Skip to Main Content

MLA Style Guide, 9th Edition: Location

This LibGuide reflects the changes to MLA style as directed by the MLA Handbook, Ninth Edition

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.
    • Include page numbers when citing a specific story, chapter, or essay in an edited book with authors or contributors. 
    • If an article continues on non-consecutive pages, indicate it by adding a '+' after the first page of the article, e.g. pp. 168+
  • For online sources, the location is the URL or DOI (if available).
  • 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.

(The examples below should be formatted with a Hanging Indent)

Book with an author:

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

Book with an author and an editor:

Feldmann, Janet. "Information Literacy Assessment at a Small Commuter Campus." Assessing Student Learning Outcomes for Information Literacy Instruction in Academic Institutions, edited by Elizabeth Fuseler Avery, Association of College and Research Libraries, 2003, pp. 119-123.

Print journal, magazine, or newspaper article:

Dickman, Kylie. "Apocalypse in the Garden State." Rolling Stone, no. 1260, 5 May 2016, pp. 36-9.​

Journal, magazine, or newspaper article from an online database:

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, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=taftcoll_main&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA369065399&asid=5cbca428d287c57403158d0da222da06.

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.