You can cite course materials using the MLA template of core elements. This post summarizes answers to some of the key questions students ask about creating works-cited-list entries for resources from instructors and points students to other relevant posts for more detailed guidance.
Should I list course materials by author or by title?
If the author of a work—such as a syllabus, handout, or slide—is known, begin your works-cited-list entry with the name of the author. But be careful not to assume that the instructor is the author; you should only list the instructor in the Author element if you know that they created the materials. If the instructor is not the author, you may give the instructor’s name in the Contributor element. If the author is unknown, list the work by its title. A syllabus is treated as an untitled work, and you should therefore provide a description of the work in place of a title. See this post on citing a syllabus for example entries. Other untitled course materials can be treated the same way.
How should I style titles of handouts?
Titles of handouts are capitalized like other titles, and they are styled in italics if they are stand-alone works. If a handout is part of a collection, enclose the title in quotation marks and do not italicize it. If the handout does not have a title, provide a description in place of a title, following the style for untitled works: capitalize the description sentence-style—that is, capitalizing only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns—and do not italicize it or enclose it in quotation marks.
What is the container for materials provided by an instructor?
If the work you are citing was made available to you in a course pack, you can cite the course pack as the container of the work, or you can cite the original container—for example, the book in which an essay, story, or poem was published. Keep in mind that many well-known works have been published in multiple contexts; the publication details of the source of the version reproduced in the course pack should be included in the works-cited-list entry. See this post on citing course packs for more guidance and examples.
A learning management system such as Google Classroom or Blackboard can serve as a container in the same way that a course pack can, and in this case, too, you have the option of citing either the container in which the work has been collected for the course or the original container. This post on citing digital containers offers example entries and reasons for choosing one method or the other. For some materials, such as lecture slides, lecture videos, quizzes, or other documents created by your instructor, a learning management system will be the original container of the work.
If you are citing a copy of a published work provided by your instructor but not contained in a physical or digital collection, such as a chapter distributed in class or by email, cite the original container. The publication information should be included in the copy provided, and, if it is not, you can ask your instructor for it. If a digital platform merely links to an outside source, such as an e-book, the platform is considered a passive conduit and should not be cited as a container.
What about an in-person lecture?
A lecture or seminar attended in person can be cited like other kinds of in-person presentations. Give the course name—capitalized title-style, not in italics, and without quotation marks—in the Title element. Treat the lecture or seminar as a self-contained work, and give the name of the school in the Location element. The name of the city is also given in this element if it is not included in the name of the school.