MLA Style Manual Resources
For more information on MLA citation formats, consult:
MLA Handbook. 8th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2016, New York.
MLA Handbook by Call Number: Course Reserves, Services Desk LB2369 .G53 2016ISBN: 9781603292627Publication Date: 2016
- O.W.L at Purdue: MLA Formatting and Style GuideA quick online reference source for information about MLA style
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MLA Style Manual Updates (8th Edition)
The MLA published a new version of the MLA Handbook in April 2016. Be sure to check with your professor to determine if your class will be using the new 8th edition or the previous 7th edition.
The latest edition of the MLA Handbook (8th ed.) by the Modern Language Association was published in 2016 and includes some drastic changes to MLA format. Different source types no longer have different formats. MLA updated their style to accommodate the digital publication era, where a work can be published and shared in many different formats with ease. MLA now utilizes a list of core elements arranged in a particular order. The type of source you use will dictate which core elements you use. For more information about this change please visit the links below:
- MLA Handbook (ebook)The MLA Handbook, 9th edition, is the latest update of this frequently used style manual. Sections of the manual address formatting your research project, the mechanics of prose, principles of inclusive language, and documenting sources through notes and bibliographies.
Core Elements
The core elements are as follows:
- Author.
- Title of source
- Title of container,
- Other contributors,
- Version,
- Number,
- Publisher,
- Publication date,
- Location.
(Click to enlarge)
Examples
General format for any citation
Author. Title. Title of container (self contained if book), Other contributors (translators or editors), Version (edition), Number (vol. and/or no.), Publisher, Publication Date, Location (pages, paragraphs, URL, or DOI). 2nd container’s title, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location, Date of Access (if applicable).
Examples for specific sources
| Book, one or two authors |
Bennett, Brit. The Vanishing Half. Riverhead Books, 2020. |
|
Book, two authors (First author is last name, first name; second author appears in first name last name format) |
Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Allyn and Bacon, 2000. |
| Book, three or more authors | Robbins, Chandler S., et al. Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. Golden, 1966. |
| Book, with Translator or other contributors | Homer. The Odyssey. Translated by Stanley Lombardo, Hackett Publishing Company, 2000. |
| A work (e.g essay, short story) in an anthology or compilation | Seale, Maura. "Information Literacy Standards and the Politics of Knowledge Production." Critical Library Instruction: Theories and Methods, edited by Emily Drabinski, Alana Kumbier, and Maria Accardi, Library Juice Press, 2010, pp.221-235. |
| Article in an online database | Miller, Matthew J., et al. "College Students' Social Justice Interest and Commitment: A Social-Cognitive Perspective." Journal of Counseling Psychology, vol. 56, no. 4, 2009, pp. 495-507, doi:10.1037/a0017220. |
| Article in a print journal | Hannah, Daniel K. "The Private Life, the Public Stage: Henry James in Recent Fiction." Journal of Modern Literature, vol.30, no.3, 2007, pp. 70-94. |
| Article (web page) on a website |
Farkas, Meredith. "Tips for Being a Great Blogger (and a Good Person)." Information Wants to Be Free, 19 July 2011, meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2011/07/19/tips-for-being-a-great-blogger-and-good-person/. Note: When including a URL, omit the http:// and https:// |
| Webpage (whole site) | Farkas, Meredith. Information Wants to Be Free. Jun. 2015, meredith.wolfwater.com. |