MLA (9th edition) Resources
The MLA Style Center: Writing Resources from the Modern Language Association is the official source for MLA documentation style. This page describes "What's New in the Ninth Edition of the MLA Handbook," which was published in April 2021.
See examples for Citations by Format for Works Cited entries.
MLA Handbook by Call Number: REF LB 2369 .M52 2021 (2nd Floor)ISBN: 9781603295611Publication Date: 2021The ninth edition of the MLA Handbook is a textbook and reference guide that offers student writers and writing instructors guidance on creating works-cited-list entries in MLA style using the template of core elements. It features advice on punctuation, grammar, inclusive language, formatting research papers, and in-text citations. Includes an appendix of sample works-cited-list entries, illustrations, and an index.
MLA Resources
MLA Handbook by Call Number: LB2369 .M52 2021ISBN: 9781603293518Publication Date: 2021-05-30Teaching and learning MLA style is about to get easier. For nearly seventy years, the Modern Language Association has helped student writers choose trustworthy sources and use them to support their own ideas. Now, the authority on writing and research presents the clearest approach to MLA style yet with the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook. The ninth edition works as both a textbook and a reference guide. Focusing on source evaluation, it features a wealth of visual examples and updated advice on punctuation and grammar, footnotes and endnotes, annotated bibliographies, and paper formatting. An all-in-one resource that makes MLA style easier to learn and use, the MLA Handbook includes: Expanded, in-depth guidance on creating works-cited-list entries using the MLA template of core elements that explains what each core element is, where to find it in various sources, and how to style it. A new, easy-to-follow explanation of in-text citations. A new chapter containing recommendations for using inclusive language. A new appendix with hundreds of sample works-cited-list entries by publication format, including books, databases, websites, YouTube videos, interviews, and more. Updated guidelines on avoiding plagiarism. Although there are numerous websites, apps, reference works, and cheat sheets that claim to help with MLA style, there's only one truly authoritative resource to help your students on their paths to becoming better writers. The ninth edition of the MLA Handbook is the most comprehensive guide the MLA has ever produced, with an all-inclusive approach to writing, research, documentation, and formatting.
MLA: In-Text Citations or Documentation within the Text
Author’s Name in the Text:
It may be true, as Robertson writes, "in the appreciation of medieval art the attitude of the observer is of primary importance" (136).
Author’s Name in Reference:
It
is "in the appreciation of medieval art the attitude of the observer is of
primary importance" (Robertson 136).
Documenting a Long Quotation: (Four or more lines of typewritten text, see section 3.7.2)
R. N. Stromberg offers his observation on European philosophical dynamism:
The great philosophers of the Middle Ages, long since rescued from the prejudices against them and the charges that they were trivial or obscure—men like Anselm and Aquinas—labored to assimilate Greek philosophy into Christianity, to plant in barbarian Europe the rational outlook, seeking to shape one great tradition out of the Greeks, Romans, and Christian Fathers. (6)
Documenting a
Paraphrase:
A study at Bellevue Hospital in
New York City of 102 teenagers who attempted suicide showed that only one third
of them lived with both parents (Fuchs 74).
Documenting a
Source without Named Author or Pagination:
Artistic renderings are
displayed as didgeridoo music plays in the video "Australian Aboriginal Music: Song with
Didgeridoo."
Documenting a
Quotation from a Bible:
The first time you make a
citation from the Bible, state in the text of your paper the chapter and the
verse of the book of the Bible you are quoting, along with the name and the
version of the Bible you are using. For example: "Luke 12.27 in the Oxford
Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Edition, says . . ."
From that point on, you can
simply refer to the book, chapter, and verse you are quoting. For example:
"And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his
teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their
scribes" (Matthew 7.28-29).
Additional Resources
- Purdue OWLThis is a style and formatting guide for MLA from the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL). This page contains information on in-text citations and how to correctly format a reference page.
- MLA Style CenterGet started with MLA style. Learn how to document sources, set up your paper, and improve your teaching and writing.
- Easy BibAn overview of “What is MLA Format?” in relation to paper formatting. You’ll find in-depth guidelines, examples, and visual samples to help you easily format your paper. This guide does not serve as a reference for the MLA citation format.