How do I cite book cover art?

To cite the cover of a book, create a works-cited-list entry for the book and then key your in-text reference to the first element of… Read More

How do I cite an interview conducted through Facebook Messenger?

To cite an interview conducted through a messaging app such as Facebook Messenger, follow our guidelines for citing an interview conducted by e-mail. In the “Title of… Read More

What is the history of MLA style?

You can find a brief discussion of the origin and history of MLA style on pages x–xi of the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. Read More

How do I cite an oral history interview republished in a reader or textbook?

To cite an oral history interview republished in a reader or textbook, treat the textbook as your source, since that is where you found the… Read More

The citation tool at our library does not follow the MLA’s guidelines for capitalizing titles. What should we do?

Many citation tools generate entries that do not accord with MLA style, so writers are advised to use caution when using these tools and to… Read More

How do I indicate that I am citing an album in 33 rpm format?

List album formats, if needed, in the optional-element slot at the end of your works-cited-list entry: Sinatra, Frank. The Voice: Columbia Years, 1943-1952. Columbia Records, 1986. Read More

How do you alphabetize a works-cited-list entry that begins with a title starting with an article?

As the MLA Handbook notes, titles should be alphabetized in works-cited lists “letter by letter, ignoring any initial A, An, or The or the equivalent in other languages” (115). Read More

Should an ISBN be listed in a works-cited-list entry in MLA style?

An ISBN, or International Standard Book Number, is a unique numeric identifier that is used by publishers, libraries, booksellers, and other retailers in the marketing… Read More

How do I cite an early-access article, and how do I cite it when it is later published?

An early-access article—also called an article published before print or an article published ahead of print, among other names—is an article that is slated for inclusion… Read More

How do I cite information from a scanned document on a genealogy site?

Follow the MLA format template. Say, for example, you wish to cite a marriage index on Ancestry as your source for the date of a… Read More