The most recent mla handbook was released in

A section has been added that offers guidance for annotated bibliographies. Sources should be styled no differently from a list of works cited.

However, annotations should be appended at the end of an entry, with one-inch indentations from where the entry begins.

Annotations may be written as concise phrases or complete sentences and typically do not exceed one paragraph. This update includes fewer large overhauls to the methods of MLA 8.

MLA 9 instead focuses on providing specificities and examples to each element. This version continues giving writers freedom to judge the appropriate information needed for their specific projects while adding more guidance for readers looking for it. Through MLA 9, users will better understand the following:.

Major Changes in the 9th Edition While the rest of this overview will go into more detail regarding individual changes in this edition, the major changes are as follows: More guidance on how to use MLA core elements to create a Works Cited list by explaining the definition of each element in different types of documents it will not always be literal , where to find each element, and how to style it.

The MLA 9 was designed so that the core element strategy will become even more accessible through more examples and explanations, such as how to use notes, websites, interviews, and YouTube videos.

A deeper dive into in-text citations, a category many users expressed struggles with. A new chapter on inclusive language. Expanded guidelines on grammar mechanics. Research Projects After a brief, 1-edition reprieve, MLA 9 has reintroduced their guidelines for formatting a research paper.

Grammar and Mechanics Updates have been provided on spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and use of italics in prose. Inclusive Language This new chapter on inclusive language recommends focusing on relevance, precision, respectfulness, thoughtfulness, and awareness of exclusionary pronouns, judgement, and offensive terms. Plagiarism Guidance This section focuses on recognizing and avoiding plagiarism through quoting, paraphrasing, and identifying when documentation is optional.

Added Guidance on Core Template Elements Author : how to cite pseudonyms, name changes, and stage names; how to cite works by the same author published under different names; and how to style the names of authors of government publications.

Formatting Your Research Project 1 [1. Mechanics of Prose 15 [2. Principles of Inclusive Language 89 4. Documenting Sources: An Overview 95 [4. The List of Works Cited [5. Citing Sources in the Text [6.

View Cart. This version includes the city of publication Oxford and the medium print , which the new eighth edition does not require. Kincaid, Jamaica. This version identifies the volume 24 , the number 2 , and the page numbers of the scholarly journal, rather than leaving those numbers without clear explanation. This helps readers best make sense of your citation and allows them to locate your source without getting bogged down with extra information or references that can be difficult to decipher.

Also note that punctuation is simple; only commas separate the journal title, volume, number, date, and page numbers. Kincaid , Jamaica. This version includes the volume and number The seventh edition emphasized following a strict punctuation formula, such as parentheses around the date and the colon, while the new eighth edition focuses on providing this information in a more streamlined manner by using only commas to separate each component.

MLA recommends citing the original source wherever possible, rather than the source in which it is quoted or reproduced. For example: qtd. If a source is reproduced in full within another source e. For example:. When you want to cite a PowerPoint or lecture notes from a lecture you viewed in person in MLA , check whether they can also be accessed online ; if so, this is the best version to cite, as it allows the reader to access the source. If the material is not available online, use the details of where and when the presentation took place.

In an MLA song citation , you need to give some sort of container to indicate how you accessed the song. If this is a physical or downloaded album, the Works Cited entry should list the album name, distributor, year, and format. However, if you listened to the song on a streaming service, you can just list the site as a container, including a URL. In this case, including the album details is optional; you may add this information if it is relevant to your discussion or if it will help the reader access the song.

When citing a song in MLA style , the author is usually the main artist or group that released the song. However, if your discussion focuses on the contributions of a specific performer, e. When a source has no title , this part of your MLA reference is replaced with a description of the source, in plain text no italics or quotation marks, sentence-case capitalization.

In MLA Style , you should cite a specific chapter or work within a book in two situations:. If you cite multiple chapters or works from the same book, include a separate Works Cited entry for each chapter. Use a shortened version of the title in your in-text citation. If a source has no page numbers, you can use an alternative locator e. If there are three or more authors, name only the first author, followed by et al. You must include an in-text citation every time you quote or paraphrase from a source e.

It is mainly used by students and researchers in humanities fields such as literature, languages, and philosophy. If information about your source is not available, you can either leave it out of the MLA citation or replace it with something else, depending on the type of information. MLA style uses title case, which means that all principal words nouns, pronouns , verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and some conjunctions are capitalized.

This applies to titles of sources as well as the title of, and subheadings in, your paper. Use MLA capitalization style even when the original source title uses different capitalization. The title of an article is not italicized in MLA style , but placed in quotation marks. This applies to articles from journals , newspapers , websites , or any other publication.

Use italics for the title of the source where the article was published. Use the same formatting in the Works Cited entry and when referring to the article in the text itself.

In MLA style , book titles appear in italics, with all major words capitalized. If there is a subtitle, separate it from the main title with a colon and a space even if no colon appears in the source. The format is the same in the Works Cited list and in the text itself.

The title of a part of a book—such as a chapter, or a short story or poem in a collection—is not italicized, but instead placed in quotation marks. Search by book title, page URL or journal DOI to automatically generate flawless citations, or cite manually using the simple citation forms. Other standard fonts such as Arial or Georgia are also acceptable.

If in doubt, check with your supervisor which font you should be using. To create a correctly formatted block quote in Microsoft Word, follow these steps:. Do not put quotation marks around the quote, and make sure to include an MLA in-text citation after the period at the end.

To format a block quote in MLA:. If you are quoting poetry , use block quote formatting for any quote longer than three lines. If you are discussing multiple poems by the same author, make sure to also mention the title of the poem shortened if necessary.