Documenting Essays in MLA Style
The Modern Language Association (MLA) began recommending the use of in-text parenthetical citations in 1984, with the second edition of the MLA Handbook. Before then, source citations were placed in footnotes and the final, alphabetical list of sources was attached at the end of the paper under the heading, “Bibliography.” The term “Works Cited” has since replaced “Bibliography.” The entries in a typical Works Cited document cover not only traditional print sources, but–reflecting the widespread scholarly use of technology–also cover Web and related sources.
Listed below is a series of resources on all aspects of MLA documentation. Students preparing a research essay will find every kind of citation example in this comprehensive series of online tutorials.
- MLA Formatting and Style Guide from Purdue University
- A video from the Purdue Online writing Lab (OWL) on using MLA format for research, with useful page set-up information in addition to practical help on most MLA kinds of citation: Purdue Owl: MLA Formatting – The Basics
Text Attributions
- This chapter was adapted from “Appendix 6: Documenting Essays in MLA Style” in English Literature: Victorians and Moderns by James Sexton. CC BY. Adapted by Allison Kilgannon.
