mla citation for online dictionary oxford english

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mla citation for online dictionary oxford english

How To Cite The Oxford English Dictionary: Using MLA And APA

Writing academic essays and research papers can be more complex than it already is when you don’t know how to cite the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).

It becomes even more confusing depending on what type of OED you’re using, online or print. Why? Because you cite them in different ways. You can now rest easy since you’ve come to the right place. Read more if you want to learn how to cite the Oxford English Dictionary.

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MLA or APA?

The first step to citing any reference is to figure out what style you need to follow: MLA or APA? What’s the difference, you ask?

Good question!

The most significant is that MLA (Modern Language Association) is used for arts and humanities while APA (American Psychology Association) is for social science. Once you determine which style you need to use, you’re on your way to writing an academic essay !

How To Cite The Oxford English Dictionary Using MLA 9th Edition

Library database, known author.

If you’re accessing the Oxford English Dictionary via a library database and you know who the author is, this is how you cite it.

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Entry.” Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , edited by Editor’s First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol. Volume Number if more than one volume, Publisher Name, Date of Publication, pp. First Page-Last Page. Name of Database . https://doi.org/DOI if there is one.

If the word you’re referencing is only found on one page, list it as such—no need to write it as a first page-last page. But if there’s no page number, you can choose to omit it. What if you don’t know who the editors are or what volume it is? You can also leave them out of your citation.

In-Text Citation:

(Author’s Last Name, page number)

If the page number is unavailable:

(Author’s Last Name)

Unknown Author

What if you don’t know who the author is? Here’s how to cite your entry.

“Title of Entry.” Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , edited by Editor’s First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol. Volume Number, Publisher Name, Date of Publication, pp. First Page-Last Page. Name of Database . https://doi.org/DOI if there is one.

What if you don’t have specific information such as pages volume numbers and editors? You don’t have to include them.

Since you don’t know the author, you need to input the first one to three words from the entry title. Please remember to enclose the title within quotation marks. Also, don’t forget to capitalise the first letter of each word. Just like this:

(“Diversity”)

Perhaps the easiest way to access the Oxford English Dictionary is through their various websites. If you know the author, here’s how to cite it:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Entry.” Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , Publication or Update Date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited.

Did you notice that “Accessed Day Month Year site was visited” is unique to website citations? If you’re wondering, it simply refers to the day you visited the website. Also, don’t forget to abbreviate the month for the publication/update date and the accessed date; it’s necessary to abbreviate the month.

If you don’t know who the author is, you can cite your entry this way:

“Title of Entry.” Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , Publisher if known, Copyright Date or Date Updated, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited.

With the lack of author information, all you have to do is place the first one to three words of the entry title within quotation marks. Remember to capitalise the first letter of each term. Here’s how:

(“Victorian”)

Of course, we can’t forget physical Oxford English Dictionaries! If you intend to use one, here’s how you can cite the material:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Entry.” Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary, edited by Editor’s First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol. Volume Number, Publisher Name, Year of Publication, pp. First Page-Last Page.

In case the author’s name is not provided, just the editors’, cite it this way:

“Title of Entry.” Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , edited by Editor’s First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol. Volume Number, Publisher Name, Year of Publication, pp. First Page-Last Page.

Since there’s no author information available, you can use the first one to three words of the entry title and enclose it with quotation marks. Capitalise the first letter of each word. Then place the page number after. Take a look at this:

(“Middle Age” 545)

How To Cite Two Authors

How should you cite the material if there are two authors? By listing them how they appear on the page. Not alphabetically!

First Author’s Last Name, First Author’s First Name, and First Name Last Name of Second Author

Here’s what it will look like:

Will, Thomas, and Melissa Jones

How To Cite More Than Two Authors

If there are more than two authors, what you need to do is to focus on the first author in the list.

Last Name, First Name, et al.

In actual practice, it will look like this:

Will, Thomas, et al.

How To Cite The Oxford English Dictionary Using APA 7th Edition

The APA style is more straightforward than the MLA. When citing authors, remember it’s only the last name that’s spelt out. The first name is abbreviated. If the author’s name is Melissa Jones, the citation will look like this:

Jones, M.

If the author’s middle name is given, for instance, Melissa Smith Jones, here’s how to cite it.

Jones, M.S.

When referencing the Oxford English Dictionary you find online, determine if it’s an archived version or not. If not, it means that the dictionary is continuously being updated.

Online Archived Version:

Author A. A. (Date). Title of entry. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Name of dictionary/encyclopedia . URL.

Online Version With Continuous Updates:

Author A. A. (n.d.). Title of entry. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Name of dictionary/encyclopedia (edition, if not the first). Publisher. URL.

No Authors, But There Are Editors:

Editor, A., & Editor, B. (Eds.). (Date). Dictionary/Encyclopedia entry. In Name of dictionary/encyclopedia (edition, if not the first). Publisher.

No Authors And No Editors: Use Company As Corporate Author

Corporate Author. (Date). Dictionary/Encyclopedia entry. In Name of dictionary/encyclopedia (edition, if not the first). Publisher.

In-Text Citation

(Author’s last name, date)

Wrapping Up

There you have it! By now you know how to cite the Oxford English Dictionary using both the MLA and APA styles. You’ll be more confident writing your papers from now on.

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MLA Citation Guide (9th Edition): Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

On This Page: Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

Encyclopedia or dictionary from library database - known author, encyclopedia or dictionary from library database - unknown author, encyclopedia or dictionary from a website - known author, encyclopedia or dictionary from a website - unknown author, encyclopedia or dictionary entry in print - known author, encyclopedia or dictionary in print - unknown author, citing two authors, citing three or more authors, abbreviating months.

In your works cited list, abbreviate months as follows:

January = Jan. February = Feb. March = Mar. April = Apr. May = May June = June July = July August = Aug. September = Sept. October = Oct. November = Nov. December = Dec.

Spell out months fully in the body of your paper.

It can sometimes be difficult to find out who the author of a website is. Remember that an author can be a corporation or group, not only a specific person. Author information can sometimes be found under an "About" section on a website.

If there is no known author, start the citation with the title of the website instead.

Capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title. You do not need to capitalize words such as: in, of, or an. Do not use all-caps (except for words like USA where each letter stands for something), even if the words appear that way on the article.

If there is a colon (:) in the title, include what comes after the colon (also known as the subtitle).

The publisher or sponsoring organization can often be found in a copyright notice at the bottom of the home page or on a page that gives information about the site. When the page is authored and published by the same corporation/group/organization, omit the author and begin your citation with the title.

Publisher information may be omitted for:

The best date to use for a website is the date that the content was last updated. Otherwise look for a copyright or original publication date. Unfortunately this information may not be provided or may be hard to find. Often date information is put on the bottom of the pages of a website.

If you do not know the complete date, put as much information as you can find. For example you may have a year but no month or day.

Access Date

Date of access is optional in MLA 9th edition. When no publication date is included, we recommend including the date you last accessed the site.

Note : For your Works Cited list, all citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Entry." Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , edited by Editor's First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol. Volume Number if more than one volume, Publisher Name, Date of Publication, pp. First Page-Last Page. Name of Database . https://doi.org/DOI if there is one.

Note : MLA 9th edition recommends including a DOI, stable link, or URL. We recommend that URLs be left out when citing a work found in a library database. Because library databases require a login most URLs will stop working after the session ends. If there is a DOI, include this as the last element, beginning with https://doi.org/.

If you do not have information such as an editor's name, a volume or page numbers leave those sections out of your citation.

"Title of Entry." Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , edited by Editor's First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol. Volume Number, Publisher Name, Date of Publication, pp. First Page-Last Page. Name of Database . https://doi.org/DOI if there is one.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Entry." Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , Publication or Update Date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited .

"Title of Entry." Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , Publisher if known, Copyright Date or Date Updated, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited .

"Title of Entry." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Day Month Year entry was last modified, Time entry was last modified, URL of entry. Accessed Day Month Year Wikipedia entry was last viewed.

Note : The date and time the article was last modified appears at the bottom of each Wikipedia article.

Keep in mind that Wikipedia may not be considered an acceptable source for a college or university assignment. Be sure to evaluate the content carefully and check with your instructor if you can use it as a source in your assignment.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Entry." Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , edited by Editor's First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol. Volume Number, Publisher Name, Year of Publication, pp. First Page-Last Page.

"Title of Entry." Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary , edited by Editor's First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first edition, vol. Volume Number, Publisher Name, Year of Publication, pp. First Page-Last Page.

If there are two authors, cite the the authors as follows (list authors in the order they are given on the page, not alphabetically):

Last Name, First Name of First Author, and First Name Last Name of Second Author.

Example: Smith, James, and Sarah Johnston.

If there are three or more authors, cite only the name of the first author listed with their Last Name, First Name followed by a comma et al.

Example: Smith, James, et al.

How do I cite a term in an online or print dictionary that lists several numbered definitions?

Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook . For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook .

Follow the MLA format template and begin with the headword (as it appears) as the title of the source. Note that this may include parts of speech.

“Heavy, Adj. (1) and N .” Oxford English Dictionary , Oxford UP, 2015, www.oed.com/view/Entry/85246?rskey=aIe8OM&result=1.

“Heavy.” Oxford English Dictionary , 2nd ed., vol. 7, Clarendon Press, 1989, p. 84.

The first example above, taken from our sample fourth-year paper on Jane Austen , is for the online edition of the Oxford English Dictionary ; the second is for the print edition.

In the text of your work, provide a parenthetical citation that includes the term and the definition number:

Here, heavy does not mean overweight, as we might think, but probably “ponderous and slow in intellectual processes; wanting in facility, vivacity, or lightness” (“Heavy,” def. A.18).

Library Catalogue

Citing encyclopedias & dictionaries: MLA (8th) citation guide

This guide is based on the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers , 8th ed. and provides selected citation examples for common types of sources. For more detailed information please consult the print version of the handbook available at the SFU Library.

For the best printing results for this guide, use the printer-friendly PDF format .

Encyclopedias and dictionaries

Parenthetical (in-text).

(Bergmann 502)

("Cronstedtite")

Works cited

Bergmann, Peter G. "Relativity." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica: Macropaedia. 15th ed. 29 vols. Britannica, 2002.

"Cronstedtite." The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. OED Online. www.oed.com/view/Entry/44734?redirectedFrom=Cronstedtite#eid. Accessed 14 June 2016.

Citing an encyclopedia article or dictionary entry is similar to citing a chapter in an anthology in a book .

Include the author's name (if available), the article or entry title, the title of the reference work.

If the work was accessed online, include the database used and the URL. You may also choose to include access date.

If the article or entry is unsigned, provide the title first.

Home / Guides / Citation Guides / MLA Format / How to Cite a Dictionary in MLA

How to Cite a Dictionary in MLA

Dictionary – Definitions in print, on a website, or on an online database.

Citing a dictionary entry from a website or print book

Dictionary citation structure:.

“Title of Entry.” Title of Dictionary , edition (if applicable), Publisher, date published, page number or URL.

*Title note: If the word you are citing includes multiple parts of speech and/or definitions, be sure to include the specific definition you are citing as part of the title. The part of speech should be abbreviated and italicized and included after the word, preceded by a comma. The definition number should follow the part of speech in parentheses.

For example, “Title of entry, Abbreviated part of speech. (Definition number).”

Dictionary Citation Example:

“Food Bank.” Cambridge Dictionary , Cambridge University Press, dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/food-bank.

Dictionary In-text Citation Structure :

(“Title of Entry”)

Dictionary In-text Citation Example:

(“Food Bank”)

Published August 10, 2012. Updated May 29, 2021.

MLA Formatting Guide

MLA Formatting

Citation Examples

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To cite a dictionary in MLA style, you need to have basic information including the entry’s headword (as it appears), part of speech, the title of the dictionary, and when applicable, the URL. If the definition lists multiple possible definitions, you also need to include the definition number. Templates for an in-text citation and a works-cited-list reference for an online dictionary entry are given below, with examples:

In-text citation template and example:

In parenthetical citations, use the term in double quotation marks.

Parenthetical:

(“Entry Word”).

(“Transliterate”).

When there is a definition number, use the term in double quotation marks followed by the abbreviation “def.” and the number as styled in the dictionary. Separate the definition entry word from the definition number with a comma.

(“Transliterate,” def. A18).

Works-cited-list entry template and example:

Style the entry title or headword by placing it in double quotation marks. Style the dictionary title by placing it in italics.

“Title of the Entry, Part of speech .” Title of the Dictionary , Year, URL.

“Transliterate, V .” Merriam-Webster , 2021, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transliterate .

Example with a definition number:

Include the definition number in the headword or entry title as it appears in the dictionary.

“Transliterate, V . (1).” Merriam-Webster , 2021, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transliterate .

To cite an encyclopedia entry in MLA style, you need to have basic information including the authors, entry, editors, publication year, title of the encyclopedia, publisher, and page numbers. The templates for in-text citations and works-cited-list entries of an encyclopedia entry, along with examples, are given below:

For citations in prose, use the first name and surname of the author in the first occurrence. In subsequent citations, use only the surname. In parenthetical citations, always use only the surname of the author.

Citation in prose:

First mention: Carolyn Ellis . . .

Subsequent occurrences: Ellis . . .

. . . (Ellis)

The title of the encyclopedia is given in italics and is in title case.

Surname, First Name. “Title of the Entry.” Title of the Encyclopedia , edited by Name of the Editor, Publisher, Publication date, page.

Ellis, Carolyn. “Systematic Sociological Introspection.” The Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods , edited by Lisa M. Given, Sage, 2012, p. 854.

MLA Citation Examples

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Citing a Dictionary Entry in MLA Style | Format & Examples

Published on July 1, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on November 10, 2022.

In MLA style , a Works Cited entry for a dictionary entry usually starts with the title of the entry—since dictionaries usually don’t list authors .

The example below shows how to cite an entry in an online dictionary. If the page displays the year when the specific entry was last updated, use that year after the dictionary name. Otherwise, include an access date after the URL instead, as in this example.

You can easily cite a dictionary entry with the help of our free MLA Citation Generator.

Generate accurate MLA citations with Scribbr

Table of contents, parts of speech and definition numbers, citing a print dictionary, citing a dictionary entry with an author, frequently asked questions about mla citations.

Some words are spelled the same but have different meanings and functions. To distinguish between them in your Works Cited list, MLA recommends you include the part of speech and (if available) the definition number of the entry you are citing.

Part of speech

A part of speech identifies the grammatical role a word plays. There are eight parts of speech in English: noun , pronoun , verb , adjective , adverb , preposition , conjunction , and interjection. Dictionaries usually identify the part of speech next to the word.

MLA recommends abbreviating the part of speech, and presenting it in italics. Check the table below for the correct abbreviation of each part of speech.

The part of speech should always be included when available, even if it’s the only one listed for the word you’re citing.

Definition number

If there are multiple identical words that function as the same part of speech but have different meanings, they will usually be numbered to distinguish between them. Look for a number that appears next to the part of speech, not the numbering within the entry itself.

For example, here’s an entry from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary .

If available, include the definition number in parentheses after the part of speech.

If there’s no definition number, you can omit this part.

In-text citations

In the in-text citation, the title should be shortened to just the word itself—omit the part of speech and definition number here.

However, if you need to direct the reader to a specific sense of the word, you can do this using the numbering within the specific entry you’re citing. Use the abbreviation “def.” for “definition” and give the numbering that identifies the specific sense you’re citing.

However, the word lock can also refer to “an enclosure . . . with gates at each end used in raising or lowering boats” (“Lock,” def. 2.a ).

To cite an entry from a dictionary you accessed in print, omit the URL and add the edition, the publisher, and the page number of the entry.

Note that page numbers are not included in the in-text citation, since most dictionary entries appear on a single page. The numbering within the entry is a more useful locator and should be used instead.

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See editing example

Some specialist dictionaries do list authors—either a single overall author or editor, or an overall editor in combination with individual authors for the different entries. Specialist dictionaries may not list parts of speech or definition numbers; omit them if not included.

To cite a dictionary with a single author or editor, just include their name at the start of your Works Cited entry, followed by “editor” if that’s how they’re identified on the title page.

When the dictionary lists different authors for individual entries, list the author of the entry you cite first, then include the editor of the dictionary later. The example below comes from an online specialist dictionary.

In most standard dictionaries , no author is given for either the overall dictionary or the individual entries, so no author should be listed in your MLA citations.

Instead, start your Works Cited entry and your MLA in-text citation with the title of the entry you’re citing (i.e. the word that’s being defined), in quotation marks.

If you cite a specialist dictionary that does list an author and/or overall editor, these should be listed in the same way as they would for other citations of books or book chapters .

If a source has no author, start the MLA Works Cited entry with the source title . Use a shortened version of the title in your MLA in-text citation .

If a source has no page numbers, you can use an alternative locator (e.g. a chapter number, or a timestamp for a video or audio source) to identify the relevant passage in your in-text citation. If the source has no numbered divisions, cite only the author’s name (or the title).

If you already named the author or title in your sentence, and there is no locator available, you don’t need a parenthetical citation:

The fastest and most accurate way to create MLA citations is by using Scribbr’s MLA Citation Generator .

Search by book title, page URL, or journal DOI to automatically generate flawless citations, or cite manually using the simple citation forms.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2022, November 09). Citing a Dictionary Entry in MLA Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/mla/dictionary-entry-citation/

Is this article helpful?

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Citing to the Oxford English Dictionary

In previous blog posts, we've explored the different editions of the Oxford English Dictionary and its evolution from print resource to an online database (see Part 1 and Part 2 ). For those needing to cite to an OED definition, the OED Online now has a "Cite" feature to help users format the citation.

The "Cite" link is located above the definition entry, next to the links for "Print", "Save", and "Email".

Users can view the citation in MLA7, MLA8, or Chicago Manual styles.

And if a user has access to a citation manager like EndNote or RefWorks, the citation can be formatted for those platforms.

The Oxford English Dictionary is a membership resource available to all Jenkins members.

Have more questions about the Oxford English Dictionary? Ask us!

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COMMENTS

MLA Citation Oxford English Dictionary
"Shoot, n1.” Oxford English Dictionary Online, June 2016, oed.com.db29.linccweb.org/view/Entry/. 178498?rskey=KMsv72&result=1#contentWrapper.
How To Cite The Oxford English Dictionary: Using MLA And APA
Author's Last Name, First Name. “Title of Entry.” Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary, edited by Editor's First Name Last Name, Edition if given and not first
MLA Citation Guide (9th Edition): Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Entry." Title of Encyclopedia or Dictionary, Publication or Update Date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year
Cite : Oxford English Dictionary
Web. 6 March 2023. "art, n.1." OED Online, Oxford University Press, December 2022, www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/11125. Accessed 6 March 2023. "art, n.1
How do I cite a term in an online or print dictionary that lists several
Follow the MLA format template and begin with the headword (as it ... “Heavy, Adj. (1) and N.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, 2015
Citing encyclopedias & dictionaries: MLA (8th) citation guide
"Cronstedtite." The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. OED Online. www.oed.com/view/Entry/44734?redirectedFrom=Cronstedtite#eid. Accessed
How to Cite a Dictionary in MLA
Dictionary Citation Structure: ... “Title of Entry.” Title of Dictionary, edition (if applicable), Publisher, date published, page number or URL.
How to cite the Oxford English dictionary MLA
You cite by the specific word in the parenthetical citation. So, if you were using the OED definition of knight it would look like this: (“knight”).
Citing a Dictionary Entry in MLA Style
To cite a dictionary with a single author or editor, just include their name at the start of your Works Cited entry, followed by “editor” if
Citing to the Oxford English Dictionary
For those needing to cite to an OED definition, the OED Online now has a "Cite" feature to help users format the citation. The "Cite" link is