Always check with your instructor on what format specifications to use for a particular class or assignment, especially when citing online resources including material found in library databases.
This guide was adapted from the MLA Style 9th Edition pages in the Citation Styles Playbook created by Piedmont Virginia Community College Library and the Reynolds Community College Citation Style: MLA 9th Edition guide from the Parham Campus Library.
MLA citation style is a set of rules created by the Modern Language Association that establishes standards of written communication (college research papers; articles, books and other documents submitted for publication) including:
This guide was created to help you format your papers using the MLA citation style. A citation style advises how to give credit to resources such as books and articles both in the text of your paper, and in your works cited page.
We keep a copy of the handbook in the Reference Collection at the LRC.
This guide is for the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook.
Citations in the 8th edition of MLA style are all made up of 9 elements, called core elements. These are elements common to most citations. By using the core elements, any item can be cited, regardless of format. Please play close attention to the punctuation after each element.
When an element is unavailable, it is simply skipped.
Another crucial concept in the 9th edition of MLA style is the concept of containers. A container is the larger work that includes the source. A chapter is contained in a book; an article is contained in a periodical; an episode of a sitcom is contained in the series, etc.
To learn more about what is new, check out the MLA Style Center, and for more information on formatting, see the MLA's Works Cited quick guide. If you'd like to see what an MLA styled paper looks like, see sample papers here.
Practice MLA citations by using this interactive template.
Image taken from the MLA Style Center - Works Cited: A Quick Guide - https://style.mla.org/works-cited/works-cited-a-quick-guide/
Overview of how MLA works - with information about in-text citations and the works cited page. Short video.
Detailed instruction about how to construct a single citation in MLA style. Shows all the parts of a citation and where to find them in the document being cited. Longer video.
