Are scientific laws, theories, and terms capitalized?

Scientific laws, theories, and terms are lowercased except when preceded by a proper adjective. Read More

In the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook, why are names of seasons styled lowercase in works-cited-list entries?

The ninth edition of the MLA Handbook aims for stylistic consistency in prose and works-cited-list entries. Since seasons are styled lowercase in prose (e.g., My favorite seasons… Read More

How should the title of an opera waltz be styled?

An opera waltz, like any portion of a larger musical work, is styled roman, in quotation marks. The Chicago Manual of Style explains, “Titles of… Read More

How should I capitalize the title of a handout?

Capitalize the title of a handout title style; that is, “capitalize the first word, the last word, and all principal words” (MLA Handbook 67). Below… Read More

Is the particle al- or el- at the start of an Arabic last name capitalized in a works-cited-list entry?

In general, no. The MLA’s guidance on Dutch particles applies to Arabic last names prefixed by al- and el- except that al- and el- are… Read More

How should I style brand names?

The styling of brand names depends on whether they are trademarked. Always check the dictionary, which lists many brand names. Trademarked brand names are capitalized… Read More

How should I style the names of Chinese dynasties in MLA style?

The MLA follows the guidance given in The Chicago Manual of Style for capitalization. The manual lowercases names of eras (“Descriptive Designations”), so when styling the… Read More

Is Internet capitalized in MLA style?

Yes. We follow the first spelling in Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Read More

How should I capitalize a salutation in a letter?

The MLA provides style recommendations for research papers. For guidance on how to capitalize salutations addressed to various categories of persons (e.g., religious, governmental, military),… Read More

How do I style the names of wars?

We follow the guidelines in The Chicago Manual of Style, which notes that full names of most wars are capitalized and that generic terms are… Read More