How To Cite A Short Story In MLA and APA From Any Source | Formats & Examples

There are several ways, as well as, different formats on how to cite a short story. Citations of short stories are pretty additions to works or refere

How To Cite A Short Story In MLA and APA FroThere are several ways, as well as, different formats on how to cite a short story. Citations of short stories are pretty additions to works or reference lists. As a results, there are some already widely recognized and acceptable formats for these citations.

Out of the formatting styles on how to cite a short story, the most recognized one is the MLA format. The other one is APA.

In line with the title of this article, this article provides comprehensive information on how to cite a short story in APA and MLA, and some other additional information that may interest you about them.

Noteworthy, you can either use reference list or in-text citations methods.

How To Cite A Short Story

Reference list citation is quite the most popular citation method often seen. Despite this, citing a short story can be a great way to strengthen your paper. To do an in-text citation, include the author's last name and the page number in parentheses after the quoted text.

You will find several examples on both methods below.

How do you cite a short story in-text citation?

Citing a short story can be a great way to strengthen your paper. To do an in-text citation, include the author's last name and the page number in parentheses after the quoted text.

How To Cite A Short Story In MLA format

Before we proceed to the underlying topics and subtopics, what is the MLA?

Meaning of MLA

MLA is an acronym for Modern Language Association. This is a literature  and language association based in United States, and is most reputable for its MLA Handbook. The MLA Handbook is also formerly known as MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.

What is the MLA Handbook

It's the handbook that establishes a system for documenting sources in scholarly writing. It contains style that is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities.

Guides On How To Cite A Short Story In MLA Format

It's evident that the citations of short stories and essays in MLS come from a variety of sources. This could be in a textbook or possibly an anthology, newspapers and websites.

For this section, we will consider how to cite a short story in textbooks, books, collection of short stories, newspapers, magazines and online websites in accordance with the MLA standard format.

How To Cite A Short Story In A Book

This format is pretty simple to note. The following showed the various things to include while citing a short story from a book.and the order that should be strictly followed.

For the reference list format in this category, you should include the following:

Author’s Last, First Name. “Short Story Title.” Title of Collection, Publisher, Year, pp. xx-xx.

As for the in-text citation format, only include the author's last name and the page number you cited from the book.

For instance, we cited a page from Maya Angelou's book.

Angelou 127.

How to Cite a Story in a Textbook in MLA

It can be easily assumed that textbooks tend to be works written by several authors' contributions and as well as multiple editors. As a result, there's a need to include not only the name of the authors of the short story, but also the name of the editor as a contributor after the title.

The format on how to cite a short story in a textbook in MLA format is:

Author’s Last, First Name. “Short Story Title.” Title of Collection, edited by Editor’s Name, Edition, Publisher, Year, pp. xx-xx.

Example on how to cite a short story in this format:

James, Gary. “How To Feel.” Literature: Drama, Fiction, and Poetry, edited by Edeth Graham, 9th ed., McGraw Hill, pp. 698-708.

However, as for the in-text citation, use the following format.

(James 700)

How to Cite a Collection of Short Stories According To MLA Format

To Cite a collection of short stories according to this format, follow the prescribed format above. This is because the same format is applicable for the citations from a textbook and from a collection of short stories.

Example on how to cite a short story in this format

Daniel, John. “Borges and I.” The Uptown Hill, edited by James Daley, Penguin Publications, pp. 236-42.

For the in-line citation, (Daniel 337)

How to Cite a Short Story in a Newspaper or Magazine MLA

It's also possible to come across short stories in newspapers and magazines. Citation from these sources is similar to the citation format applicable to an article.

The format on how to cite a short story from these sources are:

Author’s Last, First Name. “Title of Story.” Title of Newspaper or Magazine, Day Month Year, Pages.

MLA Short Story Magazine Example

Dillard, Barry. “A Christmas Disaster.” Good Housekeeping, Mar. 2020, pp. 143-48.

As for the in-text citation:

(Dillard 145)

In addition, if it's an online magazine, you are required to include the URL of the magazine and he date it was accessed.

MLA Short Story Online Magazine Citation Example:

Billy, Barry. “A Saturday Disaster.” Good March, Mar. 2022, www.goodmarch.com/article/lifewriting/asaturdaydisaster. Accessed 10 Oct. 2020.

For in-text citations:

(Billy)

How to Cite a Short Story From a Website MLA

Online websites nowadays are one of the best ways to come across short stories of different genres. As a result, it becomes quite necessary to know how to cite a short story from this source.

MLA format for citing a short Story from a website is:

Author’s Last, First Name. “Title of Short Story.” Website, Day Month Year, URL.

It is however important to note that if the author’s name is missing, the story’s title moves to the first position. 

MLA Short Story Website Citation Example

Berger, Sharon. “Ten Feets Wide.” American Literature, 25 Sept. 2018, www.americanliterature.com/shortstories/tenfeetswide

As for the in-text citations:

(Sunday)

How To Cite A Short Story In APA Format

As stated in the first few paragraphs, we mentioned that the two most recognized formats for citations are MLA and APA Format. After considering how to cite a short story in accordance with the MLA format, let's also have a sneek peek on how to cite a short story in APA Format.

But then, what is APA?

APA is an acronyms for The American Psychological Association. The association designed APA for science and technical papers. It also provide a guide on different types of citations, short stories inclusive.

 

This is the advantage this format provides but the MLA format couldn't.

Guides On How To Cite A Short Story In APA Format

Using the APA format, you can create a short story citation for books, textbooks, anthologies, periodicals, and websites through examples.

This guides feature both the reference list and in-text citations.

How To Cite a Short Story in a Book or Anthology APA

To cite a short story in a book, you should include the name of the author of the short story, as well as the editor of the anthology or book.

The format for citing a short story in a book or anthology is:

Author, A. (Year). Short story title. In A. Editor (Ed.). Title of book or anthology (pp. xx-xx). Publisher.

As for the in-text citation:

(Author, Year)

APA Short Story Book or Anthology Citation Example:

Colton, S. (2020). A Little More. In A. Barry (Ed.). Psychological foundations: Stories and Memories (pp. 66-70). Newman.

(Colton, 2020)

However, if it's  an online book, you need to add the URL to the end. Also, there is no period after the URL.

 

How to Cite a Story in a Textbook in APA

Short stories in textbooks in APA follow the same format as a collection, but you add the edition.

Graham, G. (2020). Falling down the rabbit hole. In E. Zalta (Ed.), Science: Exploration of the psychic (9th ed.). MacGraw Hill.

(Graham, 2020)

How to Cite a Short Story in a Periodical APA

The format for citing a short story in a periodical according to APA is:

Author, A., & Author, B. (Date). Short story title. Title of Periodical, volume(issue), pages. URL

How To Cite a Short Story From a Website APA

The format is:

Author, A. (Year, Month Day). Title of the essay. Website. URL

Conclusion 

This article: how to cite a short story in MLA and APA style from any source provides more examples and information on how to cite short stories. They serve as guides for correct citations and references.