What is the difference between source lists titled “Works Cited,” “Bibliography,” and “References”?
As the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook explains, “the list titled ‘Works Cited’ identifies the sources you borrow from—and therefore cite—in the body of… Read More
How do I cite photographs or other images that I use in a PowerPoint presentation or web project?
Cite an image used in a PowerPoint presentation or web project the same way you would cite it in a printed paper. See the example in… Read More
What should I do if the web source I am citing does not list a publication date?
If the web source you are citing does not list a publication date, omit the “Publication date” element from your entry. You may, however,… Read More
Why are both a comma and and used to separate the names of coauthors in a works-cited-list entry?
The MLA Handbook notes that “[w]hen a source has two authors,” you should “[r]everse the first of the names” and “follow it with a comma and… Read More
I’m citing a chat message. Do I include a URL if it’s not publicly resolvable?
No; it’s not likely to be useful to your reader. Read more on URLs and on citing chat messages. Read More
How do I cite a critical essay published in the same volume as a literary text–for example, an essay in a Norton Critical Edition?
To cite a critical essay published in the same volume as a literary work, follow the MLA format template. List the author of the… Read More
Should there be a space between a time and a.m. and p.m. in both prose and works-cited-list entries?
Yes. In MLA style, there should always be a space between the time and a.m. and p.m.: Responding to the MLA Style Center… Read More
Where do I place the colon that separates the title from a subtitle if the title ends with a quotation mark?
If the title ends with a quotation mark, insert the colon between the quotation mark and the subtitle. In the first example below, the title… Read More
If my works-cited-list entry has a title styled in quotation marks that ends in a question mark, should I insert a period after the question mark?
No. Omit the period, as shown in the example below: “How Do I Cite a Map?” The MLA Style Center, Modern Language Association… Read More
How do I cite an abstract?
Very few circumstances call for citing an abstract. Never cite an abstract as a short-cut, a way of avoiding reading and citing the full published… Read More