Should punctuation following a link be included in the linked text?

Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook.

Publishers practices vary. On the MLA’s websites, when linked text is distinguished with color and underlining, the MLA does not link the punctuation—including quotation marks—before or after the linked text. The works-cited-list entry below provides an example.

Aschwanden, Christie. “Scientists Have Finally Calculated How Many Hot Dogs a Person Can Eat at Once.” The New York Times, 14 July 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/science/hotdog-eating-contests.html.