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MLA Style Guide, 8th & 9th Editions: Location

This LibGuide reflects the changes to MLA style as directed by the MLA Handbook, Eighth & Ninth Editions.

Location (Works Cited)

Location is the ninth core element. This element describes where the source was accessed/can be found. Locations can be cities, page numbers, URLs, DOIs, disc numbers, etc.

  • The location used depends on the medium of the source.
  • For print sources, the location is the page number or range of page numbers.
    • The format is "p. 166" for one page and "pp. 123-166" for a range of pages.
  • For online sources, the location is the URL or DOI (if available). When using DOIs add the prefix https://doi.org/
  • For a DVD, use the disc number.
  • For physical objects like artwork or live events, use the place it is held.
  • Optional elements include: 
    • the original date of publication, if it is relevant to the use of the source. Place the original date of publication after the source's title followed by a period.
    • original city of publication for sources published prior to 1900 or books with different versions depending upon the audience, like a book available in a British or American version. Place the city name before the publication date followed by a comma.
  • This element ends with a period.

Book:

Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. 7th ed. McGraw Hill. 2014, p. 525.

Print journal, magazine, or newspaper article:

Dickman, Kylie. "Apocalypse in the Garden State." Rolling Stone, no. 1260, 5 May 2016, pp. 36-39.​

Journal, magazine, or newspaper article from an online database with a permalink (no DOI provided):

Tucker, Virginia M., et al. “Learning Portals: Analyzing Threshold Concept Theory for LIS Education.” Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, vol. 55, no. 2, Apr. 2014, pp. 150-65. Academic OneFile, db12.linccweb.org/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com.db12.linccweb.org/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA369065399&v=2.1&u=lincclin_ircc&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=481641178d785366b35d618e23308ebf.

Journal, magazine, or newspaper article from an online database with a DOI:

Gleeson-White, Sara. “A Peculiarly Southen Form of Ugliness: Eudora Welty, Carson McCullers, and Flanner O'Connor.” Southern Literary Journal, vol. 36, no. 1, fall 2003, pp. 46-57. Literary Reference Center, https://doi.org/10.1353/slj.2003.0032.

Magazine article from a Website:

Garber, Megan. "The Trump Campaign Just Became Literature." The Atlantic, 28 June 2016, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/06/the-trump-campaign-just-became-literature/489140/.

Television series episode:

"Something Nice Back Home." Lost, directed by Stephen Williams, performance by Matthew Fox, season 4, episode 10, American Broadcasting, 1 May 2008.

Online video:

"The H Bomb: Making up for Lost Time: Lost." YouTube, uploaded by ABC's Lost, 24 Nov. 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueh4yEcjCp4.