Do I need to include the name of the library from which I retrieved an e-book?

No. The library from which you retrieved an e-book should not be specified in your works-cited-list entry. Read our guidelines on citing an e-book in… Read More

Where in a works-cited-list entry should the section of a newspaper be inserted?

If you need to specify the section of a newspaper, include it as part of the location element according to the MLA format template:… Read More

How do I cite a quotation that I’ve altered?

In almost all cases you should transcribe a quotation exactly as it appears in the source. However, you may occasionally want to italicize words in… Read More

It is . . . that; or, How Not to Edit Jane Austen

The formula it is . . . that is common in academic writing Read More

Commonsense MLA 8: Documentation for the Reader

I read The MLA Handbook from cover to cover, and you should too . . . Read More

President’s Day: A Singular Holiday?

Authorities disagree about the name Presidents' Day . . . Read More

The History of Scholarship Project

Students will apply research skills from the online course and develop a presentation. Read More

The Scholarly Conversation Project

Students learn how serial publications are presented in databases. Read More

When translating from a language that does not use roman characters, like Chinese, do I include the original characters or a transliteration? And how do I alphabetize titles of nonroman works?

In its publications, the MLA prefers to give the original characters (script) and a translation for titles and quotations; it also includes transliteration in some… Read More

MLK Day the MLA Way

Martin Luther King Day? Martin Luther King, Jr., Day? MLK Day? . . . Read More