MLA Style is a style from the Modern Language Association used to format research papers. It is generally used by the humanities, writing, languages, other related subjects. MLA style includes in-text citations, a Works Cited page or reference list, headings, and more.
The following examples for in-text citations are from Purdue OWL: MLA In-Text Citations. All citations will ideally have an author and a page number, though there are many examples to follow for different scenarios.
Example 1: Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).
Example 2: Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).
Example 3: The authors claim that surface reading looks at what is “evident, perceptible, apprehensible in texts” (Best and Marcus 9).
The following examples for reference list citations are from Purdue OWL: MLA Works Cited. While these examples cover popular resources including journal articles, books, and websites, Purdue OWL provides examples on many other types of materials for a number of scenarios (multiple authors, no author, no page number, etc.)
Journal Articles:
Format: Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal, Volume, Issue, Year, pages.
Example: Bagchi, Alaknanda. "Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahasweta Devi's Bashai Tudu." Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature, vol. 15, no. 1, 1996, pp. 41-50.
Books:
Format: Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.
Example: Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. Penguin, 1987.
Websites:
Format: 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 and/or URL, DOI or permalink). 2nd container’s title, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location, Date of Access (if applicable).
Example: The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl. Accessed 23 Apr. 2008.
Note: MLA style also requires that references be listed in alphabetical order by the author's last name and follow specific formatting, including indenting. Please consult the links below for more information.
Your professor may require your entire research paper to be formatted in MLA format. Please consult Purdue OWL's resources on MLA general formatting, as well as a sample of a paper formatted in MLA style. The worksheet to the right of this page can also assist you.
The following subjects may use MLA Style:
Links:
Books:
MLA Handbook by
Relied on by generations of writers, the MLA Handbook is published by the Modern Language Association and is the only official, authorized book on MLA style. The new, ninth edition builds on the MLA's unique approach to documenting sources using a template of core elements?facts, common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date?that allows writers to cite any type of work, from books, e-books, and journal articles in databases to song lyrics, online images, social media posts, dissertations, and more. With this focus on source evaluation as the cornerstone of citation, MLA style promotes the skills of information and digital literacy so crucial today. The many new and updated chapters make this edition the comprehensive, go-to resource for writers of research papers, and anyone citing sources, from business writers, technical writers, and freelance writers and editors to student writers and the teachers and librarians working with them. Intended for a variety of classroom contexts?middle school, high school, and college courses in composition, communication, literature, language arts, film, media studies, digital humanities, and related fields?the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook offers ?New chapters on grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, numbers, italics, abbreviations, and principles of inclusive language ?Guidelines on setting up research papers in MLA format with updated advice on headings, lists, and title pages for group project ?Revised, comprehensive, step-by-step instructions for creating a list of works cited in MLA format that are easier to learn and use than ever before ?A new appendix with hundreds of example works-cited-list entries by publication format, including websites, YouTube videos, interviews, and more ?Detailed examples of how to find publication information for a variety of sources ?Newly revised explanations of in-text citations, including comprehensive advice on how to cite multiple authors of a single work ?Detailed guidance on footnotes and endnotes ?Instructions on quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and avoiding plagiarism ?A sample essay in MLA format ?Annotated bibliography examples ?Numbered sections throughout for quick navigation ?Advanced tips for professional writers and scholars
Students have many questions about citing sources, and FDU librarians are happy to provide guidance. We can assist by helping you to determine the type of source to be cited, providing a guide to the citation style, and indicating the most relevant section/example. Because citations are often graded, we cannot create or format the citation for you, nor can we correct a list of citations. Please contact the Academic Support Center or the Metro Writing Studio for help creating and formatting citations.
