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What is mla handbook plus .
MLA Handbook Plus is a new, subscription-based digital product providing online access to the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook. To learn more about MLA Handbook… Read More
What’s New in the Ninth Edition of the MLA Handbook (Spring 2021)
Published in April 2021, the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook works as both a textbook and a reference guide. You can order a copy… Read More
MLA Guide to Digital Literacy , 2nd Edition: An Interview with the Author
by Ellen C. Carillo
Ellen C. Carillo talks to the MLA about the MLA Guide to Digital Literacy , second edition. Read More
How do I cite a playlist?
Cite a playlist by following the MLA template of core elements. In the Title of Container element, include the name of the playlist surrounded in… Read More
Teaching Resources
A Century of Queer Korean Fiction : An Interview with Samuel Perry
Toward Educational Justice: An Interview with the Editors of Teaching Literature and Writing in Prisons
Henrique Maximiano Coelho Neto’s Sphinx: A Neo-Gothic Novel from Brazil : An Interview with M. Elizabeth Ginway
A Reflection on Disability Studies: Enabling the Humanities on Its Twentieth Anniversary
Teaching Claire de Duras’s Ourika
Teaching Nineteenth-Century Activist Rhetorics Today: An Interview
How and Why to Teach Late-Twentieth-Century Mexicana and Chicana Writers: An Interview
Advice from the Editors
Your and You’re : How to Tell Them Apart
Similar but Different: Using Compare with and Compare to
Forego versus Forgo
Was and Were with the Subjunctive
Their , There , and They’re : Learn the Difference
Attributive Nouns; or, Why There Is Sometimes No Apostrophe in Terms Such As Teachers Union
Terms for Key Concepts
Laying versus Lying
Ask the MLA
How do i alphabetize irish surnames in the works-cited list.
This post explains how to alphabetize Irish surnames Read More
How do I alphabetize a works-cited-list entry that begins with a hashtag or another symbol?
The MLA recommends that writers should “ignore symbols when alphabetizing” (“How”). This includes hashtags. Thus, if an entry begins with a hashtag or another symbol,… Read More
MLA Guide (7th edition)
The examples provided in this guide are meant to introduce you to the basics of citing sources using the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (seventh edition). For types of resources not included in this guide (e.g., government documents, manuscript collections, video recordings) and for further information about the examples included below, please consult the MLA Handbook itself , and/or a Reference Librarian . For help with layout, margins, spacing and page numbering, see the MLA Handbook (Fig. 12, page 131). Consider using RefWorks to help you track your research and automatically create a bibliography in MLA style.
If you need help with the current version of MLA, please see the guide for MLA ( 8th edition, 2016). If you are unsure which version of MLA to use, please consult with your professor.
Table of Contents:
Parenthetical Documentation Preparing the List of Works Cited A Brief Note on Footnotes and Endnotes For More Help
PARENTHETICAL DOCUMENTATION
When using MLA documentation style, you need to reference your sources by using a combination of a list of works cited (see below) and parenthetical notation . Whenever you refer to or use another's words, facts or ideas in your paper, you are required to cite the source. Generally, brief parenthetical notations consisting of the author's last name and a page reference are sufficient. For example: (Drucker 30) .
Note: If you mention the author in your sentence, then you need only cite the page number . And if you cite more than one work by the same author , include the title of the work in your notation. For example: (Drucker, Management Cases 30) .
1. ONE AUTHOR
The character Folly denies satirizing Christianity when she says, "it is no part of my present plan to rummage through the lives of popes and priests," yet she spends much of her encomium doing just that (Erasmus 115).
2. TWO OR MORE AUTHORS
Max Weber purported that value systems could be studied "without the social scientist's own values distorting such studies" (Keat and Urry 196).
According to Russell Keat and John Urry in Social Science as Theory, Max Weber believed that value systems could be studied "without the social scientist's own values distorting such studies" (196).
Max Weber believed that individuals can objectively study values without their own values interfering with their judgment (Keat and Urry 196).
3. CORPORATE AUTHOR
Children of Central and Eastern Europe have not escaped the nutritional ramifications of iron deficiency, a worldwide problem (UNICEF 44).
4. NO AUTHOR
Marketers of health services and products will find the National Center for Health Statistics' site useful, particularly its statistics on mortality rates. Discovering a population's leading causes of death "tells the researcher a lot about its underlying health problems" ("Information to Die For" 40).
5. WORK IN AN ANTHOLOGY
Cite the author of the essay or story and not the editor of the anthology unless they are the same.
Although some critics disliked Mel Brook's 1993 parody of Robin Hood, it is actually "in the mainstream of the Robin Hood tradition" (Knight 461).
6. INDIRECT QUOTATION
Chief Joseph concluded his surrender by stating eloquently: "[.. .] I will fight no more forever" (qtd. in Safire 108).
7. ONLINE RESOURCE
If the work is not paginated, include the name of the author or editor within the context of your sentence (for example, from a discussion list).
Posting on the VICTORIA listserv, Karen O'Connell mentioned a relevant novel by Wilkie Collins that deals with the 19th-century use of arsenic as a complexion improver.
If the work is paginated, cite it as you would a print resource.
Imagine that the sentences above could somehow be synthesized and used in a single paper. The works cited page would look like this:
WORKS CITED
Erasmus, Desiderius. The Praise of Folly. Trans. Clarence H. Miller. New Haven:
Yale University Press, 1979. Print.
"Information to Die For." Marketing Health Services 22.1 (2002): 40-42. ABI/Inform.
Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
Keat, Russell, and John Urry. Social Theory as Science. 2nd ed. London: Routledge
and K. Paul, 1982. Print.
Knight, Stephen. "Robin Hood: Men in Tights: Fitting the Tradition Snugly."
Robin Hood: An Anthology of Scholarship and Criticism. Ed. Stephen
Knight. Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer, 1999. 461-467. Print.
O'Connell, Karen. "Re: Poisoning." VICTORIA. Indiana U. 3 Nov. 2000. Web.
14 Aug. 2009.
Safire, William. Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History. New York: W. W.
Norton and Company, 1992. Print.
UNICEF. Generation in Jeopardy: Children in Central and Eastern Europe and the
Former Soviet Union. Ed. Alexander Zouev. Armonk: M. E. Sharpe, 1999.
Print.
PREPARING THE LIST OF WORKS CITED
As demonstrated above, a works cited page consists of an alphabetical listing of the books, articles and other sources that you parenthetically noted in your paper. The works cited page occurs at the end of your paper; however, it is useful to create a draft of it before you begin writing. Following are typical examples of the types of references you will use in your research.
Include some or all of the following elements in your book citation:
- Author or editor
- Title (italicized)
- Translator or compiler
- Volume(s) used
- Name of series
- Place of publication, publisher, and date of publication
- Page numbers
- Name of vendor, database, or provider (italicized)
- Medium of publication consulted (e.g., Print)
- Date of access (Web only; day, month, year)
- Supplementary information and annotation
1. ONE AUTHOR OR EDITOR
Cather, Willa. The Professor's House. New York: A. A. Knopf, 1925. Print.
UNICEF. Generation in Jeopardy: Children in Central and Eastern Europe
and the Former Soviet Union. Ed. Alexander Zouev. Armonk: M. E.
Sharpe, 1999. Print.
Hudson, Valerie N., ed. Culture and Foreign Policy. Boulder: L. Rienner
Publishers, 1997. Print.
2. TWO OR MORE AUTHORS OR EDITORS
Names should be given in the order in which they appear on the title page.
Keat, Russell, and John Urry. Social Theory as Science. 2nd ed. London: Routledge
and K. Paul, 1982. Print.
Kennedy, Mary, Kathy Lubelska, and Val Walsh, eds. Making Connections: Women's
Studies, Women's Movements, Women's Lives. London: Taylor and Francis,
1993. Print.
3. ELECTRONIC BOOK
Include the vendor, database, or provider's name (italicized) and date of access (day, month, year) .
Turam, Berna. Between Islam and the State: The Politics of Engagement. Stanford,
CA: Stanford UP, 2007. NetLibrary. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
If the book is accessed from a SCHOLARLY PROJECT , also include the project name, place of publication, and the date of the electronic publication if available.
Child, Lydia Maria. An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans.
Boston: Allen and Ticknor, 1833. Women Writers Online. Brown U. Web. 14
Aug. 2009.
4. ANTHOLOGY
Knight, Stephen. "Robin Hood: Men in Tights: Fitting the Tradition Snugly."
Robin Hood: An Anthology of Scholarship and Criticism. Ed. Stephen
Barrick, Richard, John Sullivan, and Alexander White. "The American Bloody Register."
Pillars of Salt: An Anthology of Early American Criminal Narratives. Comp.
Daniel E. Williams. Madison: Madison House, 1993. 233-258. Print.
5. INTRODUCTION, PREFACE, FOREWORD, OR AFTERWORD
Ritterson, Michael. Introduction. The Odin Field: A Story. By Wilhem Raabe.
Trans. Michael Ritterson. Studies in German Literature, Linguistics, and Culture.
Rochester: Camden House, 2001. xi-xxvii. Print.
6. MULTIVOLUME WORK
Tomkins, Silvan S. Affect, Imagery, Consciousness. 4 vols. New York: Springer,
1962-1992. Print.
Anthony, Robert N., and James S. Reece. Accounting Principles. 7th ed. Chicago:
Irwin, 1995. Print.
8. TRANSLATION
Erasmus, Desiderius. The Praise of Folly. Trans. Clarence H. Miller. New Haven:
Yale, 1979. Print.
9. ARTICLE IN A REFERENCE BOOK
"Audubon, John James." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica: Micropaedia. 15th
ed. 2002. Print.
"Audubon, John James." Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopaedia
Britannica, 2009. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
Ebeling, Richard, ed. Global Free Trade: Rhetoric or Reality? Hillsdale, MI: Hillsdale
College Press, 1993. Print. Champions of Freedom 20.
B. Articles in Periodicals
Include some or all of the following in your article citation:
- Article title (usually in quotation marks)
- Periodical title (italicized)
- Series/Issue number or name
- Volume number
- Issue number (if available)
- Publication date (year for scholarly journals; day, month, year for others, as available)
- Medium of publication
- Name of database (italicized and placed before medium of publication) (Web only)
- Date of access (day, month, year) (Web only)
1. SCHOLARLY JOURNAL
Freedman, L. "The Changing Forms of Military Conflict." Survival 40.4 (1998): 39-56.
Print.
Kirby, John T. "Aristotle on Metaphor." American Journal of Philology 118.4
(1997): 517-554. Print.
Online Journal -- Use n. pag. to indicate the absence of inclusive page numbers.
Ketabgian, Tamara. Rev. of The Body Economic: Life, Death, and Sensation in
Political Economy and the Victorian Novel, by Catherine Gallagher. Bryn Mawr
Review of Comparative Literature 6.2 (2007): n. pag. Web. 19 Aug. 2009.
Chan, Winnie. "Curry on the Divide in Rudyard Kipling's Kim and Gurinder Chadha's
Bend it Like Beckham." ARIEL: A Review of International English
Literature 36.3-4 (2005): 1-23. Web. 14. Aug. 2009.
Full text of an article from a Database -- Include the name of the database, the name of the database provider and the date of access. Use n. pag. to indicate the absence of inclusive page numbers.
Freedman, Lawrence. "The Changing Forms of Military Conflict." Survival 40.4 (1998):
39-56. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
Kirby, John T. "Aristotle on Metaphor." American Journal of Philology 118.4 (1997):
517-554. JSTOR. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
2. MAGAZINE
Monthly or Bimonthly
Goldberger, Paul. "Machines for Living: Architectonic Allure of the Automobile."
Architectural Digest Oct. 1996: 82.
Weekly
Levy, Steven, and Brad Stone. "Silicon Valley Reboots." Newsweek 25 Mar.
2002: 42-50. Print.
2002: 42-50. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
3. ANONYMOUS ARTICLE
"Information to Die For." Marketing Health Services 22.1 (2002): 40-42. Print.
"Information to Die For." Marketing Health Services 22.1 (2002): 40-42. ABI/Inform. 14 Aug. 2009.
4. NEWSPAPER
Pianin, Eric. "Use of Arsenic in Wood Products to End." The Washington Post 13
Feb. 2002, final ed.: A2. Print.
Pianin, Eric. "Use of Arsenic in Wood Products to End." The Washington Post 13 Feb.
2002, final ed.: A2. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
Nash, Alanna. "Hit 'em with a lizard!" Rev. of Basket Case, by Carl Hiaasen. New
York Times 3 Feb. 2002, late ed., sec. 7: 24. Print.
York Times 3 Feb. 2002, late ed., sec. 7: 24. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 14
C. Web Sites
Following are elements to include when citing entire Web sites. Keep in mind that
if you cannot find all of the elements, you should include whatever is available on the site . The URL is no longer required unless locating the site requires it or your professor requires it.
- Title of Web site (italicized)
- Site publisher/sponsor
- Date of site's publication (if none, use n.d. )
- Date of access (day, month, year)
1. SCHOLARLY PROJECT
Crane, Gregory, ed. Perseus Digital Library. Dept. of the Classics, Tufts U.
n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
2. PROFESSIONAL SITE
Financial Accounting Standards Board . Feb. 2002. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
3. PERSONAL SITE
Lewis, Paul. The Wilkie Collins Pages. n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.
<http://www.paullewis.co.uk/>.
See also Electronic Book and Periodicals above.
D. Online Postings
To cite a posting from a discussion list, include the following elements if available:
- Author of posting
- Title of posting (from subject line of posting, in quotes)
- Name of discussion list
- Date of posting
- 5. Medium of publication
- Date of access
O'Connell, Karen. "Re: Poisoning." VICTORIA. Indiana U. 3 Nov. 2000. Web.
A BRIEF NOTE ON FOOTNOTES AND ENDNOTES
Long explanatory footnotes or endnotes can distract the reader. Nevertheless, you may occasionally need to clarify a citation with a bibliographic note . Or you may wish to incorporate information that might interest your reader but which would seem tangential if included within the text of your paper. In this case, you would use a content note. Notes are indicated with consecutive superscript numbers within the text of your paper. The actual note is indented and can occur either as a footnote at the bottom of the page or as an endnote at the end of the paper.
1. BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE
Nineteenth-century critics of cheap, mass-produced fiction feared that the gory subject matter of stories like Sweeney Todd would lead a generation of youth into depravity. 1
1 For a selection of penny fiction as well as 19th-century criticism of it, see
Haining's The Penny Dreadful .
2. CONTENT NOTE
Charles Knight did not rely solely on the cheaply printed word in publications like the Penny Magazine to educate people; he also mass-produced images to diffuse knowledge visually. 2
2 Patricia Anderson's The Printed Image and the Transformation of Popular Culture, 1790-1860 provides examples of Penny Magazine images, such as depictions of flamingos, reproduced portraits of people like Benjamin Franklin, and engravings of famous artworks like "The Dying Gladiator" and "Laocoon" (50-83).
FOR MORE HELP
Following are links to sites that have additional information and further examples:
- RefWorks : Once you have created an account, go to Tools/Preview Output Style to see examples of MLA style.
- Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL) : Excellent source for research, writing and citation tips.
- Citing Sources : Duke University's guide to citing sources. The site offers comparison citation tables with examples from APA , Chicago , MLA and Turabian for both print and electronic works.
- Citing Electronic Primary Sources : From the Library of Congress. Provides MLA and Turabian examples of citing formats such as films, photographs, maps and recorded sound that are accessed electronically.
Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts
MLA Formatting and Style Guide
Welcome to the Purdue OWL
This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.
Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.
The following overview should help you better understand how to cite sources using MLA 9 th edition, including how to format the Works Cited page and in-text citations.
Please use the example at the bottom of this page to cite the Purdue OWL in MLA. See also our MLA vidcast series on the Purdue OWL YouTube Channel .
Creating a Works Cited list using the ninth edition
MLA is a style of documentation that may be applied to many different types of writing. Since texts have become increasingly digital, and the same document may often be found in several different sources, following a set of rigid rules no longer suffices.
Thus, the current system is based on a few guiding principles, rather than an extensive list of specific rules. While the handbook still describes how to cite sources, it is organized according to the process of documentation, rather than by the sources themselves. This gives writers a flexible method that is near-universally applicable.
Once you are familiar with the method, you can use it to document any type of source, for any type of paper, in any field.
Here is an overview of the process:
When deciding how to cite your source, start by consulting the list of core elements. These are the general pieces of information that MLA suggests including in each Works Cited entry. In your citation, the elements should be listed in the following order:
- Title of source.
- Title of container,
- Other contributors,
- Publication date,
Each element should be followed by the corresponding punctuation mark shown above. Earlier editions of the handbook included the place of publication and required different punctuation (such as journal editions in parentheses and colons after issue numbers) depending on the type of source. In the current version, punctuation is simpler (only commas and periods separate the elements), and information about the source is kept to the basics.
Begin the entry with the author’s last name, followed by a comma and the rest of the name, as presented in the work. End this element with a period.
Bhabha, Homi K. The Location of Culture. Routledge, 1994.
Title of source
The title of the source should follow the author’s name. Depending upon the type of source, it should be listed in italics or quotation marks.
A book should be in italics:
Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House . MacMurray, 1999.
An individual webpage should be in quotation marks. The name of the parent website, which MLA treats as a "container," should follow in italics:
Lundman, Susan. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow, www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html.*
A periodical (journal, magazine, newspaper) article should be in quotation marks:
Bagchi, Alaknanda. "Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahasweta Devi's Bashai Tudu." Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature , vol. 15, no. 1, 1996, pp. 41-50.
A song or piece of music on an album should be in quotation marks. The name of the album should then follow in italics:
Beyoncé. "Pray You Catch Me." Lemonade, Parkwood Entertainment, 2016, www.beyonce.com/album/lemonade-visual-album/.
*The MLA handbook recommends including URLs when citing online sources. For more information, see the “Optional Elements” section below.
Title of container
The eighth edition of the MLA handbook introduced what are referred to as "containers," which are the larger wholes in which the source is located. For example, if you want to cite a poem that is listed in a collection of poems, the individual poem is the source, while the larger collection is the container. The title of the container is usually italicized and followed by a comma, since the information that follows next describes the container.
Kincaid, Jamaica. "Girl." The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories, edited by Tobias Wolff, Vintage, 1994, pp. 306-07.
The container may also be a television series, which is made up of episodes.
“94 Meetings.” Parks and Recreation, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, performance by Amy Poehler, season 2, episode 21, Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2010.
The container may also be a website, which contains articles, postings, and other works.
Wise, DeWanda. “Why TV Shows Make Me Feel Less Alone.” NAMI, 31 May 2019, www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/May-2019/How-TV-Shows-Make-Me-Feel-Less-Alone . Accessed 3 June 2019.
In some cases, a container might be within a larger container. You might have read a book of short stories on Google Books , or watched a television series on Netflix . You might have found the electronic version of a journal on JSTOR. It is important to cite these containers within containers so that your readers can find the exact source that you used.
“94 Meetings.” Parks and Recreation , season 2, episode 21, NBC , 29 Apr. 2010. Netflix, www.netflix.com/watch/70152031?trackId=200256157&tctx=0%2C20%2C0974d361-27cd-44de-9c2a-2d9d868b9f64-12120962.
Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical Journal , vol. 50, no. 1, 2007, pp. 173-96. ProQuest, doi:10.1017/S0018246X06005966. Accessed 27 May 2009.
Other contributors
In addition to the author, there may be other contributors to the source who should be credited, such as editors, illustrators, translators, etc. If their contributions are relevant to your research, or necessary to identify the source, include their names in your documentation.
Foucault, Michel. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason. Translated by Richard Howard , Vintage-Random House, 1988.
Woolf, Virginia. Jacob’s Room . Annotated and with an introduction by Vara Neverow, Harcourt, Inc., 2008.
If a source is listed as an edition or version of a work, include it in your citation.
The Bible . Authorized King James Version, Oxford UP, 1998.
Crowley, Sharon, and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. 3rd ed., Pearson, 2004.
If a source is part of a numbered sequence, such as a multi-volume book or journal with both volume and issue numbers, those numbers must be listed in your citation.
Dolby, Nadine. “Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future Directions.” Social Work and Society: The International Online-Only Journal, vol. 6, no. 2, 2008, www.socwork.net/sws/article/view/60/362. Accessed 20 May 2009.
Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria. Translated by H. E. Butler, vol. 2, Loeb-Harvard UP, 1980.
The publisher produces or distributes the source to the public. If there is more than one publisher, and they are all are relevant to your research, list them in your citation, separated by a forward slash (/).
Klee, Paul. Twittering Machine. 1922. Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Artchive, www.artchive.com/artchive/K/klee/twittering_machine.jpg.html. Accessed May 2006.
Women's Health: Problems of the Digestive System . American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2006.
Daniels, Greg and Michael Schur, creators. Parks and Recreation . Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2015.
Note : The publisher’s name need not be included in the following sources: periodicals, works published by their author or editor, websites whose titles are the same name as their publisher, websites that make works available but do not actually publish them (such as YouTube , WordPress , or JSTOR ).
Publication date
The same source may have been published on more than one date, such as an online version of an original source. For example, a television series might have aired on a broadcast network on one date, but released on Netflix on a different date. When the source has more than one date, it is sufficient to use the date that is most relevant to your writing. If you’re unsure about which date to use, go with the date of the source’s original publication.
In the following example, Mutant Enemy is the primary production company, and “Hush” was released in 1999. Below is a general citation for this television episode:
“Hush.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer , created by Joss Whedon, performance by Sarah Michelle Gellar, season 4, Mutant Enemy, 1999 .
However, if you are discussing, for example, the historical context in which the episode originally aired, you should cite the full date. Because you are specifying the date of airing, you would then use WB Television Network (rather than Mutant Enemy), because it was the network (rather than the production company) that aired the episode on the date you’re citing.
“Hush.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer, created by Joss Whedon, performance by Sarah Michelle Gellar, season 4, episode 10, WB Television Network, 14 Dec. 1999 .
You should be as specific as possible in identifying a work’s location.
An essay in a book or an article in a journal should include page numbers.
Adiche, Chimamanda Ngozi. “On Monday of Last Week.” The Thing around Your Neck, Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, pp. 74-94 .
The location of an online work should include a URL. Remove any "http://" or "https://" tag from the beginning of the URL.
Wheelis, Mark. "Investigating Disease Outbreaks Under a Protocol to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention." Emerging Infectious Diseases , vol. 6, no. 6, 2000, pp. 595-600, wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/6/6/00-0607_article. Accessed 8 Feb. 2009.
When citing a physical object that you experienced firsthand, identify the place of location.
Matisse, Henri. The Swimming Pool. 1952, Museum of Modern Art, New York .
Optional elements
The ninth edition is designed to be as streamlined as possible. The author should include any information that helps readers easily identify the source, without including unnecessary information that may be distracting. The following is a list of optional elements that can be included in a documented source at the writer’s discretion.
Date of original publication:
If a source has been published on more than one date, the writer may want to include both dates if it will provide the reader with necessary or helpful information.
Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine. 1984. Perennial-Harper, 1993.
City of publication:
The seventh edition handbook required the city in which a publisher is located, but the eighth edition states that this is only necessary in particular instances, such as in a work published before 1900. Since pre-1900 works were usually associated with the city in which they were published, your documentation may substitute the city name for the publisher’s name.
Thoreau, Henry David. Excursions . Boston, 1863.
Date of access:
When you cite an online source, the MLA Handbook recommends including a date of access on which you accessed the material, since an online work may change or move at any time.
Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web." A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites, 16 Aug. 2002, alistapart.com/article/writeliving. Accessed 4 May 2009.
As mentioned above, while the MLA handbook recommends including URLs when you cite online sources, you should always check with your instructor or editor and include URLs at their discretion.
A DOI, or digital object identifier, is a series of digits and letters that leads to the location of an online source. Articles in journals are often assigned DOIs to ensure that the source is locatable, even if the URL changes. If your source is listed with a DOI, use that instead of a URL.
Alonso, Alvaro, and Julio A. Camargo. "Toxicity of Nitrite to Three Species of Freshwater Invertebrates." Environmental Toxicology , vol. 21, no. 1, 3 Feb. 2006, pp. 90-94. Wiley Online Library, doi: 10.1002/tox.20155.
Creating in-text citations using the previous (eighth) edition
Although the MLA handbook is currently in its ninth edition, some information about citing in the text using the older (eighth) edition is being retained. The in-text citation is a brief reference within your text that indicates the source you consulted. It should properly attribute any ideas, paraphrases, or direct quotations to your source, and should direct readers to the entry in the Works Cited list. For the most part, an in-text citation is the author’s name and the page number (or just the page number, if the author is named in the sentence) in parentheses :
When creating in-text citations for media that has a runtime, such as a movie or podcast, include the range of hours, minutes and seconds you plan to reference. For example: (00:02:15-00:02:35).
Again, your goal is to attribute your source and provide a reference without interrupting your text. Your readers should be able to follow the flow of your argument without becoming distracted by extra information.
How to Cite the Purdue OWL in MLA
Entire Website
The Purdue OWL . Purdue U Writing Lab, 2019.
Individual Resources
Contributors' names. "Title of Resource." The Purdue OWL , Purdue U Writing Lab, Last edited date.
The new OWL no longer lists most pages' authors or publication dates. Thus, in most cases, citations will begin with the title of the resource, rather than the developer's name.
"MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The Purdue OWL, Purdue U Writing Lab. Accessed 18 Jun. 2018.
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MLA Handbook Paperback – April 1, 2016
The Modern Language Association, the authority on research and writing, takes a fresh look at documenting sources in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook, the official guide to MLA format. Works are published today in a dizzying variety of ways: a novel, for example, may be read in print, online, or as an e-book--or perhaps listened to as an audiobook. Writers of research papers routinely need to know how to cite works on Web sites, videos on platforms like YouTube, interviews and other works created by multiple authors, journal articles contained in databases, online images, posts on social media sites, song lyrics, and more. Instead of providing separate instructions for each format, the MLA’s unique, innovative approach recommends one set of guidelines that writers can apply to any type of source.
This groundbreaking edition of the MLA’s best-selling handbook is short and designed for easy use. It guides writers through the principles behind evaluating sources for their research and thus focuses on the key skills of information and digital literacy. It then shows writers how to cite sources in their writing, offering detailed guidance on in-text citations, quoting and paraphrasing, avoiding plagiarism, and more. Intended for students, teachers, librarians, and advanced scholars, the handbook is an indispensable resource in composition, communication, literature, language arts, film, media studies, digital humanities, and related fields.
- Print length 160 pages
- Language English
- Publisher Modern Language Association of America
- Publication date April 1, 2016
- Dimensions 5.75 x 0.75 x 8.75 inches
- ISBN-10 1603292624
- ISBN-13 978-1603292627
- See all details
From the Publisher
Mla handbook, 8th edition.
The 8th edition MLA Handbook is the only official, authorized book on MLA style. Offering one set of guidelines for citing any type of source, it explains how to cite books, journal articles, Web sites, videos, song lyrics, speeches, advertisements, dictionary terms, works in databases, social media posts, song lyrics, images, and more. Writers will also find tips for evaluating sources and avoiding plagiarism; sections on punctuation in the works-cited list and on formatting and ordering the list; additional sections on the mechanics of prose, using quotations, and creating in-text citations; and a practice template. | The e-book edition of the MLA Handbook is a must-have resource for online classes. With fully searchable content and clickable cross-references, it provides links to free resources for remote instruction on The MLA Style Center (style.mla.org), including hundreds of citation examples, a digital citation tool, MLA heading format help, annotated bibliography instructions, a primer on how to use endnotes and footnotes, a lesson on using an MLA citation machine, guidance on setting up research papers in MLA format, sample papers, updated FAQs, writing tips, and more. | The in-text citation section of the handbook covers basic elements of an in-text citation; options for providing information in prose or parentheses; methods for citing various types of works (e.g., works with two or more authors; works by institutions, associations, government agencies, or other organizations; untitled works, indirect sources); advice on handling page numbers and other divisions of works; tips for shortening titles in parenthetical citations and making citations concise; and punctuation guidance. |
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- Publisher : Modern Language Association of America; eighth edition (April 1, 2016)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 160 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1603292624
- ISBN-13 : 978-1603292627
- Item Weight : 8.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.75 x 0.75 x 8.75 inches
- #9 in Editing Writing Reference (Books)
- #61 in Words, Language & Grammar Reference
- #980 in Study Guides & Workbooks
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MLA handbook for writers of research papers
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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.
Modified Fall 2017 UND Writing Center Website: und.edu/writingcenter Merrifield Hall Room 12 Hours: M-F 10am-4pm; M-R 7-9pm (701) 777-2795 Email: [email protected] MLA 8- 1 Modern Language Association (MLA) 8th Edition Format and Documentation This handout covers the most common, basic elements of MLA 8 formatting and documentation.
English. Item Size. 243917280. xiv, 146 pages : 23 cm. Rethinking documentation for the digital age. The Modern Language Association, the authority on research and writing, takes a fresh look at documenting sources in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. Works are published today in a dizzying range of formats.
The 8th edition of the MLA Handbook provides a "universal set of guidelines" for citing sources across all format types. The previous editions of the MLA Handbook gave a separate set of citation instructions for each format type. The 8 th edition of the MLA Handbook focuses on core elements that are common to all formats, as follows:
MLA Guide (8th edition) The following examples are intended to introduce you to the basics of citing sources using the MLA Handbook (eighth edition). For resources not covered by this guide, please refer to the Handbook or contact a librarian for assistance. For help with layout, margins, spacing, and page numbers, see The MLA Style Center.
Research; Sample Essays: Writing with MLA Style; Teaching. Submit a Resource; Teaching Resources; Ask The MLA; menu search. Search for posts, topics, or tags. ... Published in April 2021, the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook works as both a textbook and a reference guide. You can order a copy… Read More.
et of universal guidelines. A work in a new medium thus can be document. d without new instructions.In MLA 8, every source type fo. lows the exact same format. In other words, whether you are citing books, websites, periodicals, videos, photographs, and all other types of sources, you will use th.
MLA Peggy M. Houghton,Timothy J. Houghton,Michele M. Pratt,2009 The Modern Language Association (MLA) has established a complete handbook for writing research papers, required by many academic institutions throughout the United States and the world. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th Edition) is an accepted format used by many
Widely adopted in high schools, colleges, and publishing houses, the MLA Handbook treats every aspect of research writing, from selecting a topic to submitting the completed paper. The seventh edition is a comprehensive, up-to-date guide to research and writing in the online environment.
The Modern Language Association, the authority on research and writing, takes a fresh look at documenting sources in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook, the official guide to MLA format. Works are published today in a dizzying variety of ways: a novel, for example, may be read in print, online, or as an e-book--or perhaps listened to as an audiobook.
MLA style provides writers with a system for ref-erencing their sources through parenthetical documentation and on a Works Cited page. This handout is a brief guide to citing in MLA 8th edition—for a complete guide to MLA style, please reference the MLA Handbook, 8th edition, published in April 2016. Major Changes to the 8th Edition
Provides MLA and Turabian examples of citing formats such as films, photographs, maps and recorded sound that are accessed electronically. The examples provided in this guide are meant to introduce you to the basics of citing sources using the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (seventh edition). For types of resources not included in ...
MLA Handbook, 9th Edition. The ninth edition of the MLA Handbook, published in spring 2021, 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 ...
The Purdue OWL, Purdue U Writing Lab. Accessed 18 Jun. 2018. 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 (9th ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations ...
The handbook takes readers through the research paper process step by step, and includes information on narrowing the topic, outlining, note taking, etc. Before dealing with such mechanics of writing as spelling, punctuation, and format, the manual covers the use of catalogs (online and paper), indexes, and databases in the library and offers a ...
View our convenient chart comparing the eighth and ninth editions of the MLA Handbook.. 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 ...
Finally, the 8th edition looks like a summarized version and follows a different structure and approach to presenting the same principles of documentation. I'm trying to get used to this approach. I wonder if the original title (MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers) and format could be continued. Prof. Dr. Solaiman Ali (retired ...
The MLA Handbook is published by the Modern Language Association, the authority on MLA documentation style. Widely adopted in high schools, colleges, and publishing houses, the MLA Handbook treats every aspect of research writing, from selecting a topic to submitting the completed paper. The seventh edition is a comprehensive, up-to-date guide to research and writing in the online environment.
For nearly half a century, the style recommended by the Modern Language Association for scholarly manuscripts and student research papers has been widely adopted and required not only by journals and presses but also by schools, departments, and individual instructors. Since the publication of the first edition in 1977, the MLA Handbook has sold over five million copies worldwide.The fifth ...
ninth edition of the MLA Handbook is the most comprehensive guide the MLA has ever produced, with an all-inclusive approach to writing, research, docu-mentation, and formatting. QUESTIONS ABOUT MLA STYLE? The eighth edition of the MLA Handbook is still available for fall 2020 and spring 2021 courses. MLA Handbook Ninth Edition c. 400 pp. • 6 ...
The SBL (Society of Biblical Literature) Handbook of Style is intended to assist those writing on Near Eastern studies, biblical studies, and early Christianity. It is based on the Chicago Manual of Style, and covers citation questions specific to writing in these fields that are not covered in other style handbooks.
MLA handbook for writers of research papers by Gibaldi, Joseph, 1942-; Modern Language Association of America. Publication date 1995 ... Edition 4. ed., 4. print. External-identifier urn:oclc:record:1036392793 ... Pdf_module_version 0.0.23 Ppi 500 Related-external-id urn:isbn:0873529871 urn:lccn:99013998 ...