Should I create an entry for an e-mail conversation?

How you cite e-mail messages depends on how you are using them in your work.  If you refer generally to a series of e-mail exchanges… Read More

If more than one source for a paraphrased idea is cited in a parenthetical citation, in what order do I list the sources?

If you paraphrase a single idea from more than one source and the sources are equally important, the order in which you list them is… Read More

How do I determine which version of a royal person’s name to use in my works-cited-list entry?

Use the version of the name given in your source. For example, if the source gives the author’s name as Sarah, Duchess of York, then… Read More

If more than one person is interviewed in the same interview, do I create separate entries for each person or treat them as coauthors in a single entry?

One interview is one work, no matter how many people are being interviewed or how many people are conducting the interview, so you should create… Read More

Citing Source Code in MLA Style

by Joseph Wallace

To cite source code begin with the MLA format template . . . Read More

How do I cite a director’s unpublished notes about a play?

Cite unpublished director’s notes by following the MLA format template. List the director’s name in the “Author” slot and provide a description in place of a… Read More

I am writing a paper in English. I have used the French edition of a book originally published in Dutch. Do I need to include both the French and Dutch editions in my works-cited list?

List only the version you are using—in this case, the French edition. You do not need to indicate in your entry the language in which… Read More

Is the page after the title page of an essay numbered 1 or 2?

The first page of an essay should be numbered 1. Therefore, if you are preparing an essay that includes a title page, do not number… Read More

If a book title within an essay title is not italicized in the source, should I italicize it in my works-cited-list entry?

Yes. A title within a title should be styled according to the guidelines in section 1.2.4 of the MLA Handbook, regardless of how a title within… Read More

If I cite a work that has no page numbers and I give the author’s name at the beginning of my sentence, how does the reader know where the author’s idea ends, since there is no parenthetical citation?

As the MLA Handbook notes, when you borrow an idea from a source, “it is important to signal at the end . . . that you are… Read More