The 9th edition is the most recent and updated version for MLA citations. Released in April , the citation format differs slightly from previous versions. This update follows the update for the 8th edition that contained many significant changes from previous editions. For the 8th edition, the biggest difference and most exciting update was the use of one standard format for all source types.
In previous versions, scholars were required to locate the citation format for the specific source that they used. There were different formats for books, websites, periodicals, and so on. After , using one universal MLA citation format allowed scholars to spend less time trying to locate the proper format to document their sources and focus more on their research.
For example, books contain chapters, albums contain songs, and journals contain journal articles. The source is the larger work, such as a website, while the container is a smaller work within that source, such as a short story on the website. Social media pseudonyms and usernames can replace the real name of the author.
Lowercase seasons when using them in the date field of a citation spring not Spring You may have heard the two terms, "Bibliography" and "Works Cited" thrown around interchangeably. The truth is that they are two different words with two completely different meanings. A bibliography is a list of sources that the writer recommends for further reading. A works-cited list is a list of sources that were included in the author's writing.
Want to suggest some books and websites to your reader? Create an MLA format bibliography by creating a list of full citations and label the page as "Bibliography. Did you use any quotes or place any paraphrases in your writing? Create in-text citations and place them in the body of your work. Then, create a list of full citations and place them at the end of the project. Label the page as "Works Cited.
The good news is that references in MLA bibliography format and regular works-cited lists are structured the exact same way. When adding information to your project from another source, you are required to add an MLA citation.
There are two types of MLA format citations: in-text citations and full citations. MLA citing format often includes the following pieces of information, in this order:. Author's Last name, First name. For more information about each individual element and for proper formatting rules, see the sections below on author names, titles, containers, names of other contributors, source versions, numbers, publishers, publication dates, and locations. Find more in-depth rules regarding the works-cited list in MLA format on the page down below, along with a sample page.
The author's name is generally the first item in a citation unless the source does not have an author. The author's name is followed by a period. If the source has one author , place the last name first, add a comma, and then the first name.
If your source has two authors , place them in the same order they're shown on the source. The first author is in reverse order, add a comma and the word "and", then place the second author in standard form. Follow their names with a period. For three or more authors , only include the first listed author's name.
Place the first author's name in reverse order Last name, First name place a comma afterwards, and then add the Latin phrase "et al. For social media posts, it's acceptable to use a screen name or username in place of the author's name.
Start the citation with the user's handle. No author listed? If there isn't an author, start the citation with the title and skip the author section completely. Citations do not need to always start with the name of the author. When your research focuses on a specific individual that is someone other than the author, it is appropriate for readers to see that individual's name at the beginning of the citation.
Directors, actors, translators, editors, and illustrators are common individuals to list at the beginning. Again, only include their name in place of the author if your research focuses on that specific individual. To include someone other than the author at the beginning of the citation, place their name in reverse order, add a comma afterwards, and then the role of that individual followed by a period.
Fimmel, Travis, performer. Created by Michael Hirst, History Channel, Gage, John T. SIU Press, If you're citing a source in its entirety, such as a full book, a movie, or a music album, then place the title in italics. If you're citing a source, such as a chapter in a book, a song on an album, or an article in a journal or website, then place the title of the piece in quotations and add a period afterwards.
Follow it with the title of the full source, in italics, and then add a comma. This second portion is called the container. Containers house smaller works, such as songs, in larger comprehensive works, such as albums. Wondering what to do with subtitles? Place a colon in between the title and subtitle. Write both parts in title capitalization form. Nasar, Sylvia. Simon and Schuster, If the source does not have a title , give a brief description and do not use quotation marks or italics.
For email messages, the subject of the email is the title. Place this information in quotation marks. It is possible for a source to sit in a second or larger container. A journal article sits in its first container, which is the journal itself, but it can also sit in a larger container, such as a database. A song can sit in its first container, which is the album it's found on.
Then it can sit in its next container, which could be Spotify or iTunes. It is important to include the second container because the content on one container may differ from content from another container.
In most cases, for the second container, only the title of the second container and the location is needed. For readers to locate the source themselves, they'll most likely use the majority of the information found in the first part of the citation. Sallis, James, et al. ProQuest , ezproxy. Baker, Martha.
Google Books , books. In MLA citing, when there are other individuals besides the author who play a significant role in your research, include them in this section of the citation. Other contributors can also be added to help individuals locate the source themselves. You can add as many other contributors as you like. Start this part of the citation with the individual's role, followed by the word "by". Notice that when adding other contributors after a period, you capitalize the first letter of the individual's role.
Gaitskill, Mary. Gospodinov, Georgi. The Physics of Sorrow. Translated by Angela Rodel, Open Letter, Sources can come in different versions. There are numerous bible versions; books can come in versions such as numbered editions , and even movies and songs can have special versions. When a source indicates that it is different than other versions, include this information in the citation. This will help readers locate the exact source that you used for your project.
Any numbers related to a source that isn't the publication date, page range, or version number should be placed in the numbers position of the citation. This includes volume and issue numbers for journal articles, volume or series numbers for books, comic book numbers, and television episode numbers, to name a few. Zhai, Xiaojuan, and Jingjing Wang. ProQuest Research Library , ezproxy. Lewis, season 1, episode 2, Warner Bros. The publisher produces the source.
In the citation, place the publisher before the date of publication. Include the publisher for any source type except websites when the name of the publisher is the same as the name of the website. When sources have more than one publisher that share responsibility for the production of the source, place a slash between the names of the publishers.
When including the date that the source was published, display the amount of information that is found on the source, whether it's the full date, the month and year, or just the year. If the date includes a season rather than a month, make sure to lowercase the season spring not Spring Do not capitalize the season.
When multiple dates are shown on the source, include the date that is most relevant to your work and research. The location refers to the place where the source can be found.
This can be in the form of a URL, page number, disc number, or physical place. When using a direct quote or paraphrasing information from a source, add an in-text or parenthetical citation into the body of your work.
Direct quotes are word-for-word quotes pulled from a source and added to your project. A paraphrase is when you take a section of information from a source and put it in your own words. Both direct quotes and paraphrases require an in-text or parenthetical citation to follow it.
You used information from websites, articles, books, and other sources for your paper, right? Hopefully, you did, because the best research and writing projects validate claims using information from other sources. The purpose of an in-text citation is to give the reader a brief idea about where you found the information used in your writing.
When you place a line of text, word for word called a direct quote , or an idea called a paraphrase from another source into your writing, you, the writer, must display:. The major thing to keep in mind is that whichever information you include in the in-text or parenthetical citation, whether it's the author's name or the title, it needs to match the first word in the full citation. This is an MLA parenthetical citation as the author's name is in parentheses.
Author's Last Name states, "Direct Quote" or paraphrase page number. This is an MLA citation in prose as the author's name is in the prose of your sentence. If your in-text citation comes from a website or another source that does not have page numbers, use the following abbreviations:. Gregor's sister is quite persuasive, especially when she states to her parents, "It'll be the death of both of you, I can see it coming.
We can't all work as hard as we have to and then come home to be tortured like this, we can't endure it" Kafka, ch. The girl's affection towards Marley is clear when she blushes upon his arrival and shares that she would like to accompany him to the theater Tales of Times Ago The smaller the class size, the more attention a student receives, which greatly impacts learning Malcolm and Knowles Many lizards, including the Carolina anole, only eat when they're hungry.
They'll ignore food until their body sends a signal to eat Smith et al. One study shows that the average time spent on homework is 52 minutes R. Brown However, a more recent study, released in , found that the average student spends 42 minutes completing homework S. The basic entry for a book consists of the author's name, the book title, the publisher, and the year published.
The first author's name should be reversed, with a comma after the last name and a period after the first name or any middle name. The name should not be abbreviated and should be written exactly as it appears on the title page. Campbell, Megan, et al. The Best Noun Book. Books For Us, The full title of the book, including any subtitles, should be italicized and followed by a period.
If the book has a subtitle, the main title should be followed by a colon unless the main title ends with a question mark or exclamation point. Publication information can generally be found on the title page of a book. If it is not available there, it may also be found on the copyright page. State the name of the publisher. If you are citing a specific page range from the book, include the page s at the end of the citation. If you have to cite a specific edition of a book later than the first, see the section below on citing edited books.
If the translation is the focus of your project, include the translator's name at the beginning of the citation, like this:. Prefer to cite your sources manually? Use the interactive example below to see what the Works Cited entry and in-text citation look like for different source types. Headings and subheadings are not mandatory, but they can help you organize and structure your paper, especially in longer assignments.
We recommend keeping the font and size the same as the body text and applying title case capitalization. In general, boldface indicates greater prominence, while italics are appropriate for subordinate headings. Tip: Both Google Docs and Microsoft Word allow you to create heading levels that help you to keep your headings consistent. MLA also provides guidelines for presenting them. Tables are labeled and numbered, along with a descriptive title. The label and title are placed above the table on separate lines; the label and number appear in bold.
Below this, any explanatory notes appear, marked on the relevant part of the table with a superscript letter. The first line of each note is indented; your word processor should apply this formatting automatically. Just like in the rest of the paper, the text is double spaced and you should use title case capitalization for the title but not for the caption or notes. The caption in this case is also centered. The rest of the caption gives either full source information, or as in the example here just basic descriptive information about the image author, title, publication year.
Give full source information in a caption in the same format as you would in the Works Cited list, but without inverting the author name i. John Smith, not Smith, John.
But if the caption just gives basic information like the figure example above , you do need to include a Works Cited entry for that source. In this case, make sure the caption contains at least enough information—author and abbreviated title—to point the reader to the relevant Works Cited entry. Other standard fonts such as Arial or Georgia are also acceptable. If in doubt, check with your supervisor which font you should be using.
The main guidelines for formatting a paper in MLA style are as follows:. For help determining the proper structure for citing, refer to the other guides on EasyBib. Here is another informative site which may help with further understanding of MLA citation format.
There are various sections in this guide. Each section provides an in-depth overview of the different components to keep in mind when developing an MLA paper. If you need more guidance, a website like EasyBib. It was developed as a means for researchers, students, and scholars in the literature and language fields to uniformly format their papers and assignments. This uniform, or consistent, method to developing a paper or assignment allows for easy reading.
Today, MLA is not only used in literature and language subject areas; many others have adopted it as well. Looking for information about previous editions to the Handbook? Actually, are you looking for help on using another style? While many professors, instructors, and publications allow electronic submission, some prefer printed, hard copies of papers.
This section focuses on the type of paper to use for printed submission. If you choose to print your paper, use white paper only. Do not use ivory, off-white, or any other shades or colors.
Choose a standard, high quality paper to print your project on. Do not use cardstock. Use typical, high quality printer or copy paper. Use one-inch margins around the entire page.
The running head should be the only item seen in the one inch margin see below for more on running heads. Most word processing programs automatically default to using one inch margins. Check the page settings section of the program to locate the margin size. Indent the first word in every paragraph. Sentences should begin one half inch from the left margin.
It is not necessary to manually measure half an inch. MLA research paper format requires that the entire research paper or MLA format essay includes double-spaced lines. Double-spaced lines should be found in between the written body of the work, in the heading, and also on the MLA reference page.
While it may seem tempting to place a few extra lines between the heading, title, and beginning of the paper, lines should all be double spaced. In an MLA paper, it is acceptable to use any font type that is easy to read. Two of the most commonly used fonts are Arial and Times New Roman.
It is important for the reader to be able to distinguish the difference between italicized and regular font, so if you choose a font style different than Arial or Times New Roman, make sure the difference between the two type styles is evident.
The use of a point font size is recommended as this is the default size for many word processing programs. It is acceptable to use another standard size, such as point or Some professors or instructors will provide guidance on how to secure hard copies of projects. If your instructor does not provide you with any expectations or guidance, a simple staple in the top left corner should suffice.
If a stapler is not available, some instructors allow paper or binder clips. Do not fold the top left corner down to secure the pages together. The page could easily unfold, causing a mess of papers. While binders and plastic holders are cute, in reality, they add bulk to a professor or instructor who may like to take the papers home for grading purposes. Keep the binding simple and clean. Staples work best, and binder and paper clips are the next best option.
As always, follow any instructions your professor or teacher may provide. The guidelines found here are simply recommendations. Align the title so it sits in the center of the MLA format paper.
The title should be written in standard lettering, without underlines, bold font, italicized font, or any quotation marks. Only include italics or quotation marks if your title includes the title of another source. Most research papers use a standard MLA format heading, like the one seen above.
If your instructor requires you to create a standalone title page, ask him or her for specifications. We recommend you use an MLA header for your project. If your teacher or professor requires a standalone title page, but has not provided any guidance or specifications, here are a few suggestions from EasyBib. Click additional information about essays to see an example of a formatted header.
You can either create a title page using the EasyBib Title Page creator or omit the title page completely and use a header. A running head is a brief heading that is placed in the top right corner of every page in a project. Try looking in the settings area where page numbers or headers can be added or modified. Quotes are added into assignments to help defend an argument, prove a point, add emphasis, or simply liven up a project. Quotes should not take up the majority of your paper or assignment.
Quotes should be sprinkled sparingly throughout. Use direct quotes from outside sources to enhance and expand on your own writing and ideas.
There are three ways to add quotes: 1. This is an example of a proper MLA style citation in the body of a project. In a block quote, which is used when a large quote, of 4 lines or more, is added into a project.
The Modern Language Association generally promotes the use of references as described in the sections above, but footnotes and endnotes are also acceptable forms of references to use in your paper. Footnotes and endnotes are helpful to use in a variety of circumstances.
Here are a few scenarios when it may seem appropriate to use this type of referencing:. To include a footnote or endnote, add a superscript number at the end of the sentence the footnote or endnote refers to.
They can be included mid-sentence if necessary, but be sure to add it after any punctuation, such as commas or periods. On the last page of the assignment, the writer includes the full references for the books by Isadora, Parr, and Velazquez.
Paraphrases are created when text or speech from another source are added into a project, but the writer chooses to summarize them and weave in his or her own writing and writing style. Even though the writer modifies the information from another source, it is still necessary to credit the source using proper format Handbook Paraphrased information uses the same MLA reference format as stated in the section directly above this one.
Steve Jobs encouraged students at Stanford to continue with their determination, drive, and ambitious behavior. They should never be simply satisfied with the status quo. They should continue to push themselves despite possible obstacles and failures.
An essential part of the research process involves adding direct quotes and paraphrases into projects. When it comes to paraphrases, writers are able to take a block of text and shrink the scope of it into the their papers. Paper writers can also use paraphrases to demonstrate their ability to analyze and reiterate information in a meaningful and relevant way.
Paraphrases come out on top. The ultimate goal of a research project is to have your voice and research merged together as one. Paraphrases allow just that. When you combine information from outside sources with your own writing style, it demonstrates your ability as a researcher to showcase your understanding and analyzation of a topic.
References are placed after the quotes and paraphrases, and also at the end of an assignment. Abbreviations are commonly used in many source types including websites, blog posts, books, and journal articles.
It is acceptable to use abbreviations in all of these sources. When it comes to school and research assignments, however, the MLA Handbook states that abbreviations should be used rarely in the prose of your paper Spelling out abbreviations into their full words and meanings is recommended. This ensures understanding and avoids any confusion from your reader.
There are times when you may feel it is perfectly acceptable to use an abbreviation rather than its typed out counterpart in a paper. If you do abbreviate, be sure you are using commonly accepted abbreviations, which you can find in the dictionary. She rented out the beach house from May through September. When it comes to references, MLA bibliography format requires months longer than four letters to be abbreviated. Other abbreviations that are perfectly acceptable to use in a bibliography not the body of a project include:.
Again, these abbreviations should only be used in the final page s of a project, the MLA Works Cited list. They should not be used in the body of a project. One of the quirkiest things about this particular style is how publisher names are structured on the final page of references. Certain words are abbreviated, some words are omitted, and other words are written in full.
Words describing what type of business the publisher is are omitted from the works cited. But if only one of the words appears, it should be written out normally.
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