Anthologies are collections of writings published in a book or journal. The writings center around a similar theme, time, or subject matter. Oftentimes, this involves various authors. However, collections of poems or short stories by the same author are also anthologies. How you cite an anthology in MLA style depends on whether you are referencing the whole anthology or a single entry in it. Learn how to create an MLA anthology citation through examples.
Types of Anthologies
Using works from anthologies gives you a way to find related research sources. An anthology is a collection of related works. Often poetry and short stories are collected into a single book. MLA 8 anthology examples use the nine core elements within the container system in the works cited. To cite one essay out of a collection of works, use this MLA citation format. Short stories are collected in an anthology. For example, consider this book on Chicano/Latino writings:
The Chicano/Latino Literary Prize: An Anthology of Prize-Winning Fiction, Poetry, and Drama Paperback – May 31, 2008
By Stephanie Fetta. (Editor) This landmark collection of prize-winning fiction, poetry, and drama paints a historical and aesthetic panorama of Chicana/o and Latina/o letters over a twenty-five-year period beginning in 1974 and ending in 1999.
Works by a single author are often collected in an anthology too.
The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe Paperback – September 12, 1975
by Edgar Allan Poe (Author).
How to Cite a Whole Anthology in MLA
If you’re citing the whole anthology in MLA, use the editor(s) name in place of the author. When this is the case, also indicate they are an editor by adding ed. after the name.
Last, First Name, ed. Title of Anthology. Edition number, Publisher, Year.
How to Cite an Anthology in MLA – Works Cited
Carretta, Vincent, ed. Unchained Voices: An Anthology of Black Authors in the English-Speaking World of the Eighteenth Century. University Press of Kentucky, 2013.
Mazer, Anne, ed. America Street: A Multicultural Anthology of Stories. Turtleback Books, 1993.
How to Cite an Anthology MLA In-Text
If you’re paraphrasing or summarizing a work, place the author’s last name or editor in parentheses. For a direct quotation, include the page number.
(Carretta)
(Mazer 8)
MLA Anthology Citation Examples – Single Selection
Typically, you’ll be citing one selection out of the collection rather than the whole anthology. Format those citations as follows:
Last name, First name. “Title of Essay.” Title of Collection, edited by Editor’s Name(s), Publisher, Year, Page range of entry.
How to Cite an Anthology Selection MLA Example – Works Cited
Hughes, Langston. “The All-American Slurp.” America Street: A Multicultural Anthology of Stories, edited by Anne Mazer, Turtleback Books. 1993. pp. 18-25.
How to Cite an Anthology Single Author Example
There may not be an editor if the anthology consists of a single author’s works. So, use the author’s name as you normally would for other books.
Angelou, Maya. “Amazing Peace.” Maya Angelou: The Complete Poetry. Random House, 2015. Google Books. pp. 283-285
Online MLA Anthology Citation Examples
Often, you’ll find good books, including anthologies, available online. Cite these sources using MLA’s nine core elements and include the URL or DOI at the end of the citation.
Last, First Name, ed. Title of Anthology. Publisher, Year, URL.
Online MLA Anthology Citation Example – Works Cited
Begbie, Harold, ed. The Bed Book of Happiness. Gutenberg, 2004, www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13457.
Online MLA Anthology Citation Example – In-Text Citation
(Begbie)
(Begbie 48)
- If your source has a DOI, use that instead of the URL.
- Follow the MLA book format for citing anthologies.
Nesting MLA Containers
If the work you are citing in your MLA paper was previously published on its own, you need to add that publication information too. You do this by nesting the containers. There are nine core elements to a citation. Elements 3 to 9 are considered a container.
The first two elements stay the same:
- Author
- Title of source
The remaining 7 elements can be repeated at the end of the first container. This is how you account for additional publication information.
Container One Example
- Title of container,
- Other contributors,
- Version,
- Number,
- Publisher,
- Publication date,
- Location
How to Cite an Anthology
Creating citations for anthologies in MLA works cited pages follows the same basic format as books. Use the container system with its core elements. This gives you an easy way to place the data in the correct order. Also, don’t forget to punctuate as noted! Use MLA anthology citation examples to make sure your citations are perfect.
FAQ Citing an Anthology in MLA Works Cited Pages
How do you cite an anthology?
To cite a whole anthology in any writing style, you typically include the anthology editor rather than the author of a specific work. However, if you are citing an excerpt from an anthology, you use the author's name that created the excerpt. How you format your citations varies depending on the specific style. For example, MLA uses the 9 core elements and container system.
How do you cite an anthology in MLA?
To cite a whole anthology in MLA style, you include the work's editor rather than the author. You will then use all the containers that fit into the work. An example of an MLA anthology:
Duben, Anne, ed. Stories Around the World. New York Publishing, 2010.
How do you cite an excerpt from an anthology?
To cite an anthology in MLA of works by the same author, you include the author of the work, title, collection title, editor's name, publisher, year, and page range. An example of an MLA anthology citation includes:
Frost, Robert. "A Road Not Taken." The Poetry of Robert Frost, edited by Edward Lethem, Turtleback Books. 2010. pp. 18-25.
How do you cite a single work in an anthology MLA?
To cite a single work in an anthology in MLA, you use the author's name of the work you are citing. For example, if you were citing a poem by Maya Angelou in an anthology about African American poems, you would use Maya Angelou and the poem's title as the first two elements. You'd then follow the container system to add the rest of the elements.
How do you in text cite an excerpt?
To in-text cite an excerpt from an anthology in MLA, you include the author's last name and page number of the excerpt. An example of an MLA anthology excerpt looks like:
(Maya 76)