How do I cite my own medical record?

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.

How you cite your own medical record depends on its location, but as always, follow the MLA format template.

If the record is in your possession, provide a description of the record in the Title of Source element and the date range that the record covers:

Author’s military medical record. Sept. 2010-Aug. 2012.

If the record is located at an institution, such as a hospital, provide the name of the institution as the location:

Author’s military medical record. Sept. 2010-Aug. 2012, Manhattan VA Hospital.

If you accessed the record online, provide the name of the website as the title of the container and the URL for the site as the location: 

Author’s military medical record. VA Harbor Health Care Systems, Sept. 2010-Aug. 2012, www.nyharbor.va.gov.

If you wish to cite a particular document within the record, use two containers. Provide a description of the document in the Title of Source element and a description of the record in the Title of Container element, followed by the date of the document. In the second container, list the name of the website and the URL:

Biopsy report. Author’s military medical record, 10 Sept. 2010. VA Harbor Health Care Systems, www.nyharbor.va.gov.