Making the Transition from High School to College Essay Writing
Unlike my high school essays, my college papers consist largely of my own ideas and analysis . . . Read More
If the author, publisher, and name of a website are all the same, do I need to list the author or publisher?
As the MLA Handbook explains, in some cases, you may omit the name of a publisher from your works-cited-list entry—for example, if you are citing… Read More
How do I style geographic terms such as north and south in MLA style?
MLA style follows The Chicago Manual of Style (8.47) for geographic terms. For example, we capitalize north, south, east, and west when the terms refer to regions or cultures:… Read More
When is a comma used before et al. in MLA style?
In MLA style, a comma is generally only used before et al. in the “Author” slot of works-cited-list entries when the author’s first and last… Read More
How do I punctuate parenthetical citations that include an author’s name and “introduction”?
Separate the items with a comma: You Must Change Your Life is “a portrait of two artists fumbling through the desultory streets of… Read More
How do you cite speech bubbles from a graphic narrative or comic book?
Cite each speech bubble individually. Do not use slashes to indicate quotations from separate speech bubbles. Use ellipses only to omit text from a single… Read More
How to Get out of a Tangle When Your Modifiers Dangle
Dangling modifiers take several forms. Here are a few types—and some ways to fix them . . . Read More
How do I cite more than one sonnet from a sequence of sonnets?
As always, when you are citing a work contained in a larger work, you must identify the particular work you are citing. Thus, if you… Read More
When I am quoting, do I need to indicate if italics are in the original?
No. In MLA style, italics in a quotation are assumed to be in the original unless otherwise indicated. See the MLA Handbook for more details on quoting… Read More
If I include my published article as a dissertation chapter, how should I handle the article’s references?
References in a dissertation should be in a consistent style (e.g., MLA) and location (at the end of each chapter or at the end of… Read More