How do I cite an author’s name known only by initials?

If a source is written by an author who is known only by initials, you have several options. Treat the Initials as a Unit One… Read More

How do I cite a numbered footnote?

Cite a numbered footnote or endnote in a parenthetical citation thus: Edward Wallis, the editor, notes that the poet used this technique for the first… Read More

How do I quote stage directions?

There are different traditions for formatting stage directions, even in publications of the same play. When quoting stage directions, your aim should be consistency. It… Read More

How do I cite an interview published in a collection of interviews if the interview was conducted by the book’s author?

Follow the MLA format template. List the interviewee as the author, followed by the title of the chapter in which the interview appears. List the… Read More

How do I cite a GIF?

How you cite a GIF depends on where it appears. If the GIF is part of a larger work, cite the work and refer to… Read More

Are there instances when you might not place a parenthetical citation at the end of a sentence?

MLA style aims to make in-text citations as unobtrusive as possible, so we normally recommend placing them at the end of a sentence, but sometimes… Read More

If I cite one edition as my primary text, how do I cite another edition?

If you are citing one edition of a text as your primary source, you might need to refer occasionally to another edition. In MLA style,… Read More

If my paraphrase consists of several sentences, should a citation for the original source appear after each sentence?

No. The citation should appear only after the final sentence of the paraphrase. If, however, it will be unclear to your reader where your source’s… Read More

How do I cite information from a scanned document on a genealogy site?

Follow the MLA format template. Say, for example, you wish to cite a marriage index on Ancestry as your source for the date of a… Read More

What kind of number do I put in the parenthetical citation for a poem—a page number, a line number, or another part number?

The ultimate goal is to be concise and to cite what is most useful to the reader. For quotations from a poem in a print… Read More