Note: The fastest way to cite an online CliffsNotes literature guide is to look at the end of the navigation bar - located on the left side of the web page you're citing - and click "Cite this Literature Note." To cite a CliffsNotes article (like this one), go to the bottom of the web page and click "Cite this article."
Using MLA style to cite CliffsNotes
Use MLA (Modern Language Association) style for writing papers and citing sources within the humanities and liberal arts. If your teacher or instructor has specific requirements, be sure to follow those, as well.
How to cite a printed CliffsNotes resource using MLA style:
"Chapter or Section." Title of Work. Edition (if provided). Year published. Print.
Example:
"Critical Commentaries: Act 1, Scene 2." CliffsNotes Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. 2000. Print.
How to cite an online CliffsNotes resource using MLA style:
"Page title." CliffsNotes.com. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt., Date. (or n.d. if publishing date is not provided) Web. Current date.
Example:
"Character Analysis Pip." CliffsNotes.com. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2011.
Using CMS style to cite CliffsNotes
Use CMS (Chicago Manual of Style) style for writing papers and citing sources within the humanities and the arts. If your teacher or instructor has specific requirements, be sure to follow those, as well.
How to cite a printed CliffsNotes resource using CMS style:
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication.
Example:
Bailey, Debra. CliffsNotes on Great Expectations. Foster City: IDG Books, 2000.
How to cite an online CliffsNotes resource using CMS style:
Last name, First name. "Title of Web Page." Publishing Organization or Name of Web Site in Italics. Publication date and/or access date if available. URL.
Example:
Smith, Dennis Stanton."Slaughterhouse-Five Character List." CliffsNotes.com. 1 May 2013.
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/Literature/S/SlaughterhouseFive/About-SlaughterhouseFive.aspx
Using APA style to cite CliffsNotes
Use APA (American Psychological Association) style when writing papers and citing sources within the social sciences, such as sociology, communication, political science, and so on. If your teacher or instructor has specific requirements, be sure to follow those, as well.
How to cite a printed CliffsNotes resource using APA style:
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher.
Example:
Sweeny, Diana (2000). CliffsComplete Julius Caesar. Foster City, CA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
How to cite an online CliffsNotes resource using APA style:
Title of document. Date. (or n.d. if publishing date is not provided) In Publishing Organization or Name of Web Site in Italics. Retrieved from http://Web address
Example:
Great Expectations Book Summary.(n.d.). In CliffsNotes.com. Retrieved from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/Literature/G/Great-Expectations/Great-Expectations-at-a-Glance.aspx