MLA

The Modern Language Association (the MLA) released an updated version of their MLA Handbook in April 2021. The great news is that not much has changed from the 8th edition to the 9th edition! The format for both in-text and Works Cited citations remains the same through this update. Many of the changes are to the Handbook itself, to help the Handbook serve as a better tool for teaching students how to write.

While the format for citations has not changed in the MLA Handbook, 9th edition, there have been some updates to the content of the Handbook itself. Below is a quick guide to some of the newest features of the Handbook and where to find that information:

• Guidance on each of the MLA Core Elements (author, title of source, title of container, other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, and location), with examples of what the element is, where to find it, and how to cite it.
• An updated appendix with hundreds of examples for citations, such as books, scholarly articles, audiovisual sources, reports, and more (pp.303-346).
• Updated guidelines on in-text citations. Please note that the formatting for in-text citations has not changed, but the 9th edition provides guidance for more nuanced in-text citations, such as citations for two authors with the same last name, how to cite using a time stamp, and more (pp. 227-286). 
• Updated guidelines for students about why citations matter and how to avoid plagiarism in writing (pp. 95-102).
• Recommendations for how to include inclusive language in writing (pp. 89-94).
• Guidelines on how to format a paper in MLA format (pp. 1-14). Please note that the page formatting has not changed, but the 8th edition of the MLA Handbook did not include this information.
• Guidelines on spelling, punctuation, and grammar in MLA format (pp. 15-87).
• Guidelines on using notes in MLA style (pp. 287-291).

MLA Handbook, 8th edition, asks writers to consider containers when creating citations. Containers normally appear in italics. They are followed by a comma because everything that comes after a container title--editor and other contributors, publisher name, date of publication, and page numbers--describes the container (30). Many MLA citations will include one or two discrete containers. 

Types of Containers

• Compilations, such as books of essays, poems, or short stories
• Newspapers, magazines, and academic journals
• Websites (including online periodicals) 
• Library databases and online book platforms

A source is a segment of a container. "Use quotation marks for the titles of sources that are contained in larger works. Follow a source with a period" (68). 

Types of Sources

• Pages on a web site
• Books that are not compilations
• Chapters, short stories, or poems in a book 
• Newspaper, magazine, or journal articles
• TV series episodes

Important Exception:  MLA 8th still expects writers to "italicize titles of sources that are self-contained and independent" (68). Therefore, italicize book and film titles even when they are not containers, but place a period after them.

MLA Handbook. 8th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2016. 

Additional Changes:

• If a core element does not exist or cannot be found, simply omit the element from the Works Cited entry. Placeholders including "n.d." for "no date" and "n.p." for "no publisher" are no longer used.
• For sources with three or more authors, list the first author's name followed by ", et al.".
• The city of publication for books is no longer included.
• Journal volumes and issues are now formatted: "vol. 12, no. 3,".
• If a journal issue includes a publication month or season include that in the publication date, like: "Spring 2016," or "Jan. 2016,".
• If an organization is both the author and the publisher, list the organization only once as the publisher and begin the citation with the title.
• Include a DOI (digital object identifier) when available using the format "doi:############." If a DOI is not available, use a stable URL.
• The URL, without http:// or https://, should be included for Web sources. Angle brackets are no longer used.
• The source's medium (Print. Web., etc.) is no longer included.
• In the Works Cited entry, "p." is used before citing a page number and "pp." is used before citing a page range. These are not used in the in-text citation.