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
Posts related to capitalization
Should an article at the start of a subtitle be capitalized?
Yes, capitalize articles (a, an, the) at the start of titles and subtitles in English: The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family A Sense of Things:… Read More
In MLA style, should any part of a two-word preposition, such as according to, be capitalized in a title?
A preposition that is not at the start or end of a title should be lowercased, no matter how many words compose it and no… Read More
Cocktails and Capitalization
There is no uniform consensus on how to capitalize names of cocktails . . . Read More
Creating Vertical Lists in MLA Style
In some types of material, a vertical list may be preferable to a run-in list . . . Read More
How do I style geographic terms such as north and south in MLA style?
MLA style follows The Chicago Manual of Style (8.47) for geographic terms. For example, we capitalize north, south, east, and west when the terms refer to regions or cultures: Customs… Read More
Should shortened generic forms of proper nouns be capitalized?
In general, lowercase generic forms of proper nouns: the United States Army, the army President Kennedy, the president the Brooklyn Bridge, the bridge Housatonic River,… Read More
How do I style the names of functional elements of a website when I refer to them in my prose?
In its online and print publications, when the MLA refers in prose to the label or functional element of a website or other electronic device… Read More
When should I capitalize the first letter of the first word of a quotation?
Whether to capitalize or lowercase the first letter of the first word of a quotation depends on how the quotation is integrated into your prose… Read More
Should I use “sic” to indicate that a quotation has text in all capital letters in the original?
No. “Sic” is only used to indicate an error in the original, not unusual styling. Read More