Do I introduce an author’s full name and the full title of a work in each chapter of a book or dissertation?

It depends on the focus of your work. In a dissertation on a single author or title—say, Gabriel Marcel’s Being and Having: An Existentialist Diary—it… 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

If more than one source for a paraphrased idea is cited in a parenthetical citation, in what order do I list the sources?

If you paraphrase a single idea from more than one source and the sources are equally important, the order in which you list them is… Read More

Do I need to provide a works-cited-list entry if I am citing scriptural writings in the original language?

Yes. If you cite scriptural writings in the original language, provide the edition of the religious work you are using. Read More

If I am referring to two sources that make the same point, how do I make my citations clear?

If you directly cite two sources that make the same point, you must make clear to your reader the source of each quotation.  Johnson argues that “mint chip ice… Read More

How do I cite artwork I purchased from the artist who created it?

Cite artwork you purchased from the artist who created it the same way you would document any artwork viewed in person, like a photo from a… Read More

How do I cite an edition of a work that contains the original text and a modernized version?

If you are citing an edition that contains two versions of a single work, such as a No Fear edition of one of Shakespeare’s plays,… Read More

How do I style genus and species names, such as Homo sapiens, in MLA style?

MLA style was developed to be used by writers in the humanities, so we defer to our colleagues at The Chicago Manual of Style regarding how… Read More

How do I cite legal materials from jurisdictions outside the United States?

This post explains how to cite legal materials from jurisdictions outside the United States Read More

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

Below are examples of how to cite a collection and a pin from Pinterest. For explanations, see our post on citing social media. Collection On… Read More