook ed., unabridged ed., Audible, 21 Oct. 2014.
In MLA style, textbooks follow the same format as books. Most of the information needed to cite a textbook can be found on the title page (front and back) of a book.
Format
Last Name, First Name, editor [if applicable]. Book Title. Publisher, Date.
Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Edited by First Name, Last Name [if applicable], Publisher, Date.
Examples
Johnson-Sheehan, Richard. Technical Communication Today. Pearson Education, 2005.
Connor, Riley, editor. Rules for Grammar. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002.
Shakespeare, William. Shakespeare: Complete Works. Edited by W. J. Craig, Oxford UP, 1969.