I’ve found books to be a very reliable and authentic source of information in my academic writings, providing credibility and important context to my papers. However, the MLA citation rules for books can get confusing when I’m dealing with multiple authors or specific chapters of a book. So, how to
cite MLA format for a book correctly? In this detailed guide, I'll walk you through how to cite a book in MLA style, and introduce WPS Office for clean and accurate formatting in your MLA paper.
What Are MLA Book Citations and When to Use Them
When I’m writing an academic paper, especially for any social sciences, citing my sources is crucial and books are one of the most common sources I depend on. MLA format has a clear format for when you’re figuring out how to cite a textbook mla, but it can feel a little tricky to understand at first glance. I’ll break down the core rules for citing books in MLA format using real examples. Regardless of the book you’re citing, you’ll learn exactly how to do it right.
Author:
1 Author: List the author’s last name in parentheses, followed by the page number without adding a comma. (Walker 45)
2 Authors: List both authors’ last names joined by “and” in parentheses, followed by the page number without a comma. (Smith and Johnson 67)
3+ Authors: List only the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” in parentheses, then the page number without a comma. (Brown et al. 102)
Title:
The book title should be italicized and written in title case, meaning you should capitalize the main words. For example: The Great Gatsby. I always make sure to use italics for the title to clearly show it’s a book.
Publisher:
For your book citation, include the name of the publisher exactly as it appears on the book. You don’t need to add words like “Company” or “Inc.” unless they are part of the official name. For example, use “Penguin Books” instead of “Penguin Books Inc.”
“The Art of Writing. Penguin Books, 2020.”
Year Of Publication:
Always make sure to include the year the book was published. This helps my readers know which edition or version I’m referencing. Place the year right after the publisher’s name in your citation.
“Understanding History. HarperCollins, 2020.“
Edition:
If the book you’re citing is not the first edition, it’s very important to include the edition information to help your readers identify exactly which version you cited. The edition comes right after the title and before the publisher’s name. I use abbreviations like “2nd ed.” for the second edition, “3rd ed.” for the third, and so on. This detail is crucial as content can change between editions, so specifying it adds accuracy to my citations.
“Modern Biology. 3rd ed., Academic Press, 2018.”
Volume:
When a book is part of a series, it’s important to specify which volume you are citing. Including the volume number in my citation helps my readers locate the exact section or book I referenced, ensuring clarity and precision in my academic work. In MLA format, volume number is included right after the edition(if there is one), using the abbreviation vol. followed by the number.
“Modern Architecture: Concepts and Styles. vol. 2, Greenfield Publishing, 2020.”
In-text Citation vs. Works Cited:
In MLA format, in-text citations and a Works Cited page are used together to properly credit the sources cited in the paper.
In-text citations appear within the main content of your paper whenever you quote, paraphrase, or refer to additional contextual information from a book. They are concise and include the author’s last name and the page number, like (Smith 45). This helps my readers quickly find the source of the information without disrupting the flow of my writing.
The Works Cited page is a separate section at the end of the paper. It lists all the details of all sources I cite, including the author’s full name, book title, publisher, year of publication, and other information that may be relevant. This complete list allows my readers to locate and verify your sources.
Scenario |
In-Text Citation |
Works Cited Entry |
|---|---|---|
1 Author |
(Orwell 23) |
Orwell, George. 1984. Harvill Secker, 1949. |
2 Authors |
(King and Straub 112) |
King, Stephen, and Peter Straub. The Talisman. Viking Press, 1984. |
3+ Authors |
(Smith et al. 77) |
Smith, John, et al. Understanding Literature. Oxford University Press, 2018. |
Edition Included |
(Bronte 45) |
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. 2nd ed., Penguin Classics, 2006. |
Chapter in Edited Book |
(Hooks 79) |
Hooks, Bell. “Love as the Practice of Freedom.” Outlaw Culture, edited by Bell Hooks, Routledge, 1994, pp. 67–82. |
How to Cite a Book in MLA Using Citation Generators
Manually formatting citations can be time-consuming and tricky, especially if I’m dealing with multiple source books. Luckily, there are reliable citation generators that can do the hard work for me. Tools like EasyBib and MyBib are designed to automatically create MLA-style book citations with just a few clicks. These tools help ensure my references stay accurate, consistent, and ready for my Works Cited page. I’ll walk you through how to use each tool properly so you can streamline the formatting process for yourself.
1. EasyBib
Citing books like The Bible in MLA format can be tricky, especially when it comes to specific versions and editions. Thankfully, tools like EasyBib make the process simple and convenient for me, ensuring easy and seamless formatting for all my writing needs. I’ll walk you through a step-by-step guide to help you generate a flawless MLA citation for your source books.
Step 1: Go to EasyBib’s officialbook citation tool. In the search bar, type The Bible and press Search.
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Step 2: Browse the results and select the version you’re using, then click “Cite”.
Step 3: You’ll now see basic citation fields such as title, publisher, and year. Review them thoroughly and press “Continue”.
Step 4: Fill in any missing information like volume, edition, or translator if applicable, then click “Complete Citation”.
Step 5: Ensure MLA is selected as your citation style, then click “Copy Citation” to copy the citation to your clipboard.
Using EasyBib streamlines the MLA citation process for me and ensures my references meet the required academic standards. I always make sure to double-check the formatting, since different versions may require specific details.
2. MyBib Citation Generator
MyBib’s Citation Generator helps me format my citations quickly and correctly, without the manual formatting stress. In this simple and easy to follow guide, I’ll show you step by step how to create a properly formatted MLA citation for any book source using MyBib, so you don’t have to deal with the hassle of manually formatting all your citations.
Step 1: Go to MyBib’s official citation generator website and click on “New Citation” to begin creating your citation.
Step 2: In the book citation window, type “Bible” into the search bar and press “Search.”
Step 3: From the search results, choose the specific version of the book you’re referencing.
Step 4: Review the auto-filled citation details and add or edit any missing information, such as edition or volume if there are any and press “Save”.
Step 5: Once everything looks good, click “Copy selected bibliographical entries.” Your completed MLA citation will be copied to your clipboard, ready to paste into your document.
MyBib makes it super easy to generate accurate MLA book citations, even for complex sources with multiple editions and versions like the Bible. With just a few clicks, I have a perfectly formatted entry, without any kind of manual formatting needed.
Best MLA Book Citation Helper: WPS Office
When I’m working with MLA citations, I know how important it is to get every little detail right. Referencing a book in your paper might sound simple, but once you start dealing with multiple authors, editions, volumes, or chapters, things can quickly get confusing. That’s why I use reliable and efficient tools like WPS Office to save time and eliminate formatting errors. To keep my final document polished and consistent, I use WPS Office to help me format everything professionally and ensure that every citation is accurate and follows MLA formatting rules.
Advantages:
Completely free to use and fully compatible with Microsoft Office Formats
Built-in MLA citation templates and formatting styles for easy writing
Simple paragraph tools for setting hanging indents and proper spacing
Clean, intuitive interface that makes formatting seamless
Allows easy export to PDF or Word formats without losing any formatting
Step-by-Step Guide
WPS Office makes adding citations to my academic paper simple and efficient. Regardless of what I’m writing, the built-in tools and MLA-style templates provided by WPS Office help me stay accurate and organized without the hassle of manual formatting. I’ll walk you through the steps I take to add book citations into my MLA paper.
Step 1: The first thing you need to do is open the citation generator you used to generate your references, I’ll be using MyBib for this step.
Step 2: Select all the references by clicking the check-box, then press the “Copy selected bibliographical entries” button.
Step 3: Open the Works Cited Page of your paper and press “Ctrl” + “V” to paste the entries into your paper. After pasting the citations into your paper, you can easily adjust the formatting, including the font style, font size, format, and serial numbers using WPS Word.
Adding book citations in MLA format using WPS Office and a trusted citation generator like MyBib saves me a lot of time and ensures accuracy throughout my papers. With just a few clicks, I can copy my references and paste them directly into my Works Cited page. It’s an easy, stress-free way to keep my academic writing polished, professional, and well-formatted every time.
FAQs
Q1: How do I cite a book with multiple authors in MLA?
If the book has two authors, include both last names joined by “and” (e.g., King and Straub). For three or more authors, list only the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” (e.g., Smith et al.).
Q2: Do I need to mention the edition in my citation?
Yes, you should include the edition if it’s not the first. Place it right after the book title using abbreviations like “2nd ed.” or “3rd ed.”
Q3: How do I format the book title in MLA?
Italicize the full title and use title case, capitalizing major words (e.g., The Great Gatsby).
Q4: Where does the publisher’s name go in an MLA citation?
Include the publisher after the edition (if any), followed by the year of publication (e.g., Penguin Books, 2020). Avoid terms like “Inc.” unless it’s part of the official name.
