How to Format Multiple Publishers in MLA

• Hannah Berry (Ph.D.)
• Published on 03/13/2025
• Updated on04/11/2025

The Modern Language Association (MLA) provides instruction on how to cite sources with multiple publishers in a works-cited entry. In the MLA Handbook, when a source cites two or more publishers, all should be included in the Publisher element, separated by a forward slash. Proper formatting preserves clarity and consistency in academic writing.

FORMATTING MULTIPLE PUBLISHERS

When listing multiple publishers, separate them with a forward slash without adding spaces if each publisher’s name is a single word. However, if one or more of the publishers’ names consist of multiple words, a space must be added on either side of the slash.

Example 1: Single-Word Publishers

If a book is copublished by Routledge and Springer, both names are listed without spaces around the slash:

Jameson, Fredric. Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. Routledge/Springer, 1991.

Since each of the two publishers has only one word for a name, there must not be any space on either side of the slash.

Example 2: Multiple-Word Publishers

When more than one of the publishers have multiple-word names, spaces must be inserted on both sides of the slash:

Plath, Sylvia. The Collected Poems. Harper & Row / Faber and Faber, 1981.

Here, both “Harper & Row” and “Faber and Faber” are multi-word publishers, so spaces have been put around the slash.

IMPORTANCE OF INCLUDING MULTIPLE PUBLISHERS

All publishers need to be included in order to accurately credit all entities that are involved in publishing a source. This allows for proper citations that are complete and reflect the entire publishing history of the source. It is most relevant to books that have been copublished worldwide, translated, or reprinted by multiple publishing firms.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

• If publishers are found on different parts of the title page or copyright page, they have to be incorporated in the citation.
• When a book is re-published by different publishers in different regions, cite the publishers like in the edition used.
• When an organization is employed as a co-publisher, the organization has to be incorporated together with the other publisher(s) in the same format.

Example 3: Poetry Anthology with Multiple Publishers

If two publishers, such as Penguin Books and W. W. Norton, issue an anthology of poetry, the citation will note both:

Hughes, Langston, editor. Poetry of the Harlem Renaissance. Penguin Books / W. W. Norton, 1994.

Since each publisher is a multiword name, spaces are inserted around the slash.

Maintain the Order of the Publishers: Alphabetize the publishers in the same order they appear in the source. Do not alphabetize them unless stated otherwise in the source. Search for Parent or Subsidiary Publishers: If a publisher is a subsidiary of another, only the parent publisher can be used, unless both are specifically credited on the title page. Use Proper Capitalization: Follow MLA capitalization rules so that publisher titles are correctly capitalized according to standard title capitalization.”U of Chicago P” rather than “university of chicago press.” Use Standard Abbreviations for University Presses: University presses are abbreviated in MLA style using “U” for “University” and “P” for “Press.” For example, “Cambridge University Press” is abbreviated as “Cambridge UP,” and “Oxford University Press” is abbreviated as “Oxford UP.” Other publishers should be spelled out in full unless MLA style allows an abbreviation.