How To Cite A Short Story In MLA
Published by at January 23rd, 2025 , Revised On January 23, 2025
It is necessary to cite your sources when you are writing an assignment, paper or essay. One of the most important academic standards is giving credit to the author or person whose work you are using in your research or paper. It not only ensures that your work is credible, and free from plagiarism but also helps other researchers check the original material and compare it with your results.
However, students can get confused about how to cite a short story in MLA format. Many questions can arise like are short stories italicised or are short story titles underlined? In this blog, we will explain what MLA is, how to use MLA format for short stories and mistakes that you should avoid so that you can easily understand how to cite short stories in MLA style.
What Is MLA Style?
MLA stands for Modern Language Association and is a popular citation style used by researchers and students all over the world. This citation style provides a clear and simple way to give credit to the sources and information that you use in your research work. Additionally, it is used in the fields of humanities, literature and the arts to cite books, websites, online content and short stories.
Here are the main elements of the MLA citation style:
- Author: (The person whose work you are referencing in your work).
- Title of Source: (The name of the source like a book, article or short story).
- Publisher and Publication Date: (The name of the company or organisation that published the book or short story, followed by the date of publication).
- Location: (Such as page number, DOI or URL)
What Is In-Text Citation In MLA Format?
In MLA format, an in-text citation is a short and brief reference that is used to provide the source of information that you mention in your work. It differs from the full citation in MLA style as it is written at the end of a sentence before the period. Additionally, an in-text citation for short stories, books, plays, and websites is always written within brackets.
Example: (Alex 89).
Alex is the name of the author while 89 is the page number of a book or short story.
How To Cite A Short Story In MLA?
When you cite a short story in MLA style, you should quote the sentence in your own words. You can use an introductory sentence so that readers can know what you are talking about. However, you should remember that the name of the author and the page number where the quote is written come at the last of the sentence.
Example: The narrator talks about revenge in a chilling way” I must not only punish, but punish with impunity.” (Poe 45).
If you mention the name of the author in the sentence then you only need to write the page number after the quote. Moreover, if you start a new paragraph, you have to reintroduce the author by his name so that there is no confusion in the citation.
Example: Poe talks about revenge in a horrifying manner as “Punish With Impunity”(45).
How To Cite A Short Story In MLA From A Book?
To cite a short story in MLA format from a book, you need to keep some specific rules in mind. First, start by writing the author’s last name first, followed by the author’s first name with a comma between them. A period comes before the title of the short story, which is written in quotation marks and also ends with a period.
Then, you can write the title of the book in italics followed by the publisher’s name and publisher’s date. A comma is placed after every element. In the last, you mention the page number where the short story is available and the citation ends with a period. However, if there is an editor, then you can write the name after the title of the book.
This format is the same for MLA citation for short story in a textbook.
Example: Baldwin, James. “Going To Meet The Man”. The New Yorker, 5 June 1965, pp. 30-35.
In-Text Citation: (Baldwin 30).
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How To Cite A Short Story From A Magazine or Newspaper?
To cite a short story from a magazine or newspaper, you need to follow the same punctuation rules. This citation begins with the name of the author, and the title of the story in quotation marks followed by a period. The title of the magazine or newspaper is written in italics. The name of the publisher and the date of publication come afterwards with the page number or URL mentioned at the last.
Example: Dillard, Barry. “A Christmas Disaster”. Good Housekeeping, March. 2020, pp. 143-48.
In-Text Citation: (Dillard 143).
If you have an online magazine or newspaper, then you should add the URL of the website and the date of access. Here is a similar example:
Example: Dillard, Barry. “A Christmas Disaster”. Good Housekeeping, March. 2020, https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/article/lifewriting/achirstmasdisaster. Accessed 10 Oct. 2020.
In-Text Citation: (Dillard)
How To Cite A Short Story in MLA From A Website?
Citing a short story from a website is very easy as you follow the same parentheses and punctuation rules. To cite a short story from an online website, include the name of the author, followed by the title of the short story in quotation marks, the name of the website in italics, the publisher’s name and the publication date. The URL or DOI of the website is placed at the last which ends with a period.
Example: Sunday, Sharon. “Walking In My Shoes”. American Literature, 25 Sept 2014. www.americanliterature.com/shortstories/walkinginmyshoes.
In-Text Citation: (Sunday).
If the name of the author is not available on a website then the name of the title can be used in MLA style for in-text citation for short story.
In-text Citation: (“Walking In My Shoes”)
How To Cite A Collection Of Short Stories In MLA Format?
The format of MLA citation for a short story in a collection is simple. All you have to do is mention the name of the collection followed by the names of the editors, the publisher name and the date or year of publication.
Example: The World’s Greatest Short Stories, edited by James Daley, Dover Publications, 2020.
In-Text Citation: (Daley 2020).
What is the format for MLA citation for a short story in Anthology?
The format for MLA citation for short story in Anthology is similar to the book. This citation begins with the name of the author, the title of the short story in quotation marks, the title of the anthology in italics, the publisher’s name and the publication date. The page numbers are written in the last.
Example: Chopin, Kate. “The Story Of An Hour”. The Awakening And Other Stories”, Dover Publications, 1993, pp. 23-27.
In-text Citation: (Chopin 23)
Mistakes To Avoid When You Are Citing A Short Story In MLA
Whether you are using full citations or in-text citations for short stories in MLA style, you should always follow the right guidelines and avoid any mistakes that can make your work look bad. Here are some mistakes to keep in mind:
- Always put the title of the short story in quotation marks. Do not italicise it.
- Mention the page number where the short story is written in the anthology.
- Avoid using the first name of the author. Always put the last name first.
- If you are citing a short story from an anthology, then you should always put the editor’s name after the title.
- You should always be careful about punctuation such as periods and commas.
Frequently Asked Questions
In MLA format, you should never underline short story titles as they are considered shorter workers. The title of a short story is always quoted as only larger works like books and movies are underlined. Hence, you should always remember to write the title of a short story in quotation marks.
Example: “The Love Of A Good Woman” by Alice Munro
Short stories in MLA style are written in quotation marks. It is also important to write the author’s name and the page number where the short story is available. This keeps the citation simple, and readers can understand what you are referencing.
Example: Joyce, James. “Araby”. Dubliners, Penguin Classic, 1993, pp. 25-30.
No, short stories are not italicised when they are cited in the MLA format. The titles of the short stories are always written in quotation marks. Moreover, you should always remember that italics are only used for larger works like books, novels, plays and movies.
