If I am citing two poems, each by a different poet, should I use the word line or lines the first time I quote from each poet’s work?

Yes. The MLA Handbook says that “in your first citation” of a poem, “use the word line or lines and then, having established that the numbers designate lines, give… Read More

If I am discussing but not directly quoting scenes from a film, should I still include timings?

You should generally include in your citations any information that will help your reader locate the material you are citing. When you summarize a scene… Read More

How do I style a title or short title enclosed in parentheses in my parenthetical citation?

If a title or short title in parentheses must be given in a parenthetical citation, do not nest parentheses within parentheses. Instead, change the parentheses… Read More

I am citing several television episodes titled “Pilot.” How do I differentiate among them in my parenthetical citations?

There is more than one way to distinguish among several television episodes titled “Pilot.” Here are two options. Option 1 List each episode in your… Read More

How do I quote English-language sources in a foreign-language paper?

To quote an English-language source in a foreign-language paper, follow the guidelines in section 1.3.8 of the MLA Handbook on translating quotations (90–91). Let’s say you… Read More

How do I cite a photograph from a website that credits the image to an organization rather than to the photographer?

To create a works-cited-list entry for a photograph that credits an organization rather than an individual photographer, follow the MLA format template. Since the name… Read More

How do I cite nonconsecutive lines from a poem like Homer’s The Odyssey?

The order of information in your citations should always match the order in which you present information in your text. Thus, when you cite nonconsecutive… Read More

If I cite a passage that contains numerous quotations from other sources, how do I let my reader know the original sources of the quotations?

You are not obligated to tell your reader the original sources of the quotations. Nor should you include any note numbers or parenthetical documentation from… Read More

If I am citing a commonly studied play that does not use line numbers, should I cite act and scene only?

Yes. And if you think it would help your readers, you may also provide the page number in your in-text citation. You may also want… Read More

Is there a way to avoid back-to-back parentheses when a block quotation ends with a parenthetical and the quotation is followed by a parenthetical reference?

The best way to avoid multiple punctuation is to rewrite if possible. Let’s say you are citing the passage from an e-book without stable pagination. Read More