If I have two works with identical titles and no authors in my works-cited list, how do I distinguish between them in my parenthetical citations?

Writers sometimes need to cite anonymous sources with identical titles, such as articles in reference works. Since in MLA style works without authors are cited… Read More

How do I cite an essay from a multivolume work when each volume has a different title?

Multivolume works can seem complex and difficult to cite because they present the writer with an abundance of bibliographic information—some essential, some optional—that can be… Read More

How do I cite a quotation that I use in the title of my paper?

If you include a quotation in the title of your paper, you should discuss the quotation in the body of your essay. Do not place… Read More

Is a compound subject a noun phrase for the purposes of abbreviating a title, or should I just use the first noun?

As section 3.2.1 of the MLA Handbook explains, when you need to shorten a title for a parenthetical citation, “give the first noun and any preceding… Read More

How do I abbreviate a title for a parenthetical reference if it begins with numbers?

Remember that the goals of parenthetical citation are clarity and concision. Thus, if a title begins with a number–for example: 1066: A New History of… Read More

How do I cite a Twitter thread or conversation in my text and in my works-cited list?

A thread is a series of separately written but related tweets that are given a single URL. If you’re discussing the thread as a whole… Read More

How do I style the title of a trilogy or informally titled series?

When a trilogy is published in one volume with a title of its own, the course of action is clear: italicize the title of the… Read More

How do I cite an unpublished translation?

Cite an unpublished translation by following the MLA format template. List the author of the work, the title of the translation in quotation marks (since… Read More

How do I alphabetize several letters by the same author written to different recipients?

In a works-cited-list, when you list several letters by the same author to different recipients, alphabetize the letters according to the names of the recipients. Read More

How do I shorten a long title?

Extremely long titles and conventional titles usually condensed may be shortened in your prose and in your works-cited list.    Extremely Long Titles Some works,… Read More