Should “sic” be used to indicate that a quotation includes slang?

No. Do not use “sic,” from the Latin for “thus” or “so,” to indicate that a quotation has been reproduced accurately. If clarification of a quotation is… Read More

How are notes numbered and placed in the MLA’s books?

In edited collections of essays, the MLA places notes at the end of each essay and restarts note numbering at 1. We follow the same… Read More

In a block quotation, can I reverse the order of two sentences if I separate them with an ellipsis?

No. Sentences in a block quotation cannot be reversed because, as the MLA Handbook notes, “[a] quotation should never be presented in a way that could cause… Read More

Should department names be capitalized in MLA style?

In general, the MLA follows The Chicago Manual of Style for the capitalization of academic department names (“Academic Subjects”) and administrative bodies (“Administrative Bodies”). We capitalize… Read More

How should commas be used with dates in my prose?

In the day-month-year style, do not use commas: School started on 4 September 2018. In the month-day-year style, use a comma to set off the… Read More

When should commas be used with introductory phrases that include dates?

A comma may generally be omitted from an introductory phrase of two or three words, but consider using a comma when you wish to emphasize… Read More

If a phrase is repeated throughout a work, what page number should I use when discussing the phrase?

When citing a phrase that appears more than once in a work, give the page number of the first instance in the parenthetical reference: B. Read More

Should the comma after an italicized element appear in italics?

Publishers differ in their practice. In its publications, the MLA’s preference is not to italicize commas that appear after italicized elements. However, we are open… Read More

How should I format examples for a linguistics paper?

For guidance on styling linguistics papers, consult the “Unified Style Sheet,” published by the Linguistics Society of America. For phonetic symbols, consult the website of… Read More

Should health care be spelled as two words?

The MLA primarily follows Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary for spelling, so we spell health care as two words when it is used as a noun, and we hyphen it… Read More