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Citing Sources

MLA Handbook (9th Edition)

MLA Style Guide: Overview and Resources (includes fillable template)

MLA style is a set of standards for writing and documentation used by writers to find and evaluate information, alert their audience to the trustworthiness of their findings through citation, and shape the expression of their ideas in conversation with others. 

There are a number of great ways to learn to use MLA style and a few bad ones.

Great ways to learn to use MLA style include:

Bad ways to learn to use MLA style (because they are often out of date or have many errors) include:

  • Random web searches for MLA style.
  • Using software that creates the citations for you (citation generators or managers).
  • Using old editions of the MLA Handbook - The MLA Handbook updates every few years and a great deal changes each time. The current edition is the 9th.

Depending on the assignment the specific requirements may vary, but at a minimum, in-text citations and a works cited page are always needed. In general complete MLA style papers have the following components:

  • The entire document should have 1” margins and be double-spaced in Times New Roman 12 pt. font or Calibri 11 pt. font.
  • Each page should contain page numbers and author's last name.
  • Page one includes several elements: author's name, course, professor's name, date, and title. 
  • All resources used are cited throughout the writing of the paper.
  • The “Works Cited” page is on a separate page at the end of the paper.
  • Citations are alphabetized and formatted with hanging indentions.

MLA Citations Websites

MLA Video Tutorials