OWL: Purdue Online Writing Lab - MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook (8th ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.
For a complete list of style rules, consult the MLA Handbook. Ask your librarian for a copy.
MLA Handbook by
Relied on by generations of writers, the MLA Handbook is published by the Modern Language Association and is the only official, authorized book on MLA style. The new, ninth edition builds on the MLA's unique approach to documenting sources using a template of core elements--facts, common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date--that allows writers to cite any type of work, from books, e-books, and journal articles in databases to song lyrics, online images, social media posts, dissertations, and more. With this focus on source evaluation as the cornerstone of citation, MLA style promotes the skills of information and digital literacy so crucial today. The many new and updated chapters make this edition the comprehensive, go-to resource for writers of research papers, and anyone citing sources, from business writers, technical writers, and freelance writers and editors to student writers and the teachers and librarians working with them. Intended for a variety of classroom contexts--middle school, high school, and college courses in composition, communication, literature, language arts, film, media studies, digital humanities, and related fields--the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook offers *New chapters on grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, numbers, italics, abbreviations, and principles of inclusive language *Guidelines on setting up research papers in MLA format with updated advice on headings, lists, and title pages for group project *Revised, comprehensive, step-by-step instructions for creating a list of works cited in MLA format that are easier to learn and use than ever before *A new appendix with hundreds of example works-cited-list entries by publication format, including websites, YouTube videos, interviews, and more *Detailed examples of how to find publication information for a variety of sources *Newly revised explanations of in-text citations, including comprehensive advice on how to cite multiple authors of a single work *Detailed guidance on footnotes and endnotes *Instructions on quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and avoiding plagiarism *A sample essay in MLA format *Annotated bibliography examples *Numbered sections throughout for quick navigation *Advanced tips for professional writers and scholars
1. vol. and no. are now spelled out.
Instead of 32.3; it's: vol. 32, no. 3
2. Place of publication is omitted.
3. Page numbers are designated with pp.
4. Date of access is omitted.
5. Medium of publication is omitted.
In the 7th edition of the Handbook, a separate set of citation instructions were given for each format type. The problem with this approach is that there is no way to anticipate all format types a student may encounter.
To solve this problem, this new edition of the MLA Handbook provides a "universal set of guidelines" for citing sources across all format types.
These guidelines state that, if given, these major elements should be included in the citation:
1. Author.
2. Title of Source.
3. Title of Container,
4. Other Contributors,
5. Version,
6. Number,
7. Publisher,
8. Publication date,
9. Location.
Sometimes, elements 3-9 will repeat again, if say, your journal was inside a database (which MLA 8th ed. calls a 'container').
Putting it all together:
Goldman, Anne. "Questions of Transport: Reading Primo
Levi Reading Dante." The Georgia Review, vol.64, no.
1, 2010, pp.69-88. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable
/41403188.
The discipline of English, as well as many other disciplines in the humanities, use MLA citation format. Below are some examples for formatting the Works Cited page. Look in the drop-down menu for examples of in-text citations.
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Book, |
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eBook, |
*NOTE: Authors should be listed in the order they are listed on the title page. |
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Book, |
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Book, |
*Here are other common descriptions: Adapted by, Directed by, Edited by, Illustrated by, Introduction by, Narrated by, Performance by. |
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A Work (e.g., essay, short story) in an Anthology or Compilation. |
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Book, |
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Entry in a Print Encyclopedia |
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Article in an Online Database |
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Article with a DOI |
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| Segment of a Video in an Online Database |  |
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A Page on a Website |
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| Image (on the web only) |  |
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Social Media Post (real name in parentheses, if known) |
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