Books

What are we looking for? Accuracy (Reliability) – the reliability of the material itself and to its use of proper documentation. Currency – how relevant the information contained in the book may be (publication date). Type of book (authored, edited, anthology, electronic).

Books with 1-3 Authors Books authored by one to three (1-3) authors are cited in the same manner. Books with one author begin with the last name, followed by the first name. Any other authors up to three will be connected with a comma, and will be formatted as first name last name. Examples: Smith, Kyle. Smith, Kyle, and Sarah Johnson. Smith, Kyle, Sarah Johnson, and Herbert Hoover.

MLA Entry Authored Books (pg. 213): Last name, First name. Title of the Book. Publisher Place (city of publication, found on the title page): Publisher (found on the back of the title page), Year of Publication (found on the back of the title page; use the most recent year). Print.

Examples Smith, Kyle. Cooking Food 101. New York: Penguin, 2010. Print. Smith, Kyle, and Sarah Johnson. Cooking Food 101. New York: Penguin, 2010. Print. Smith, Kyle, Sarah Johnson, and Herbert Hoover. Cooking Food 101. New York: Penguin, 2010. Print.

Books with 4 or more Authors Books authored by four or more (4+) authors are cited in the same manner, however, there is only one listed author. That author is followed by the phrase “et al.” This phrase stands for all the other authors, and by using this phrase we can save time and space. Example: Smith, Kyle, et al.

Example 4+ authored books (pg. 214): Smith, Kyle, et al. Cooking Food 101. New York: Penguin, 2010. Print.

Edited Books and Anthologies Edited books are books of which content is authored by an individual, yet compiled by another individual (an editor). Similar to edited books are anthologies. Anthologies are different in the fact that the content is authored by multiple authors (think about your Language Arts and English books) and are compiled by an editor(s). What makes these citations different from authored books is we have to give credit to the editors, too.

Examples Book with an Editor (pg. 214): Smith, Kyle. Cooking Food 101. Ed. Michael Peterson. New York: Penguin, 2010. Print. Work in an Anthology (pg. 217): Smith, Kyle. “How to Cook Chicken.” Cooking Food 101. Ed. Michael Peterson. New York: Penguin, 2010. 176-177. Print.

Electronic Books Electronic books can be found on online forums (such as GoogleBooks) and/or the library databases (NetLibrary for example). These are cited similarly to the authored, edited, and anthology books, but you have to include some extra electronic information.

Examples Electronic Books found on the internet (pg. 225): Smith, Kyle. Cooking Food 101. New York, 2010. Google Book Search (this is the forum on the internet that provides the book for you). Web. 8 June 2011. <URL>. *NOTE: there is no Publisher here, just the city. Electronic Books found in the databases (pg. 133 in RS): Smith, Kyle. Cooking Food 101. New York: Penguin, 2010. NetLibrary (this is the database you got the book from). Web. 8 June 2011. <URL>. *NOTE: there IS a Publisher here!

Formatting Notes If a book has an edition (noted as # ed.), it will promptly follow either the title if there is no editor, or will follow the editor. Example: Cooking Food 101. 2nd ed. -or- Cooking Food 101. Ed. Michael Peterson. 2nd ed. When typing entries for books, you need to make sure you are paying attention to the type of book. Each book, while cited similarly, has slight changes in: Order Information, and Punctuation used.