Please note that a new edition of the MLA Style Guide was published in 2016. You can access the 8th edition here.
The MLA Handbook is a writing guide published by the Modern Language Association of America. It includes tips and recommendations on all steps of the writing process, from choosing a topic to finding and evaluating sources to outlining, writing, and citing. It also provides guidelines on spelling, grammar, and paper formatting. The Handbook is widely used in the humanities, particularly in English.
This guide focuses on the citation guidelines presented in the Handbook, providing examples of citations for a wide variety of sources. It follows the 7th edition of the Handbook, issued in 2009.
You can navigate to the citation examples through the "Guide Contents" list on the left (on the right side of every other page), through the tabs across the top of the guide, or through these links:
Be sure to check out the general guidelines page as well for general rules on writing parenthetical references and works cited entries. The plagiarism page offers information to help you understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.
Should you have a citation problem that this guide doesn't answer, it is best to consult the actual Handbook for more information (see link below). Also, don't forget that you can ask any citation or research-related question to one of our helpful librarians (see the library help section on the right).
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (Print)
Modern Language Association of America
Available behind the Information & Research Assistance Desk.
Call Number: PE 1478 G53 2009 (Reference Collection)