When creating a sortable list of alphabetized titles, where should the initial article be placed?

In an index or sortable list of titles, MLA style follows the The Chicago Manual of Style, which recommends placing initial articles at the end of the… Read More

If a sentence ends with an abbreviation followed by a period, should I insert another period to mark the end of the sentence?

No. A sentence should never have two periods at the end. If a sentence ends with an abbreviation followed by a period, do not add… Read More

If a title includes a period at the end, do I include the period?

Yes. If a title ends with a punctuation mark, include the mark: The Band Perry opened their set with the song “Done.,” the second track… Read More

How do I style the names of functional elements of a website when I refer to them in my prose?

In its online and print publications, when the MLA refers in prose to the label or functional element of a website or other electronic device… Read More

Can I just include a URL for a website in my prose instead of creating a work-cited-list entry?

You should always create works-cited-list entries for works that you quote from, paraphrase, or substantively discuss. Thus you may need to create an entry for… Read More

Are names of groups like African American and Native American ever hyphened in MLA style?

In MLA style, if each part of the name of an ethnic or national group is an independent term, no hyphen is used, regardless of… Read More

How do I style names of headers or titled sections that I refer to in my prose?

When you refer to the names of headers or titled sections in a work, you may style them with or without quotation marks as long… Read More

When should you correct spelling in a title?

The spelling of a title should almost never be corrected, especially by students, even when the title seems to include an error. Sometimes the “error”… Read More

When should I capitalize the first letter of the first word of a quotation?

Whether to capitalize or lowercase the first letter of the first word of a quotation depends on how the quotation is integrated into your prose… Read More

If I am writing a paper in a foreign language and my works-cited list contains works in more than one language, should labels such as “edited by” be given in the foreign language or in English? Also, should the works-cited-list entry be punctuated according to the rules of the foreign language?

The language that you use to describe elements in your works-cited list should be the language that your paper is written in, which should also… Read More