If you are citing coauthors who share a last name (e.g., husband and wife or brother and sister), should you list the last name twice?

Yes. You should treat each author as an individual with a unique identity. Thus, if you are citing a work by authors who share a… Read More

Is it acceptable to use superscript for the letters following a numeral when I am listing numbered editions?

When listing numbered editions (e.g., 2nd, 3rd, 4th), most publishers, including the MLA, do not set the letters after the numeral superscript, but an instructor… Read More

I’m citing an online article that lacks page numbers. The database containing it provides the page range for the original print version. Do I include the page numbers in my entry?

Yes. Databases house digital copies of works and supply the publication information for the version of those works that have been digitized, usually in PDF… Read More

How do I cite the keynote from a Twitter conference?

Since a Twitter conference keynote will likely span several tweets, cite it the way you would cite a Twitter thread. Follow the MLA format template. List… Read More

How should mathematical theories be cited in my prose and in my works-cited list?

It depends on whether the theory can be considered common knowledge. When you discuss a complex mathematical theory, you should cite a source that explains… Read More

How do you cite a summary of a work in MLA style?

In MLA style, when you cite a summary of a work, you should generally mention the name of the work you are summarizing and its… Read More

If I am defining in my paper specialized terminology that I learned in class, do I need to cite a source?

No. Specialized terminology learned in a class can be considered a kind of common knowledge in the context of an essay written for that class,… Read More

If I have a work by one author and a work by that author and coauthors in my works-cited-list, how do I order my entries?

A work by one author should be listed before a work by that author and a coauthor. Rappaport, Joanne. The Disappearing Mestizo: Configuring Difference in… Read More

Should I cite each entry from an encyclopedia separately?

You should provide citations for each encyclopedia entry that you use in your essay. A good example is Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia. You would cite each… Read More

How do I cite a serialized article?

Create a separate works-cited-list entry for each part of a serialized article or for each article published in a series, following the MLA format template. Read More