If more than one person is interviewed in the same interview, do I create separate entries for each person or treat them as coauthors in a single entry?

One interview is one work, no matter how many people are being interviewed or how many people are conducting the interview, so you should create… Read More

If I have two works with identical titles and no authors in my works-cited list, how do I distinguish between them in my parenthetical citations?

Writers sometimes need to cite anonymous sources with identical titles, such as articles in reference works. Since in MLA style works without authors are cited… Read More

Commas, Conjunctions, and Modifiers

by Jennifer Rappaport

Many writers have trouble deciding where to place commas in these types of sentences . . . Read More

Commonsense MLA 8: Documentation for the Reader

by Russell Grooms

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

Where do I place the period when the Title of Source element ends with a single and a double closing quotation mark?

A period is always used after the Title of Source element in a works-cited-list entry, as described in section 5.120 of the MLA Handbook (217). Read More

How do I cite material posted to a social media site like Snapchat?

Below are examples of how to cite a photo, video, story, show, and profile on Snapchat. For explanations, see our post on citing social media. Read More

How do I shorten a last name in English composed of more than one element?

Last names in English composed of more than one element are usually shortened to the final element, so a name like Harriet Beecher Stowe would… Read More

How do I list two original publication dates in my works-cited-list entry?

When you need to list more than one item in an element, separate the items with commas. Thus, if you need to provide two original… Read More

How do I cite a book chapter my instructor handed out in class?

If your instructor provides the publication details for the book on the handout, you can generally use this information to create your works-cited-list entry. You… Read More

What should I do if a website lists “History.com Editors” as the author of an article on the site?

It is not wrong to list the author exactly as it appears in the source. Thus, you may list “History.com Editors” in the “Author” slot… Read More