What is an MLA Citation?
MLA is a style guide for citations from the Modern Language Association (MLA).
Citation style guides show you what information to include in each citation and how to organize your list of citations.
MLA citation style is primarily used for research papers in English classes although some instructors in other subject areas also use MLA.
Books about MLA Citations
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A Pocket Style Manual by Call Number: REF. PE1408 .H26 2015b (DPC) & RHCREF. PE1408 .H26 2015b (RHC)ISBN: 9781319083526Publication Date: 2016Provides guidance on APA, MLA, Chicago. & CSE styles. -
MLA Handbook by Call Number: REF LB2369 .G53 2016ISBN: 9781603292627Publication Date: 2016The Modern Language Association, the authority on research and writing, takes a fresh look at documenting sources in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook... Shorter and redesigned for easy use, the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook guides writers through the principles behind evaluating sources for their research. It then shows them how to cite sources in their writing and create useful entries for the works-cited list.
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Examples of MLA Citations and Sample Works Cited Page - 8th Edition
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MLA Citations from Online Writing Lab (OWL) from Purdue Univ. New - 8th EditionClick here for sample MLA citations for online sources. A list on the left side of the page links to more MLA citation models and guidelines
How Do I Deal With? Quick Answers for Citation Problems
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MLA Style Center - Online Guide to the MLA 8th Edition
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MLA Style CenterThese writing resources from the Modern Language Association provide basic guidelines for MLA 8th edition citations. Includes a few examples showing a source and how to make a citation.
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Ask the MLA - Frequently Asked QuestionsSend MLA a question about citations or look through the list of frequently asked questions.
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URLs: Some Practical Advice from the MLABasic Rule of Thumb - The MLA Handbook encourages writers to list the URL that they see in their browsers unless the source identifies a DOI or permalink associated with it.
Click the URL advice link to see more details about the best way to use the URL in your citation.
Annotated Bibliography - MLA
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Annotated Bibliography Help Page -- Cornell UniversityUse this one page guide to creating an annotated bibliography to get started on your assignment.
Long URLs in your citation? Advice from MLA Style Center
URLs: Some Practical Advice
"...when URLs are so long that they become unreadable, truncating them will be necessary...As a general guideline, a URL running more than three full lines is likely to interfere with the readability of the entry."
Guidelines on Truncating
The MLA Handbook advises writers to truncate a URL in one specific way (by omitting the protocol and //). If you need to shorten it further, retain the host, which will allow readers to evaluate the site and search for the source.
URLs are composed of a few basic components:
- the protocol (basically anything before //)
- the double forward slash
- the host (which encompasses the domain–like World Wide Web, or www)
- the path
For example: the shortened version of the following URL:
go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sort=RELEVANCE&docType=Journal+article&tabID=T003&prodId=
MLA&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchType=BasicSearchForm&contentSegment=&
currentPosition=3&searchResultsType=SingleTab&inPS=true&userGroupName=mla&docId=GALE
%7CN2810522710&contentSet=GALE%7CN2810522710
would be
go.galegroup.com/ps
Gibson, Angela. "URLs:some practical advice." MLA Style Center, 2 Nov 2016, https://style.mla.org/2016/11/02/urls-some-practical-advice/. Accessed 30 Nov. 2017.
Citation Basics
The Citation. Selleck, Caity. EasyBib, 2014. Vimeo. Web. 15 Jan. 2015.
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