How do I cite in my prose an untitled poem known by its number in a collection?

If you are citing an untitled poem known only by its number, a generic description of the poem can be substituted for the title in… Read More

Where do I place the colon that separates the title from a subtitle if the title ends with a quotation mark?

If the title ends with a quotation mark, insert the colon between the quotation mark and the subtitle. In the first example below, the title… Read More

If my works-cited-list entry has a title styled in quotation marks that ends in a question mark, should I insert a period after the question mark?

No. Omit the period, as shown in the example below: “How Do I Cite a Map?” The MLA Style Center, Modern Language Association of America,… Read More

Should the initial article in periodical titles be retained in both prose and works-cited-list entries?

Yes. The styling of titles should be consistent in your prose and in your works-cited list. Since, as the MLA Handbook notes, “[t]itles are given in… Read More

Should an article at the start of a subtitle be capitalized?

Yes, capitalize articles (a, an, the)  at the start of titles and subtitles in English: The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family A Sense of Things:… Read More

Should commas be used around by and an author’s name after a title?

It depends. In the following example, commas are used to set off the by phrase because the phrase is not integral to the meaning of… Read More

In prose and titles, should an author use 3-D and 2-D or spell out the abbreviations?

It depends. MLA style minimizes the use of abbreviations in prose, but if in certain contexts the abbreviation is more common than the spelled out… Read More

How do I cite the Homeric hymns?

The Homeric hymns refer to poems that were once attributed, mistakenly, to the ancient Greek poet Homer. They are Homeric only in the sense that… Read More

How do I identify the title of my digital project when submitting a separate works-cited list?

The MLA Handbook offers suggestions for including information about sources used in digital projects (127–28). If you are unable to include a list of works cited… Read More

Should individual tale titles in The Canterbury Tales be set in quotation marks?

Yes. Student writers should place the titles of individual tales in quotation marks. This follows from the MLA Handbook’s general guideline for the styling of titles:… Read More