Should I cite each entry from an encyclopedia separately?

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.

You should provide citations for each encyclopedia entry that you use in your essay. A good example is Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia. You would cite each article from Wikipedia separately, even though they come from the same source. A sentence in your essay might read as follows:

According to Wikipedia, an encyclopedia “is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge from either all branches or from a particular field or discipline” (“Encyclopedia”).

Work Cited

“Encyclopedia.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Dec. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclopedia.