Citing a Book in a Series in MLA

MLA style is a form of writing and research used in the liberal arts and humanities, establishing standards for appropriate references and citations used in papers. When using print references as a resource, such as a book in series, a writer needs to use appropriate MLA citations.

In-Text Citation

In-text citations are used throughout the paper to reference authoritative research sources. According to the 7th edition of the MLA handbook, place the author’s last name and book page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence before the final punctuation.

For example: (Fitz 208).

Always include the page number whether paraphrasing or quoting the reference. If the author's name is included in the reference sentence, only include the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence.

For example: (208).

Works Cited Citations

Papers written in MLA style require a Works Cited page. For a book in a series, include: the author’s last name, a comma, the author’s first name, and then a period. Follow this with the book title in italics followed by a period.

Then, insert the city of publication, followed by a colon, the name of the publishing company, followed by a comma, the year of publication, and a period. Write the word “Print” followed by a period. Lastly, include the series name in title case, followed by a period. For example:

Fitz, Earl. Brazilian Narrative Traditions in a Comparative Context (in italics). New York: MLA, 2005. Print. World Literatures Reimagined.