Introduction

Citing sources is an essential aspect of academic writing, and when it comes to the Modern Language Association (MLA) format, there are certain rules you need to follow. If you have to cite short stories within your work, you might wonder about the right way to do so. In this article, we will discuss three ways to cite short stories in MLA format: citing from an anthology, citing from an online source, and citing from a single-author collection.

1. Citing a Short Story from an Anthology

When you cite a short story in an anthology, you need to give credit to both the story’s author and the anthology’s editor. Here’s how the citation should look like:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Short Story.” Title of the Anthology, edited by Editor’s First Name Last Name, Publisher, Year of Publication, Page Numbers.

Example:

Smith, John. “The Winter Night.” Great American Short Stories, edited by James Johnson, Penguin Classics, 2022, pp. 69-94.

2. Citing a Short Story from an Online Source

If you find a short story online and want to include it in your paper or project, follow this citation format:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Short Story.” Title of the Website or Database, Website or Database Publisher (if available), Date of Publication or Last Update (if available), URL.

Example:

Doyle, Arthur Conan. “A Scandal in Bohemia.” Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation Database, 25 Mar. 2007,

www.gutenberg.org/files/1661/1661-h/1661-h.htm.

3. Citing a Short Story from a Single-Author Collection

When quoting a short story from a collection written by one author, cite the author and specify the title of the short story, followed by the collection’s title:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Short Story.” Title of the Collection, Publisher, Year of Publication, Page Numbers.

Example:

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, Barnes &Noble Books, 1993, pp. 309-329.

Conclusion

Knowing how to cite short stories in MLA format will ensure that your academic works are accurate and professionally structured. By citing from an anthology or single-author collection to an online source, you give proper credit to authors and honor their work. Mastering these citation techniques will improve your writing skills and contribute to your success in academia.