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MLA Style

Researchers have agreed on specific guidelines about how to format their papers and how to cite their sources. This Guide provides an introduction to the MLA style.

Common elements

What Changed?

Previous editions of the MLA handbook focused on many different publication formats -- (book, book chapter, journal article, web page, YouTube video. etc.) Each format had its own set of rules for creating a citation. In the old model, a writer would ask "How do I cite a book [or DVD or web page]?"

Since the 8th edition, the focus is on core elements (author, title date, etc.) common to most sources (books, journal articles, web pages tweets, etc.) and universal, flexible guidelines. In the new model, the writers asks, "Who is the author? What is the title?" and so forth regardless of the nature of the source.

 

list of the 9 core elements in MLA style citationsSome Definitions

Element: The different pieces of information that may exist in any citation: Authors, Title, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, and Location.

Container: This word refers to larger works (like a database or newspaper) that contain smaller works (like individual articles). The smaller works are "nested" within the larger works.

Location: This word no longer refers to the place of publication. It now refers to page numbers, URLs, permalinks, and any Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs).

 

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