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MLA Formatting and Style Guide
Summary:
MLA has updated their resources. To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
This resource is enhanced by an Acrobat PDF file.
1. General Format
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
2. In-Text Citations: The Basics
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
3. In-Text Citations: Author-Page Style
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
4. Formatting Quotations
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
5. Footnotes and Endnotes
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
6. Works Cited Page: Basic Format
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
7. Works Cited Page: Books
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
8. Works Cited: Periodicals
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
9. Works Cited: Electronic Sources
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
10. Works Cited: Other Non-Print Sources
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
11. Additional Resources
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
12. Abbreviations in MLA
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
13. Works Cited Page: Other Print Sources
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
14. MLA Works Cited Example Page
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
15. MLA Update 2009
In Summer 2008, the Modern Language Association released its third edition of the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, which publicly unveiled modifications to MLA Style for the upcoming year.
These changes go into effect April 2009 with the release of MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition). The OWL's new MLA 2009 Guideline resources are here. General paper formatting (margins, headings, etc.) and in-text citations will remain the same, but all Works Cited style entries will be different from the 6th edition guidelines.
The Purdue OWL will begin listing these changes in all our MLA resources in April 2009. Until then, here are some of the more noteworthy changes to look forward to:
- No More Underlining! Underlining is no more. MLA now recommends italicizing titles of independently published works (books, periodicals, films, etc).
- No More URLs! While website entries will still include authors, article names, and website names, when available, MLA no longer requires URLs. Writers are, however, encouraged to provide a URL if the citation information does not lead readers to easily find the source.
- Continuous Pagination? Who Cares? You no longer have to worry about whether scholarly publications employ continuous pagination or not. For all such entries, both volume and issue numbers are required, regardless of pagination.
- Publication Medium. Every entry receives a medium of publication marker. Most entries will be listed as Print or Web, but other possibilities include Performance, DVD, or TV. Most of these markers will appear at the end of entries; however, markers for Web sources are followed by the date of access.
- New Abbreviations. Many web source entries now require a publisher name, a date of publication, and/or page numbers. When no publisher name appears on the website, write N.p. for no publisher given. When sites omit a date of publication, write n.d. for no date. For online journals that appear only online (no print version) or on databases that do not provide pagination, write n. pag. for no pagination.
MLA 2009 Sample Entries
Before the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition) arrives, refer to the following preview. Each entry highlights changes in the new edition.
BookBook citations remain largely the same except for the addition of the medium of publication, Print, at the end of the entry.
Carré, John le. The Tailor of Panama. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996. Print.
Regardless of pagination, all scholarly publication citations include both volume and issue numbers. End citations with the medium of publication, Print.
Aldrich, Frederick A. and Margueritte L. Marks. “Wyman Reed Green, American Biologist.” Bios 23.1 (1952): 26-35. Print.
Online periodicals include both the name of the website in italics and the website publisher. Note that some sites will have different names than their print formats, such as ones that include a domain name like .com or .org. If no publisher is listed, use N.p. to denote no publisher name given. Follow with date of publication, Web as medium of publication, and date of access.
Lubell, Sam. “Of the Sea and Air and Sky.” New York Times. New York Times, 26 Nov. 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2008.
Cohen, Elizabeth. “Five Ways to Avoid Germs While Traveling.” CNN.com. CNN, 27 Nov. 2008. Web. 28 Nov. 2008.
Cite online journal articles from an online database as you would a print one. Provide the database name in italics. Library information is no longer required. List the medium of publication as Web and end with the date of access.
Berger, James D. and Helmut J. Schmidt. “Regulation of Macronuclear DNA Content in Paramecium Tetraurelia.” The Journal of Cell Biology 76.1 (1978): 116-126. JSTOR. Web. 20 Nov. 2008.
For articles that appear in an online-only format or in databases that do not provide a page number, use the abbreviation n. pag. for no pagination. End the citation with the medium of publication, Web, and the date of access.
Kessl, Fabian, and Nadia Kutsche. “Rationalities, Practices, and Resistance in Post-Welfarism. A Comment on Kevin Stenson.” Social Work & Society 6.1 (2008): n. pag. Web. 10 Oct. 2008.
Online scholarly projects appear italicized. Difficult-to-find projects may be listed in quotation marks with the website name and domain in italics. Publication location and date follows. Web medium of publication and date of access end the entry.
Kline, Daniel T., ed. Geoffrey Chaucer Online: The Electronic Canterbury Tales. U of Alaska Anchorage, 30 Jul. 2007. Web. 2 Dec. 2008.
16. MLA Tables, Figures, and Examples
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.
17. MLA Sample Paper
MLA Has Updated Their Resources
To read the 2009 MLA guidelines, please go to the OWL's MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide that includes html resources, PDF sample papers, and PowerPoint presentations. The updated OWL resources reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). The Purdue OWL is no longer supporting resources for the old MLA guidelines.