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How to Cite a Short Story
Last Updated: April 1, 2021
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Jennifer Mueller is a wikiHow Content Creator. She specializes in reviewing, fact-checking, and evaluating wikiHow's content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. Jennifer holds a JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. This article has been viewed 121,589 times.
In many research papers, you may want to cite a work of fiction, such as a short story. Since short stories normally appear in collections or anthologies, you generally cite them the same way you would cite a chapter or an essay in a larger work. Your specific format will differ depending on whether you're using the Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), or Chicago citation style.
Sample Citations
- Example: Moore, Lorrie.
- Example: Moore, Lorrie. "Community Life."
- Example: Moore, Lorrie. "Community Life." Birds of America ,
- If the larger work is an anthology or collection of stories by several authors, include the name of the editor after the title of the anthology or collection. Place a comma after the editor's name. For example: Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque of the Red Death." The Heath Introduction to Literature , edited by Alice S. Landy,
- If the short story was published independently, such as on a website, skip this part of the citation and move on to the publication information.
- Example: Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque of the Red Death." The Heath Introduction to Literature , edited by Alice S. Landy, 5th ed., D.C. Heath, 1996,
- If you found the short story online, provide the direct URL for the story instead of print publication information.
- Example: Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque of the Red Death." The Heath Introduction to Literature , edited by Alice S. Landy, 5th ed., D.C. Heath, 1996, pp. 202-206.
- Example: (Poe 204).
- Example: Poe, E. A.
- Example: Poe, E. A. (1996).
- Example: Poe, E. A. (1996). The masque of the red death.
- Example: Poe, E. A. (1996). The masque of the red death. In A. S. Landy (Ed.), The Heath introduction to literature
- If you found the short story by itself, online or elsewhere, skip this portion of the citation.
- Example: Poe, E. A. (1996). The masque of the red death. In A. S. Landy (Ed.), The Heath introduction to literature (5th ed., pp. 202-206).
- Example: Poe, E. A. (1996). The masque of the red death. In A. S. Landy (Ed.), The Heath introduction to literature (5th ed., pp. 202-206). Washington, D.C.: Heath.
- Example: (Poe, 1996).
- If you directly quote the short story, include a page number after the year. For example: (Poe, 1996, p. 204).
- Example: Poe, Edgar Allan.
- Example: Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque of the Red Death."
- Example: Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque of the Red Death." In The Heath Introduction to Literature, ed. Alice S. Landy, 202-206.
- Example: Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque of the Red Death." In The Heath Introduction to Literature, ed. Alice S. Landy, 202-206. Washington, D.C.: Heath, 1996.
- Example: Edgar Allan Poe, "The Masque of the Red Death," in The Heath Introduction to Literature , ed. Alice S. Landy (Washington, D.C.: Heath, 1996), 204.
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- ↑ http://irsc.libguides.com/c.php?g=483085&p=3303416
- ↑ http://libguides.heidelberg.edu/chicago/book/chapter
About this article
To cite a short story using MLA format, write the author's last name, add a comma, and write their first name, followed by a period. Next, write the story's title in quotation marks using title case and put a period after it, inside the closing quotation marks. Then, type the title of the anthology or collection, the name of the publisher, the name of the publication, and the page numbers for the story. For tips on citing a short story using APA or Chicago format, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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APA 7th Edition Citations Guide - Maple Woods
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A Work (e.g., essay, short story) in an Anthology or Compilation
When you are citing a work from an anthology, you will treat the work as being republished and not reprinted. Consult section 9.40 in the APA Style Guide for more information.
Author of Work Within Book Last Name, First initial. (Publication year of the anthology). Title of the particular story/chapter/essay/poem. In Editor first initial. Last name (Ed.), Title of the anthology ( pp. of chapter/essay/poem). Publisher. URL or DOI, if available (Original work published XXXX)
Note: The reference list entry for a republished or reissued work should contain information about the new publication that was used. Follow the new publication information with the year the work was originally published in parentheses using the following format: (Original work published XXXX)
Frost, R. (2006).The road not taken. In J. Parini (Ed.), T he Wadsworth anthology of poetry ( p. 598). Cengage Learning. (Original work published 1916)
Parenthetical Citation: (Frost, 1916/2006)
Narrative Citation: Frost (1916/2006)
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