How do I abbreviate the name of a corporate author in my in-text citation?

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

I am writing my thesis in British English. Can I still use MLA style?

Yes. The MLA’s system for documenting sources is used throughout the world and may be adapted to many contexts. Follow the guidelines in the MLA Handbook… Read More

If I repeatedly use a quotation from the same source, do I need to use quotation marks each time?

You should generally use quotation marks if you repeat a quotation from the same source, but you may omit quotation marks when referring back to a… Read More

How do I eliminate back-to-back parentheses in a sentence?

To eliminate back-to-back parentheses in a sentence, you should generally reword:   Original:  The General Franco Institute published the most important Spanish colonial work on Andalusi… 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

Citing Source Code in MLA Style

by Joseph Wallace

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

How do I quote bulleted or numbered points from a source?

If you need to quote from a bulleted or numbered list, you can reproduce the list in your essay, as in the example below: Parvini… Read More

How do I punctuate parenthetical citations that include an author’s name and “introduction”?

Separate the items with a comma: You Must Change Your Life is “a portrait of two artists fumbling through the desultory streets of Paris, finding… Read More

How do you cite speech bubbles from a graphic narrative or comic book?

Cite each speech bubble individually. Do not use slashes to indicate quotations from separate speech bubbles. Use ellipses only to omit text from a single… Read More