MLA Style Manuals & Citation Help
MLA style is a popular citation style for English language and literature. Many library databases include a cite feature that will give you a basic MLA-style citation for an article or essay, but always check that it is formatted correctly (for example, make sure the title is not in all caps).
Below are resources that can help you when you're formatting your bibliography and papers. Some professors (or publishers, if you are writing an article to be published) may prefer a different style, such as Chicago style, so always check before you format and submit your work. Ask a librarian if you have questions about MLA or other citation styles.
- MLA Handbook Plus This link opens in a new windowThe ninth edition builds on the MLA’s unique approach to documenting sources using a template of core elements that allows writers to cite any type of work, from books, e-books, and journal articles in databases to song lyrics, online images, YouTube videos, dissertations, and more.
- The MLA Style Center - Using MLA FormatThe official website on MLA style. This site will show you how to document sources, set up your paper, and improve your writing.
- Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting & Style GuideAn essential resource from Purdue University with examples and advice for creating in-text citations and bibliographies using MLA style.
MLA Handbook 9th edition by Call Number: Shannon Reference & Brown Library Reference LB2369 .M52 2021ISBN: 9781603293518Publication Date: 2021An all-in-one resource that makes MLA style easier to learn and use, the MLA Handbook includes: Expanded, in-depth guidance on creating works-cited-list entries using the MLA template of core elements that explains what each core element is, where to find it in various sources, and how to style it. A new, easy-to-follow explanation of in-text citations. A new chapter containing recommendations for using inclusive language. A new appendix with hundreds of sample works-cited-list entries by publication format, including books, databases, websites, YouTube videos, interviews, and more. Updated guidelines on avoiding plagiarism. Although there are numerous websites, apps, reference works, and cheat sheets that claim to help with MLA style, there's only one truly authoritative resource to help your students on their paths to becoming better writers. The ninth edition of the MLA Handbook is the most comprehensive guide the MLA has ever produced, with an all-inclusive approach to writing, research, documentation, and formatting.
Sample Citations in MLA Style
Scholarly Article Citation
General Format:
Author (last name, first name). "Title of Article." Journal Title, volume number (vol. #), issue number (no. #), year, pages (pp. #-#).
Example:
Stanton, Courtney. “A Dis-Facilitated Call for More Writing Studies in the New AI Landscape; or, Finding Our Place Among the Chatbots.” Composition Studies, vol. 51, no. 1, Spring 2023, pp. 182–86.
Book Chapter
General Format:
Author (last name, first name). "Title of Chapter." Title of Book. Publisher, year, pages (pp. #-#).
Example:
Baron, Dennis. "Thoreau's Pencil." A Better Pencil: Readers, Writers, and the Digital Revolution. Oxford University Press 2009, pp. 33-47.
Sample In-Text Citations MLA style
General in-text citation: (Author page number(s))
Example: (Baron 11).
If I have more than one article by Baron in my Works cited, I would add part of the title (to identify which work you are referring to):
Example: (Baron, "Writing it Down" 11).
When citing an essay from a book collection, use the essay author in the citation (not the editor(s) name(s)).
Citation after quotation: "Here is my quotation" (cite).
Example: According to Baron, "Thoreau sought to improve the wood-cased pencil of his own day by developing a cutting-edge manufacturing technology" (34).
Or paraphrase of information (cite).
Example: Baron explains that although it's not electric, the pencil can also be considered a communication technology with advanced features (34).