If I need to fit a quotation syntactically into a sentence, can I use empty brackets to indicate that I have removed letters from a verb?

No. In MLA style, brackets are generally only used to add material or show visible alterations, not to indicate omissions.1 So when attempting to fit… Read More

When is Press spelled out in a publisher’s name in the new MLA style?

If the name of an academic press contains the words University Press, use the abbreviation UP in the publisher’s name, as indicated in the MLA Handbook (97):… Read More

How do you make a plural out of the word so?

Someone might write, for example, “There are too many sos in this sentence,” in response to: So many people were present, so he said so,… Read More

How do I handle prefixes such as pre- and post- in MLA style?

MLA style, which follows Merriam-Webster, does not use hyphens after most prefixes. We would write, for example, antiestablishment, coauthor, nonlinear, and prealgebra. A hyphen is needed, however, before a capital letter… Read More

If a page number includes letters in addition to a number, should I include the letters?

Yes. In the following example of a quotation from an early English work, the quotation appears on page 37v, so you would include both the… Read More

If the date of a source is in the format October 04, 2017, when I convert it to MLA style, should I include the zero?

No, the date in MLA format would be 4 October 2017. Read More

Does the MLA allow the use of contractions in scholarly writing?

Yes. The MLA allows contractions in its publications. In professional scholarly writing, sometimes a formal tone is desired, but often a more conversational approach is… Read More

Does the MLA abbreviate United States as U.S. or US?

In its publications, the MLA uses the abbreviation US. (Practices among publishers vary, however, and it is not incorrect to use U.S. Whichever abbreviation you… Read More