Citations in the 8th edition of the 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.
A crucial concept for the new 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. There are other changes in the 8th edition; to learn about them, click here.
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. To see sample papers in MLA style, go here.
Margins
Text Formatting
Heading and Title
Page Numbers
Notes
In-text citations in the body of your paper point the reader to specific sources listed on your Works Cited page. They usually include:
Examples
Author's name in text
Author has expressed this concern (118-21).
Author's name in parenthetical reference
This concern has been expressed (Author 118-21).
The Works Cited list provides bibliographic information for the sources you used, thereby allowing your reader to identify and locate those materials. To format the page:
The MLA citation style is a set of rules created by the Modern Language Association. Generally, this style is used by the liberal arts and the humanities.
Most of the examples in these pages were taken from:
Thank you to Piedmont Community College for letting us adapt information for our library.