In prose and titles, should an author use 3-D and 2-D or spell out the abbreviations?
It depends. MLA style minimizes the use of abbreviations in prose, but if in certain contexts the abbreviation is more common than the spelled out… Read More
It depends. MLA style minimizes the use of abbreviations in prose, but if in certain contexts the abbreviation is more common than the spelled out… Read More
The choice of era designations is up to the writer. In our publications, we prefer to use BCE (before the common era) and CE (common era),… Read More
Only italicize et al., meaning “and others,” if it is referred to as a term, as the examples in this sentence and the question above show. In… Read More
Use either the first few words of the name or, if not cumbersome, the entity’s initials. For example, Institute of Medicine (US) Standing Committee on… Read More
In MLA style, a comma is generally only used before et al. in the “Author” slot of works-cited-list entries when the author’s first and last names… Read More
No. A sentence should never have two periods at the end. If a sentence ends with an abbreviation followed by a period, do not add… Read More
As section 3.2.1 of the MLA Handbook explains, when you need to shorten a title for a parenthetical citation, “give the first noun and any preceding… Read More
Remember that the goals of parenthetical citation are clarity and concision. Thus, if a title begins with a number–for example: 1066: A New History of… Read More
If you need to shorten a title within quotation marks that begins with a title in quotation marks, use the title within the title as… Read More
If you need to shorten a title enclosed in quotation marks that begins with a quotation, use the title within the title as the short… Read More