MLA Style

WHAT IS MLA STYLE?

MLA style refers to citation guidelines developed by the Modern Languages Association. The MLA style is usually used in humanities disciplines, such as English, Religious Studies and History.

HOW DOES MLA STYLE WORK?

MLA style uses a two-part system, with brief in-text citations pointing to corresponding entries in a Works Cited list at the end of the paper. The entries in the list provide the complete publication information for each source cited in the paper.

EXAMPLES

Book

In-text Citation:

Shakespeare's King Lear deals with many aspects of family relationships (Fallon 9).

Works cited list entry:

Fallon, Richard Thomas. A Theatergoer's Guide to Shakespeare. Ivan R. Dee, 2001.

Print Journal Article

In-text Citation:

Spangler compares Steinbeck's and Kerouac's observations of cotton-picking (313).

Works cited list entry:

Spangler, Jason. "We're on the Road to Nowhere: Steinbeck and Kerouac, and the Legacy of the Great Depression." Studies in the Novel, vol. 40, 2008, pp. 308-327.

Electronic Journal Article

In-text Citation:

Spangler compares Steinbeck's and Kerouac's observations of cotton-picking (313).

Works cited list entry:

Spangler, Jason. "We're on the Road to Nowhere: Steinbeck and Kerouac, and the Legacy of the Great Depression." Studies in the Novel, vol. 40, 2008, pp. 308-327. ProQuest Research Library. Accessed 2 June 2009.

Website

In-text Citation:

Wilson discusses Euripdes' treatment of Medea (Women's Life in Greece).

Works cited list entry:

"Women's Life in Greece." Ed. Andrew Wilson. The Classics Pages. http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~loxias/greek.htm.  Accessed 7 August 2009.

More Information
For more information on MLA style, see the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, which is available at the Library Reference desk, or go to: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/.