Examples here are based on...

Gibaldi, Joseph.  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.  New York: MLA, 2003.

General Guidelines

• Your list of references should begin on a separate page, with the title "Works Cited".
• Arrange entries alphabetically, using the last name of the author. If no author is given, alphabetize by the title, eliminating any initial A, An,or The.
• Begin each entry at the left margin. If the information requires more than one line, indent the following lines one-half inch from the left margin.
• Double-space within each entry, and between each entry.
• Follow carefully the punctuation, underlining, and capitalization in the examples.
• Shorten the name of the publishing company by eliminating articles (A, An, or The), business abbreviations (Co., Inc., Ltd.), and descriptive words (Books, House, Press). However, when citing a university press, add the abbreviation "P" (Ohio State UP). If the publisher’s name is the name of one or more persons, cite the first surname only (Abrams).

Book with one author:
Author’s last name, First name and Middle initial.  Title Underlined.   Publication location:
         Publishing company, year.
example:
Koenig, Gloria.  Iconic LA: Stories of LA’s Most Memorable Buildings.  Glendale: Balcony, 2000.

Book with two or three authors:
First author’s last name, First name and Middle initial, Second author's First name and Last name,
         and Third author's First name and Last name.  Title Underlined.  Publication location:
         Publishing company, year.
example:
Landau, Robert, and John Pashdag.  Outrageous L.A.  San Francisco:  Chronicle, 1984.

Book with more than three authors:
First author’s last name, First name and Middle initial, et al.  Title Underlined.  Publication
         location:  Publishing company, year.
example:
Gebhard, David, et al.  A Guide to Architecture in San Francisco & Northern California.  Santa
         Barbara:  Peregrine, 1973.

Book with an editor:
Editor’s last name, First name and Middle initial, ed.  Title Underlined.  Publication location:
         Publishing company, year.
example:
Newland, Joseph N., ed.  Johnson, Kaufmann, Coate:  Partners in the California Style.
         Claremont:  Scripps College, 1992.

Work in an Anthology: essay, short story, poem, or other work that apears within a collection of literary pieces.
Author's last name, First name and Middle initial (if given).  "Title or Description of the Essay/Short
          Story/Poem."  Trans. (or Ed. Or Comp.) First name Last name.  Title of Book.
           Publication location:  Publishing company, year.
example:
Orwell, George. "Such, Such Were the Joys..."  Ed. Philip Lopate.  The Art of the Personal Essay:
         An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present.  New York:  Anchor-Doubleday, 1994.

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Article from a reference book, encyclopedia, or dictionary -- not signed:
"Title of Article or Entry."  Title of Reference Work.  Edition.  Year.
example:
"Los Angeles."  The New Encyclopaedia Britannica: Macropaedia.  15th ed.  1998.

note:  When citing common reference sources, it is not necessary to include all of the publication information.  If the source is less familiar, include full publication information as in the following example.

Article from a reference book, encyclopedia, or dictionary -- signed:
Author's last name, First name and Middle initial.  "Title of Article or Entry."  Title of
         Reference Work.  Editor's First name and Last name.   Edition.  Number of
         volumes in set.   Publication location:   Publishing company, year.
example:
 Turner, Thornton F.  "Mission."  A Dictionary of Architecture and Building.
         Ed.  Russell Sturgis.  1st ed. 3 vols. New York:  Macmillan, 1902.

Article from a newspaper:
Author's last name, First name and Middle initial.  "Title of Article."
     Title of Newspaper Day Month Year, edition:  page number(s).
example:
Ouroussoff, Nicolai.  "Enduring Legacy:   How the Spanish Missions Still Shape
         Modern California."  Los Angeles Times 7 Sept. 1997, home ed.:   B2+.

Article from a scholarly journal with continuous pagination:
Author's last name, First name and Middle initial.  "Title of Article." Title of Journal
         volume (year):  page number(s).
example:
Faragher, John Mack.  "Bungalow and Ranch House:  The Architectural Backwash of
         California."  Western Historical Quarterly 32 (2001): 149-173.

Article from a popular magazine:
Author's last name, First name and Middle initial.  "Title of Article."  Title of
         Magazine Day Month Year of publication:  page numbers.
example:
Mezrich, Ben.  "To Live and Die in L.A."  Wired May 2003: 131-135.

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Article from an online full-text database:
Author's last name, First name and Middle initial. "Title of Article." Title of Journal
         Where Article Originally Appeared publication date:  page numbers.
         Database Name.  Product name.  Name of Library Providing Access, Location.
         Day Month Year researcher visited site <URL>.
example:
Kellogg, Craig. "Looks Count."  Interior Design  Mar. 2003:   208-213.
         WilsonSelectPlus.  OCLC FirstSearch.   Woodbury University Library, Burbank.
         2 July 2003 <http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org>.

Webpage:
Author's last name, First name and Middle initial. "Title of the Web Page." Title of
         the Project/Database/Website.  Date of page.  Sponsoring Organization.
         Day Month Year researcher visited page <URL>.
example:
Matthews, Kevin.  "W. E. Oliver House." Great Buildings Online.  1994-2001.
         Artifice, Inc. 8 Jan. 2002  <http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/
         W._E._Oliver_House.html>.

Online Book
Author's last name, First name and Middle initial.  Title.  Publication location:  Publishing
         company, year.  Day Month year researcher visited site <URL>.
example:
Upton, Dell.  Architecture in the United States.  Oxford:  Oxford UP, 1998. 8 Jan.
         2002 <http://www.netlibrary.com/ebook_info.asp?product_id=22963>.

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In-text Citation (parenthetical references)

The list of Works Cited at the end of your paper tells your reader what resources you used to write your paper.  To avoid plagiarism or taking credit for ideas that are not your own, you must also indicate in the text of your paper precisely what is borrowed from a source and where to locate that information in the source.

• The in-text citation usually appears in parentheses and corresponds directly to an entry in your list of Works Cited.
• The author's last name and the page number are usually enough to indicate the location in the source.
• If the author's name is used in the sentence, do not repeat it in the citation.

examples:

Author's name in reference:
The architect R. M. Schindler was one of the pioneers in the use of recycled materials for building middle-class homes (Farnsworth 262).

Author's name in text:
Farnsworth describes the architect as one of the pioneers in the use of recycled materials for building homes (262).

Author quoting another source, in your text:
The architect Schindler felt that "furniture should merge with the house, leaving the room free to express its form" (qtd. in Matthews 1).

• If you use a direct quotation that is more than four lines long, set it apart from your own words by beginning a new line and indenting one inch from the left margin.  Do not add quotation marks.  A colon is usually used to introduce the quotation.  The page numbers appear at the end of the quotation.

example:

Author's name in text:
Smith provides us with a description of the architect's life during this period:

           The new lifestyle embodied in Schindler's design for his house
           was observed by the Schindler and Neutra families through diet
           and exercise, psychoanalysis, education, and the arts of music,
           dance, painting and photography.  The outdoor courts were
           dining rooms and playrooms for their toddlers who ran free
           under the sun year round. (1-2)