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

If I want to include a DOI for a book chapter in my works-cited-list entry, where should I insert it?

If you are citing a chapter of a book from a novel or monograph, create an entry for the book as a whole and list the… Read More

If the title of an essay I am citing is also the name of a work that normally appears in italics, how should I style the name of the essay?

If the title of an essay consists solely of the title of a work normally styled in italics, the title of the work should be… Read More