Library

What's new in the 9th Edition?

The new edition of the MLA Handbook provides a "universal set of guidelines" (see left coulmn) for citing sources across ALL format types. The major elements of ALL citations are below

1. Author

2. Title of Source

3. Title of Container

4. Other Contributors

5. Version

6. Number

7. Publisher

8. Publication date

9. Location

Entries are arranged in alphabetical order by author's last name. If the author's name is not known alphabetize by the title (ignoring "A", "An", or "The" if the title starts with any of these words).

FORMATTING:

Margins: 1" top and bottom, and both sides of text. 

Indent: First word of a paragraph 0.5" from left margin. 

Typeface: Times New Roman normally 12 pt size.

Spacing: Double-space.                            

Page Numbers: Upper right-hand corner, 0.5" from the top and flush with right margin. Type your last name before the page number.

Common MLA Examples (source: http://www.bibme.org/mla) 

Citations for Books:

Author’s Last name, First name. Book Title. Publisher, Year published.

Example:

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones, 1818.

Citations for E-Books:

Author’s Last name, First name. Title of E-Book. Publisher, Year published. Title of Website, URL.

Example:

Rodgers, Tara. Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound. Duke UP, 2010. Google Books, books.google.com/books?id=syqTarqO5XEC&lpg=PP1&dq=electronic%20music&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=electronic%20music&f=false.

Citations for Websites:

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Individual Web Page." Title of Website, Publisher, Date, URL.

Example:

Fosslien, Liz, and Mollie West. "3 Ways to Hack Your Environment to Help You Create." Huffpost Endeavor, Huffington Post, Dec. 7, 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/3-ways-to-hack-your-environment-to-help-you-create_us_580f758be4b02444efa569bc.

Citations for Online Journal Articles:

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Journal Article." Title of Journal, vol. number, issue no., date, page range. Database or Website name, URL or DOI.

Example:

Snyder, Vivian. "The Effect Course-Based Reading Strategy Training on the Reading Comprehension Skills of Developmental College Students." Research and Teaching in Developmental Education, vol. 18, no. 2, Spring 2002, pp. 37-41. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/42802532.

A short tutorial to help you understand how to cite in MLA citation style.

Noodle Tools is a web-based research service that helps students correctly cite sources.