In works-cited-list entries for a work by more than one author, why is only the name of the first author inverted?

In a works-cited-list entry for a work by more than one author, the first name is inverted because the entry is alphabetized under the first… Read More

How do I style the names of contests?

Names of titled contests are set roman without quotation marks: The American Association for the Advancement of Science announced the tenth annual Dance Your Ph.D. contest. When… Read More

When I am citing a biographical entry in a reference book that reverses the person’s name in the entry title (e.g., “Roosevelt, Teddy”), should I reverse the name in the works-cited list?

Yes. Read More

Do you use italics when mentioning the name of a television channel or radio station in an essay?

No, you should not italicize the names of television channels or radio stations. The show originally aired on Cartoon Network. She listed to the weather… Read More

Do I introduce an author’s full name and the full title of a work in each chapter of a book or dissertation?

It depends on the focus of your work. In a dissertation on a single author or title—say, Gabriel Marcel’s Being and Having: An Existentialist Diary—it… Read More

When a publisher’s name appears as an acronym on the title page but is spelled out on the copyright page, which do I use?

Page 41 of the MLA Handbook advises writers to first look for the publisher’s name on the title page, so in your works-cited-list entry, use… Read More

How do I format the name of a ship in MLA style?

Names of ships, as well as names of aircraft and spacecraft, are italicized in MLA style. If the name has a prefix, such as USS… Read More

When should the name of the library from which I have retrieved my source be included in a works-cited-list entry?

Include the name of the library in the publisher slot on the MLA format template if the library is the publisher of the work or… Read More

How do I cite a book for which no organization is named as the publisher?

As noted on page 42 of the MLA Handbook, if the book is published by its author or editor, omit the publisher’s name from the… Read More

Our school’s band is called the Marching Knights—is it a singular or plural noun?

Many collective nouns can be either singular or plural, depending on how they are used. As Claire Kehrwald Cook writes, “[I]f the collective noun denotes… Read More