LibGuides: MLA Citation Guide (MLA 9th Edition): Encyclopedias &amp; Dictionaries

Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

Encyclopedia entry from a library database

Works Cited List Citation

Author's Last Name, First Name if given. "Title of Encyclopedia Entry." Title of Encyclopedia, edited by First Name Last Name if given, Edition ed. if not first edition, vol. Number if given, Publisher if given, Year of Publication, pp. Page Numbers if given. Database Name, DOI link (if given).

Example

"Macao." World Encyclopedia, Phlip's, 2004. Oxford Reference, https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780199546091.001.0001.

In-Text Citation

(Last Name), or if no author ("Title of Encyclopedia Entry")

Example

("Macao")

Encyclopedia entry from a website

Works Cited List Citation

Author's Last Name, First Name if given. "Title of Encyclopedia Entry." Title of Encyclopedia, edited by First Name Last Name if given, Sponsoring Organization if given, Year of Publication, URL. Accessed Day Month Year viewed (optional, add if there is no upload/publication date).

Example

Gwiazda, Emily. "Hide Hyodo Shimizu." The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada, 15 Mar. 2019, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hide-hyodo-shimizu.

In-Text Citation

(Last Name), or if no author ("Title of Encyclopedia Entry")

Example

(Gwiazda)

Dictionary entry from a website

Works Cited List Citation

"Dictionary Term, Abbreviation for part(s) of speech. (Definition number, if given)." Dictionary Name, Publisher if given and different from website name, Year, URL. Accessed Day Month Year viewed (optional, add if there is no upload/publication date).

Examples

"Intersectionality, N." Merriam-Webster, 2021, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intersectionality.

"Job, N. (1)." Merriam-Webster, 2021, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/job.

"Pandemic, Adj. and N." Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, 2021, www.oed.com/view/Entry/136746.

"Defund, V." Merriam-Webster, 2021, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defund.

"Exemplarily, Adv." Lexico, 2021, www.lexico.com/definition/exemplarily.

In-Text Citation

("Dictionary Term")

Example

("Intersectionality")

Note: Wikipedia is generally considered an unacceptable source for a college or university assignment. Be sure to evaluate the content carefully and check with your instructor/assignment requirements if you can use Wikipedia as a source in your assignment.

Wikipedia article

Works Cited List

"Title of Encyclopedia Entry." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Day Month Year entry was last modified, Time entry was last modified, URL.

Example

"The Lark Ascending (Vaughan Williams)." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 May 2021, 22:53 (UTC), en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lark_Ascending_(Vaughan_Williams).

In-Text Citation

("Title of Encyclopedia Entry")

Note: If the source has a long title, you may shorten it in your in-text citation by using the first word/phrase from the title.

Example

("The Lark")