engl outline

How to Cite OED ONLINE

in MLA style

The Dictionary text online is formed from a mixture of entries from the Oxford English

Dictionary Second Edition (1989), the Additions Series volumes of 1993 and 1997, and

entries not previously published in print, which are being created as part of an ongoing

process to transform the text into a fully revised new edition.

The citation styles recommended for bibliographical references to all OED Online entries

take account of which part of this composite text the entry belongs to, and its date of print

publication or of current online draft publication. This information can be found at the

top right-hand corner of free-standing entries, or above the display of appended entries.

To cite the OED Online, include the following information:

ƒ Specific entry, for example: “ethical, a.”

ƒ Publication title, for example: Oxford English Dictionary Oxford English Dictionary Additions Series

OED Online

How do you know which publication title to use?

Look in the right-hand corner of the OED entry.

If the right-hand corner reads: Then the publication title is:

SECOND EDITION The Oxford English Dictionary

ADDITIONS SERIES Oxford English Dictionary Additions Series

DRAFT REVISION OED Online

ƒ Edition and/or year OR month, year

(found in the right-hand corner of the OED entry)

ƒ Source: OED Online

ƒ Publisher: Oxford University Press

ƒ Date of access: day, month, year

ƒ URL: <http://dictionary.oed.com/>

General Format:

Second Edition and Additions Series

“specific entry.” Publication Title. edition and/or year. Source. Publisher. date of access <URL of database>.

Draft Revision

“specific entry.” Publication Title. month, year. Publisher. date of access <URL of

database

Specific Examples:

Second Edition, 1989

“enough, a., n., and adv.” The Oxford English Dictionary. 2 nd

ed. 1989. OED Online.

Oxford University Press. 30 April 2007 <http://dictionary.oed.com/>.

Additions Series “unseasonal, a.” Oxford English Dictionary Additions Series. 1993. OED Online. Oxford

University Press. 30 April 2007 <http://dictionary.oed.com/>.

“lay-away, n.” Oxford English Dictionary Additions Series. 1997. OED Online. Oxford

University Press. 30 April 2007 <http://dictionary.oed.com/>.

Draft Revision “magazine, n.” OED Online. June 2004. Oxford University Press. 30 April 2007

<http://dictionary.oed.com/>.

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This guide is based upon “How to Cite OED Online,” published by Oxford Universtiy Press,

available at http://oed.com/services/citing.html.

Created by Carrie Laier

April 2007