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How to Format Publishers in MLA 9

The publisher is the name of the organization or company responsible for making the work available, and you’ll want to be sure to correctly cite this information. To cite publishers using MLA 9

• Include only the name of publishers and omit business words. The business words are usually found directly after the name of the publisher. This includes words such as company, corporation, limited, and others. (Example: Use Dream Books NOT Dream Books Company, LLC.)
• Use UP for University Press (Example: Use Cambridge UP not Cambridge University Press)

How to Cite a Book in MLA 9

Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree. Harper and Row, 1964.

Sometimes there will be numerous organizations listed as being responsible for publishing the source (for instance, a publishing imprint as well as the parent publisher). In this case, just include the company that is most responsible for the source’s publication.

If two or more organizations are equally responsible, separate the names with a forward slash.

Bilodeau, Brent L. “Understanding Genderism.” The Art of Effective Facilitation: Reflections from Social Justice Educators, edited by Lisa M. Landreman, ACPA-College Student / Stylus, 2013, pp. 67-80.

It is not always necessary to include the name of the publisher. For the following sources, omit this information:

• Any periodicals including journals, magazines, or newspapers
• A website when its name is the same as the publisher
• A self-published work
• A website that is not involved in creating the works it distributes, like YouTube or a blogging platform. Those website go in the container element instead.