The MLA (Modern Language Association) style was created by the Modern Language Association of America. It is a set of rules for publications, including research papers.
There are two parts to MLA: In-text citations and the Works Cited list.
In MLA, you must "cite" sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places:
The MLA style guides/manuals below provide instructions and examples of how to create footnotes and bibliographies in research papers. Some include advice on grammar and punctuation, research methods, and guidelines on formatting the final paper.
MLA Handbook 8th ed. by
The Modern Language Association, the authority on research and writing, takes a fresh look at documenting sources in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook, the official guide to MLA format. Works are published today in a dizzying variety of ways: a novel, for example, may be read in print, online, or as an e-book--or perhaps listened to as an audiobook. Writers of research papers routinely need to know how to cite works on Web sites, videos on platforms like YouTube, interviews and other works created by multiple authors, journal articles contained in databases, online images, posts on social media sites, song lyrics, and more. Instead of providing separate instructions for each format, the MLA's unique, innovative approach recommends one set of guidelines that writers can apply to any type of source. This groundbreaking edition of the MLA's best-selling handbook is short and designed for easy use. It guides writers through the principles behind evaluating sources for their research and thus focuses on the key skills of information and digital literacy. It then shows writers how to cite sources in their writing, offering detailed guidance on in-text citations, quoting and paraphrasing, avoiding plagiarism, and more. Intended for students, teachers, librarians, and advanced scholars, the handbook is an indispensable resource in composition, communication, literature, language arts, film, media studies, digital humanities, and related fields.
The MLA Style Center. Writing Resources from the MLA Language Association by
Get MLA Style News from The Source
The Writer's Handbook: MLA documentation guide by
These webpages explain how to correctly format in–text citations and works cited list entries for some of the most common print and electronic sources.
For additonal information, visit the MLA’s style web site: https://www.mla.org/MLA-Style.
MLA Style by
These OWL resources will help you learn how to use the Modern Language Association (MLA) citation and format style. This section contains resources on in-text citations and Works Cited pages, as well as MLA sample papers, slide presentations, and the MLA classroom poster.
CitationFox by
CitationFox-MLA helps with the construction of citations in MLA style. It is based on the 8th edition of the Modern Language Association of America's style manua. Individuals in the arts and humanities disciplines primarily use this style guide. CitationFox-MLA contains templates and examples for over 900 different resource types. This guide is a selection from what is covered in the section, "Organize: Creating your Documentation," (pp. 19-53) in the MLA Handbook, which should be consulted for a further explanation of this citation style.
The MLA International Bibliography database provides the export to citation tools for your marked.
Steps for generating citations from the results page:
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Citation or reference managers such as Zotero and EndNote auto-create references by pulling in citations from databases, library catalogues as well as selected search engines. Citations can then be automatically added to your work and formatted in your preferred style.
ZoteroBib helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software. This is a community-based, powerful open-source research tool recommended by universities worldwide. It helps you to seamlessly add sources and produce bibliographies.
The following video on using ZoteroBib shows how to generate citations and to create a bibliography for your research assignment.
