How to Cite the Bible in MLA Style

Just as the Bible is unique among all other written works, it also must be cited in a unique fashion when one uses it as a reference for a term paper or research project. Because of the special status this book holds, MLA style has a special format for citing it that acknowledges the many issues of page numbering, technical notes and multiple editions and "authors" of various texts. As with any other form of source material, it is vitally important to the credibility of your research (and yourself) that your research process can be traced and verified--even when you are referencing the Bible itself.



Instructions

1. Start with the name of the specific edition of the Bible you used in your research, then add a period.
Examples are the King James Bible, the Good News Bible and the New International Version (NIV) Bible. The name should be underlined if your word processor will support that type of formatting, and indicated with an underscore symbol if it will not. If you used the Good News Bible, your citation should start like this:
_Good News Bible_.

2. List the name of any editors next.
This information will generally be found on the back of the title page. There may not be an editor listed. If this is the case, move on. However, if there is an editor, note it in this fashion:
_Good News Bible_. Susan Lightly, ed.

3. Add the name of the city where the Bible was published, and a colon.
This information should be on the title page, or possibly in the foreword. For example, if the Bible you are using was published in Birmingham, your citation should now look like this:
_Good News Bible_. Susan Lightly, ed. Birmingham:

4. Follow with the publisher and a comma.
If the publisher's name is Liturgical Publications, your citation would now appear like this:
_Good News Bible_. Susan Lightly, ed. Birmingham: Liturgical Publications,

5. Finish with the year of publication.
There may be multiple years listed in the Bible, so use the most recent if you must choose. If the Bible you are using was published in 1954, your finished reference note will look like this:

_Good News Bible_. Susan Lightly, ed. Birmingham: Liturgical Publications, 1954.