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How To - Use the MLA Style Guide: Location

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. 150-65Academic 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.