Location.

The examples found in the MLA section are based on the manual MLA Handbook, 9th ed., 2021.

  • In the MLA style, the location refers to where you consulted your source (e.g. the link to a website or the page number of an article). It is not a geographical location!
  • Two kinds of sources have locations: sources with a container and sources that are found online.

Multiple containers

If your source is from a library database, you have to indicate a location two times as you are looking at multiple containers.

  • As a general rule, follow the format for “Part of a print work” found below.

First container

  • With an essay in an eBook or an article in a journal, the location associated with your first container (the eBook or the journal) will be the page number of the first page of the article and the last page separated by a hyphen. Write “p.” for one page or “pp.” for multiple pages.
  • If your source appears on non-consecutive pages (for instance if an article starts on page 1 but only continues on page 6), write the number of the first page followed by a +.

Examples

pp. 26-35.

p. 5

pp. 4+

Second container

  • If your source was found in an online database, the location associated to your 2nd container (the database) is the DOI, which is an identifying number that functions like a link. Make sure your DOI is formatted like a URL, beginning with:

https://doi.org/

  • If your DOI does not begin with the above text, make sure to add it to the rest of the string of numbers. A complete DOI should look like this:

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2012.01407.x.

  • In situations where you don’t have a DOI, use the URL of your source instead. If possible, look for a stable URL or permalink.
  • Make sure to remove http:// or https:// from your URLs.
  • Do not insert spaces or hyphens in your links to break them, even if they do not fit well on your page.
  • Avoid using links shortened using services like bit.ly or tinyurl.
  • If your link is very long (more than 3 lines), truncate it by keeping only the first elements enclosed between slashes at the beginning of the address. For instance: go.gale.com/ps/

Click on the section of your choice to learn how to format locations in different situations.

Format

No location is included in the citation.

Example:

Cross, Gary S., and Robert N. Proctor. Packaged Pleasures: How Technology & Marketing Revolutionized Desire. U of Chicago P, 2014.

Format

  • For an essay in a book or an article in a journal, give the page numbers.
  • Write “p.” for one page or “pp.” for multiple pages followed by the first and last page (e.g. pp. 2-5).

Example:

Zaatari, Zeina. “In the Belly of the Beast: Struggling for Nonviolent Belonging.” Arab and Arab American Feminisms: Gender, Violence and Belonging, edited by Rabab Abdulhadi et al., Syracuse UP, 2011, pp. 60-77.

Format

These include web pages, online articles, eBooks as well as sources found through the library databases.

  • The location of most webpages is the URL. When citing a URL, omit the http:// or https://
  • When available, also give the page numbers as you would for a print source.
  • If your source was found in a database, you may have a DOI available. Use it in place of the URL.
  • Write out the database title in italics followed by the DOI. If your DOI does not begin with https://doi.org/, make sure you add it yourself.
  • When a DOI is not available, use the permalink (or stable URL) provided by the database.
  • Certain teachers prefer that students don’t cite using DOIs. Ask your teacher if you’re not sure.

Examples of web pages:

“First World War.” Library and Archives Canada, Government of Canada, 8 Mar. 2016, www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/Pages/introduction.aspx.

“Urban Poverty and Slum Upgrading.” The World Bank, go.worldbank.org/D7G2Q70170. Accessed 6 Apr. 2016.

Examples of articles found in a database:

Burgess, Jacqulyn N., and Marion E. Broome. “Perceptions of Weight and Body Image Among Preschool Children: A Pilot Study.” Pediatric Nursing, vol. 38, no. 3, May-June 2012, pp. 147-176. ProQuest Research Library, proquest-crc.proxy.ccsr.qc.ca/docview/1021386980?accountid=44391.

Marchetti-Mercer, Maria C. “Those Easily Forgotten: The Impact of Emigration on Those Left Behind.” Family Process, vol. 51 no.3, Sept. 2012, pp. 376-390. ProQuest Research Library, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2012.01407.x.

Format

  • Include the name of the venue and, if necessary for identification purposes, follow with the city name. The country name can also be added if useful.
  • Separate each element with a comma.

Note that for works that are in a format different than the usual, you have the option of adding a descriptor after the author name to help your reader identify the source (e.g. Lecture, Speech).

Example:

Peters, Brian M. Lecture. “Plagiarism and Academic Integrity.” English 603-1A1-01, 16 Apr. 2012, Champlain College, Saint-Lambert.