Formatting & Citation

Short Story Citation Guide

Accurately citing short stories is crucial for academic integrity and giving credit where it's due. This guide breaks down how to cite short stories in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles, covering common scenarios like anthologies, collections, and online sources. We provide clear examples and practical tips to ensure your citations are correct and professional, helping you avoid plagiarism and enhance your research.

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Why Citing Short Stories Matters

When you incorporate a short story into your academic work, whether it's for a literature class, a research paper, or even a critical essay, proper citation is non-negotiable. It's not just about following rules; it's about demonstrating respect for the author's intellectual property, allowing your readers to locate the exact source you used, and building credibility for your own arguments. Misattributing or failing to cite a short story can lead to accusations of plagiarism, which carries serious academic consequences. Beyond the ethical imperative, clear and consistent citation practices make your work more professional and easier for your audience to follow, especially when they want to delve deeper into the original text.

Understanding the Core Components of a Citation

Regardless of the citation style you're using (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.), most citations for short stories will share a few fundamental pieces of information. Think of these as the building blocks. You'll almost always need the author's full name, the title of the short story (usually in quotation marks), the title of the larger work where the story appears (like an anthology or collection, typically italicized), the publication information (publisher, year), and the page numbers where the story can be found. The specific order and punctuation will vary by style, but having these core elements ready is the first step to crafting an accurate citation.

MLA Style: Citing Short Stories

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is widely used in the humanities, particularly in English and literature studies. When citing a short story in MLA, the focus is on the author and the text itself. The general format for a short story found in an anthology or collection is as follows:

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Short Story." Title of Anthology/Collection, edited by Editor's Name(s), Publisher, Year of Publication, pp. Page Range.
If the story is from a book by the same author (a collection of their own stories), you can omit the editor's name and the anthology title, focusing on the collection title.

Let's look at a concrete example. Imagine you're citing "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, which appears in an anthology titled The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction.

MLA Citation Example

Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, edited by Vincent B. Leitch, 8th ed., W. W. Norton, 2015, pp. 345-352.

Key points to note in the MLA format: the author's name is inverted (Last, First), the story title is in quotation marks, the anthology title is italicized, and the page numbers are preceded by 'pp.'.

APA Style: Citing Short Stories

The American Psychological Association (APA) style is common in social sciences, education, and psychology. APA citations tend to emphasize the date of publication. For a short story in an edited collection, the format looks like this:

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year of Publication). Title of short story. In Editor's Last Name, First Initial. (Ed. or Eds.), Title of Anthology/Collection (pp. Page Range). Publisher.

Using the same example, "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson in The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, the APA citation would be:

APA Citation Example

Jackson, S. (2015). The lottery. In V. B. Leitch (Ed.), The Norton anthology of short fiction (pp. 345-352). W. W. Norton.

Notice the differences: the author's first and middle names are represented by initials, the year is placed right after the author's name, and the anthology title is italicized but not capitalized as a proper title (only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized).

Chicago Style: Citing Short Stories

The Chicago Manual of Style offers two systems: the Notes-Bibliography system (common in literature and the arts) and the Author-Date system (more common in social sciences). We'll focus on the Notes-Bibliography system, which uses footnotes or endnotes and a bibliography. For a short story in an anthology:

In-text citation (footnote/endnote): Author's First Name Last Name, "Title of Short Story," in Title of Anthology/Collection, ed. Editor's First Name Last Name (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), Page Number.
Bibliography entry: Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Short Story." In Title of Anthology/Collection, edited by Editor's First Name Last Name, Page Range. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.

Applying this to our example:

Chicago Style Citation Example (Notes-Bibliography)

Footnote/Endnote: Shirley Jackson, "The Lottery," in The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, ed. Vincent B. Leitch (New York: W. W. Norton, 2015), 347. Bibliography: Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." In The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, edited by Vincent B. Leitch, 345-352. New York: W. W. Norton, 2015.

Chicago's style is quite detailed. Note the punctuation in the footnote (commas separating elements) versus the bibliography (periods separating major components). The place of publication is also included in Chicago.

Handling Different Scenarios

While anthologies are common, short stories can appear in various places. Here are a few other scenarios and how to approach them:

Short Story in a Single-Author Collection: If a book contains only short stories by one author (e.g., Dubliners by James Joyce), you cite the story and then the collection title. The editor's name and anthology title are usually omitted.
Short Story from a Magazine or Newspaper: Include the magazine/newspaper title, date, and page number. For online articles, include the URL or DOI.
Short Story from a Website (e.g., Project Gutenberg, online literary journals): Provide the website name, the specific page title or article title, and the URL. Note the access date if the content might change.
Short Story Published Online with a DOI: If a short story published online has a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), always use that in your citation (especially in APA and MLA) as it's a stable link.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Even with clear guides, citation can be tricky. Here are some common mistakes and how to sidestep them:

Incorrect Punctuation: Pay close attention to commas, periods, quotation marks, and italics. A misplaced comma can change the meaning or look unprofessional.
Missing Information: Double-check that you have all the necessary components: author, story title, collection/anthology title, editor (if applicable), publisher, year, and page numbers.
Inconsistent Formatting: Ensure that all your citations follow the chosen style guide consistently throughout your paper. Don't mix MLA and APA elements.
Plagiarism: When in doubt, cite! It's always better to over-cite than to under-cite. Paraphrasing still requires a citation.
Using the Wrong Edition: If you're citing a specific edition of an anthology, make sure your citation reflects that edition (e.g., the 8th edition in our MLA example).

In-Text Citations: The Essential Companion

Remember that your bibliography or works cited list is only part of the citation puzzle. You also need in-text citations to point readers to the specific source within the body of your paper. The format varies by style:

MLA: (Author's Last Name Page Number). Example: (Jackson 347).
APA: (Author's Last Name, Year, p. Page Number). Example: (Jackson, 2015, p. 347).
Chicago (Notes-Bibliography): Use footnotes or endnotes. The first time you cite a source, the note includes full publication details. Subsequent notes can be shortened. Example: Jackson, "The Lottery," 347.

These in-text citations are crucial for guiding your reader directly to the source material you've referenced, whether you're quoting directly or paraphrasing.

Conclusion: Mastering the Art of Citation

Citing short stories accurately might seem daunting at first, but by understanding the core components and the specific requirements of styles like MLA, APA, and Chicago, you can master this essential academic skill. Always refer to the official style guides or reliable resources like the Purdue OWL for the most up-to-date information. Consistent, accurate citation not only upholds academic integrity but also strengthens your credibility as a writer and researcher. Practice these formats, and soon they'll become second nature, allowing you to focus on the substance of your analysis rather than the mechanics of citation.

FAQs

What if the short story is online and doesn't have page numbers?

If an online source lacks page numbers, you typically omit them from your citation. In MLA, you might use paragraph numbers (e.g., par. 5) if they are clearly marked. In APA, if there are no page numbers, you can use paragraph numbers or section headings. Always check the specific style guide for the most current advice on citing pageless online sources.

How do I cite a short story that is part of a collection by the same author?

When a short story is part of a collection of works by a single author (e.g., a collection of Raymond Carver's stories), you cite the story and then the collection title. You generally don't need to include an editor's name or the anthology title unless the collection itself is edited by someone other than the author. The format will be similar to citing a story in an anthology, but you'll focus on the author's collection.

What's the difference between a bibliography and a works cited page?

In MLA style, the list of all sources used is called a 'Works Cited' page. In Chicago style (Notes-Bibliography system) and APA style, this list is typically referred to as a 'Bibliography' or 'References' page, respectively. The key is that it lists all the sources you've referenced in your paper.