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MLA format, ninth edition
MLA 9, published in 2021, builds every citation from the same short list of core elements and asks for a simple, double spaced page. Here is the whole system.
The core elements
Nine elements, in one order
Author. Title of source. Title of container, other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, location. Each element is followed by the punctuation shown, and any element that does not apply is simply left out.
Containers
A container is the larger whole a source sits inside: the journal for an article, the website for a page, the anthology for a poem. Its title is italicised, and the source's own title goes in quotation marks when it is part of something larger.
Location
For print, the location is the page range, written pp. 11-12. Online, it is a DOI, which MLA prefers, or otherwise the URL, usually without the https:// at the start.
The Works Cited page
Title and order
Start a new page titled Works Cited, centred and not bold. List the entries alphabetically by their first word, usually the author's surname.
Hanging indent and spacing
Double space the whole list with no extra space between entries, and indent every line after the first by half an inch.
Authors
One author is written Surname, First name. Two authors are joined with and, the second written first name first. Three or more become the first author followed by et al.
In-text citations
Author and page, no year
MLA gives the author's surname and the page number with no comma between them: (Dahl 42). There is no year, which is the quickest way to tell MLA from APA.
When there is no page
For a web page or anything else without page numbers, give only the author: (World Health Organization). Do not invent paragraph numbers unless the source numbers its paragraphs.
Two or three authors
Two authors are both named: (Smith and Jones 12). Three or more use et al.: (Smith et al. 12).
Laying out the paper
Page setup
One inch margins, a legible 12 point font such as Times New Roman, and double spacing throughout. Indent the first line of each paragraph by half an inch.
Heading and page numbers
MLA papers usually have no title page. In the top left corner of the first page, on separate lines, write your name, your instructor's name, the course and the date. Put your surname and the page number in the top right corner of every page.
The title
Centre the title on the line after the heading, in title case, with no bold, underlining or italics unless it contains the title of another work.
Questions
What changed in MLA 9?
MLA 9 keeps the core elements of MLA 8 and adds fuller guidance on formatting the paper, on inclusive language and on citing works in translation and other less common sources.
Does MLA use the year in in-text citations?
No. An MLA in-text citation gives the author and the page number only.
Is the Works Cited page double spaced?
Yes, like the rest of the paper, with a hanging indent of half an inch.
Do I need an access date in MLA?
It is optional. MLA recommends one for a web source with no publication date, or one likely to change.
Build the references themselves
More on citing
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