Citing and referencing: Journals/Periodicals

This guide is no longer being maintained as the 7th edition of the MLA Handbook has been replaced by the 8th edition. Only use the 7th edition under direction of your lecturer or tutor. Please click here to go to the MLA 8th library guide.

To cite more than one author, or no author, refer to the examples provided for BOOKS. 

For a journal article in an online database include the name of the database (italicized), the medium of publication (Web) and the date of access.

For example: Communication and Mass Media Complete. Web. 17 Mar. 2009.

Article in a journal

Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Year): pages. Medium of publication.

Mather, Christine C. "The Political Afterlife of Eleonara Duse." Theatre Survey 45.1 (May 2004): 41-59. Print.

McGowan, Todd. "Finding Ourselves on a Lost Highway: David Lynch's Lesson in Fantasy." Cinema Journal 39.2 (2000): 51-73. Print.

In text citation

A recent article suggests that Lynch's work with sound is often the most inventive aspect of his filmmaking (McGowan 59).
or
McGowan suggests that Lynch's work with sound is often the most inventive aspect of his filmmaking (59).

Article in a journal with two or more authors

Lastname, Firstname of first author, Firstname Lastname of second author and Firstname Secondname of third author. "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Year): pages. Medium of publication.

Bobkowski, Piotr and Jessica Smith. "Social media divide: characteristics of emerging adults who do not use social network websites." Media, Culture & Society 35.6 (2013): 771-781. Web. 5 June 2014.

Robillard, Candence, Jacqueline Bach and Melissa Gulden. "Mindful Poetry: Making the Strange Familiar." English Journal 104.4 (2015): 83-89. Proquest Education Journals. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

In text citation

According to some commentators, poetry can be intimidating to teachers and students alike (Robillard, Bach and Gulden 83).

or

Robillard, Back and Gulden argue that poetry can be intimidating to both teachers and students (83).

If there are four or more authors, you can name the first author and add et al. ("and others"). Alternatively, you can give each of the authors' names in full in the order in which they appear on the title page.

Seo, Hyunjin, Brian J. Houston, Leigh Anne Taylor Knight, Emily J. Kennedy, and Alexandra B. Inglish. "Teens’ social media use and collective action." New Media & Society 16.6 (2014): 883-902. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.

or

Seo, Hyunjin, et al. "Teens’ social media use and collective action." New Media & Society 16.6 (2014): 883-902. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.

In text citation

Recently, the phenomenon of flash mobs in relation to social media and youth culture has been examined (Seo et al 884).

or

Seo, Houston, Taylor Knight, Kennedy and Inglish argue that flash mobs play an important role at the intersection of youth culture and social media (884).

Article from a library database

Owen, A. Susan. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Journal of Popular Film and Television 27.2 (1999): 24-31. Communication And Mass Media Complete. Web. 17 Mar. 2009.

In text citation

As argued by one writer (Owen 27) …
or
As argued by Owen (27) …

 Article (Free Online)

Stevenson, Jonas P., and Dimitri Jorgenson. "Renewal in Cinema in Eastern Europe." Journal of Experimental Cinema 40.3 (2012):106-08. Web. 18 Dec. 2012.

Citing a source within a source

Scenario: In the article by Lavik, another article is cited on page 62, written by Johnstone. You would like to cite Johnstone's article, but you have not read it.

Lavik, Erland. "The Poetics and Rhetoric of the The Wire's Intertextuality." Critical Studies in Television 6.1 (2011): 52-71. Film and Television Index with Full Text. Web. 19 June 2012.

In text citation

Its fundamental concern is the "isolation and degradation of the black underclass" (qtd. in Lavik).

or

Johnstone's research which is cited in Lavik reveals that .....

Anonymous article

If no author's name is given for the article you are citing, begin the entry with the title.

"Where Angels No Longer Fear to Tread." Economist 22 Mar. 2008: 89+. Print.

In text citation

Putting religion under the microscope is a costly undertaking ("Where Angels..." 89).

or

"Where Angels No Longer Fear to Tread" highlights the cost of putting religion under the microscope (89).