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Citation Style Guide: MLA Basic Guidelines

Owl At Purdue

For more information, please see MLA General Format page from the OWL at Purdue.

MLA Checklist

Does your 8.5x11" white sheet of paper have:

  • Double spacing?
  • Legible font (i.e. Times New Roman or Arial), in 12 point size?
  • Only one space after a period and other punctuation marks, unless instructed otherwise?
  • one inch margins on all sides?
  • first line of every paragraph is indented one-half inch from the left (use the "Tab" key once, or format it in paragraph settings)?
  • a header that numbers in consecutive order, and flush with the right margin (use "insert header" if using Microsoft Word)?
  • titles of larger works (i.e. books, journals, newspapers, magazines) are in italics?
  • titles of shorter works (i.e. songs, poems, chapters, article titles) are in quotation marks (" ")?

List of Core Elements

When deciding how to cite your source, start by consulting the list of core elements. These are the general pieces of information that MLA suggests including in each Works Cited entry. In your citation, the elements should be listed in the following order:

  1. Author.
  2. Title of source.
  3. Title of container,
  4. Other contributors,
  5. Version,
  6. Number,
  7. Publisher,
  8. Publication date,
  9. Location.

The above is copied from The OWL at Purdue.

If your instructor directs your to do something different, then follow the instructor's guidelines for that course.

The "container" mentioned above could be things like an anthology (a collection of short stories or poems, for instance), a name of a TV series, a name of a magazine or journal, among just a few possibilities.  The "title of source" is the title of the item you are referencing, such as (not an exhaustive list): a poem, chapter, an episode of a TV series, or article title.  The "location" is the page numbers in print resources, or a URL (minus the "https://" or "http://").

How to Create a Header

For more information on How to Create a Header, click on the link to go to the LibGuide.

Note These Changes in the 9th Edition

Please note these changes in the new edition:

  • Commas are used instead of periods between Publisher, Publication Date, and Pagination.
  • Medium is no longer necessary.
  • Containers are now a part of the MLA process. Commas should be used after container titles.
  • DOIs should be used instead of URLS when available.
  • Use the term “Accessed” instead of listing the date or the abbreviation, “n.d."

Below is the general format for any citation:

Author. Title. Title of container (do not list container for standalone books, e.g. novels), Other contributors (translators or editors), Version (edition), Number (vol. and/or no.), Publisher, Publication Date, Location (pages, paragraphs URL or DOI). 2nd container’s title, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location, Date of Access (if applicable).

The above is copied from The OWL at Purdue.