21.2: The Reading

Read: MLA Style information from Excelsior OWL

MLA Style How To Format

MLA stands for the Modern Language Association, and its style guidelines have been assisting authors since 1951. In 2016, the MLA Handbook introduced a template using core elements in an effort to simplify much of the documentation process in MLA format. In 2021, the ninth edition was expanded with considerably more content and visuals.

MLA Formatting: The Basics

Papers constructed according to MLA guidelines should adhere to the following elements:

• Double-space all of the text of your paper (including entries within Works Cited).
• Use a clear font between 11 and 13 points. One example is Times New Roman font.
• Use one-inch margins on all sides and indent the first line of a paragraph one half-inch from the left margin.
• Add a running head in the upper right-hand corner with your last name, a space, and then a page number. Pages should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
• List your name, your instructor’s name, the course, and the date double-spaced in the upper left-hand corner of the first page. This is your header. There is no cover page.
• Center the title on the next double-spaced line after the header.
• Provide in-text citations for all quoted, paraphrased, and summarized information in your paper.
• Include an alphabetized Works Cited page at the end of your paper that gives full bibliographic information for each item cited in your paper.
• If you use endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited page.

To see how these formatting guidelines come together on an actual document, visit our MLA Essay Template.

The following pages in this section will provide you with more information regarding MLA formatting, in-text citations, and the Works Cited entries. There are also three videos that give an overview of MLA formatting, in-text citations, and the Works Cited section. In addition, this section contains a practice activity as well as a page containing MLA sample papers. The information in this section follows the MLA Handbook, 9th edition. MLA guidelines do change over time, so it’s important to be aware of the most current information. As always, follow the requirements of your teacher or professor; their requirements take precedence.

Attributions

Image from https://www.mla.org/Publications/Boo...-Ninth-Edition

Modern Language Association of America. (2021). MLA Handbook (9th ed.).

 

MLA In-Text Citations

MLA Citations in the Body of Your Paper

MLA citations follow specific conventions that distinguish them from other styles. In-text citations are also sometimes known as “parenthetical citations” because they are enclosed in parentheses. Most often, the author’s last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in parentheses at the end of the sentence.

At the end of the day Wilbur made “in excess of half a million dollars” (Marx 43).

If you use the name of the author to set up your quote or paraphrase, mention the full author’s name the first time in the sentence; thereafter use only the last name. Then put the page number without p. or pp. in the parentheses at the end of the sentence.

According to Marx, Wilbur made “in excess of half a million dollars” (43).

Page numbers should appear as they do in the source. If the source is only one page, do not add a page number in the citation. Examples of how numbers could appear in citations include 422, xxvi, and D32.

If other location types are used within a citation, they are listed often using abbreviations. The table below shows some location options with the appropriate abbreviations. When using any of these location types, add a comma within the citation after the author’s name. Only use the location type if they are included in the source. For example, do not use line or paragraph numbers if they are not included in the source referenced.

Location	Appropriate Abbreviation
chapter(s)	ch. or chs.
line	Do no abbreviate. Write out line or lines.
paragraph(s)	par. or pars.
scene	sc.
section(s)	sec. or secs.

 

NOTE: If you reference the work as a whole, page numbers are not required within the citation.

 

If an ebook is used, use page numbers that are consistent across devices. Chapter numbers are also acceptable. However, do not use location numbers as they can vary in different devices.

 

If you need to cite more than one source in your in-text citation, you should use a semicolon to separate the sources.

 

(Jones 101; Williams 23).

It’s important to remember, in MLA style, each citation in your text must have a complete bibliographic entry in your Works Cited page, so, if readers want to go to the original source, they can!

The examples above are just a few of the most common examples of in-text citations in MLA style. The following pages provide more detailed information about in-text citing in MLA.

MLA Block Quotations

Quotations that are more than four lines should be set off from the text of your essay in a block quote. The text you’re quoting should be indented a half inch. Do not add quotation marks for a block quote. All lines of the block quote should be indented a half inch, with the start of any paragraph that occurs within the quoted passage indented another half inch. Remember to introduce your block quote with an explanation that ends with a colon. The parenthetical citation of a block quote follows the last bit of punctuation and follows normal citation guidelines.

A sample block quotation:

For poetry, block quotes are used when quoting more than three lines. Each line should be indented a half inch. Spacing such as stanza breaks or other unusual formatting should be preserved to the best of your ability. If a line of poetry is too long to fit on a single line in your block quotation, it should be formatted with a hanging indent.

A sample poetry block quotation:

For more help with formatting your paper to meet MLA guidelines, please visit our formatting guide or download our essay template.

Organizational Author | MLA In-Text Citations

If a source is created by an organization (a corporation, a research institute, etc), the author element in the in-text citation is the name of the organization shortened to its shortest noun phrase. The citation will point the reader to the full name within the Works Cited page. In the text and in the Works Cited, use the full name of the organization.

For instance, the Excelsior Online Writing Lab is an organization. Our name consists of two noun phrases: “Excelsior” and “Online Writing Lab.” Therefore, for an in-text citation of our site, a student would only use “Excelsior.” In our example below, you’ll see how we’ve shortened the National Academy of Medicine down to simply the National Academy.

 

Examples:

 

Citations

According to the National Academy of Medicine, “sources should be science-based, objective, transparent, and accountable.”

“Sources should be science-based, objective, transparent, and accountable” (National Academy).

Work Cited

National Academy of Medicine. "NAM & WHO Encourage Digital Platforms to Apply Global Principles for Identifying Credible Sources of Health Information." 24 Feb. 2022, https://nam.edu/nam-who-encourage-di...h-information/.

 

Citing Indirect Sources | MLA In-Text Citations

Citing an indirect source occurs when quoting from a source that is quoting from another source. For instance, if you are quoting from a New York Times article that references a story originally published in The Washington Post, you are citing an indirect source. The MLA Handbook recommends taking material from the original source whenever possible. If you need to use indirect quotations, use “qtd. in” to indicate the source consulted. If it is clear in the text that the source is secondhand, “qtd. in” is not needed within the citation.

Example:

 

Jones claimed that runners who “drank regularly usually stopped running after a few months” (qtd. in Salazar 212).

https://owl.excelsior.edu/citation-and-documentation/mla-style/