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 at the Help Desk:
MLA Handbook
by
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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Many of our article databases will help you format your citations by giving you a citation that you can copy and paste to your Works Cited page or into NoodleTools using the quick cite "Copy & Paste" feature within a citation template.
GALE databases (e.g., Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Biography, Gale High-School) - When you click the title of an article, look for the "Tools" on the right side and select "Cite."
ProQuest databases (e.g., SIRS Knowledge Source or SIRS Discoverer) - After you have selected an article, click the "Cite" link at the top right above the article.
You should always double-check the results you get, since sometimes the citations need some clean-up.
