If I am citing an essay by an author in a collection, do I need to include in my works-cited-list entry the page number for the author’s biography on the contributors’ page?

No. The contributors’ page is not part of the essay, so list only the page range for the essay. Read More

How should I cite an article from a journal that uses article numbers and starts pagination anew for each article?

Omit the article number and page numbers, as shown in the example below, because the name of the author and the title of the journal… Read More

If I am citing a manuscript that displays page numbers on some pages but not on others, how do I handle my in-text citations?

As noted in the MLA Handbook, “When a source has no page numbers or any other kind of part number, no number should be given in a… Read More

How do I make clear that a paraphrase is on the same page as a quotation I’ve given in the previous sentence?

The MLA Handbook (3.5) provides techniques for making citations more concise when a source is used more than once in succession. But it notes that you should… 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 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 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

When a source consists of only one page, such as a newspaper article, should I give the page number in my in-text citation?

No. If a work is only one page, as in the example below, you should not include a page number in your in-text citation. A… Read More

How should I cite an e-book version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet that uses paragraph numbers instead of line numbers?

If your source uses paragraph numbers instead of page numbers or line numbers, your in-text citation should give the relevant number or numbers preceded by… Read More

How do I cite an illustration on an unnumbered page if there is no figure number?

In some cases, the unnumbered page is counted as a page but not numbered as such. If the unnumbered page is between 117 and 119,… Read More