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Modern Language Association (MLA)

General Format for Articles

Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal, Volume, Issue, Year, pages.

Website with Author

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Page." Site Name, URL. Accessed Numeric-Day Month year. (Year, Month Date). Title of page. Site Name. URL

Website with No Author

Title of page. Site Name, Numeric-Day Mon. year published, URL. Accessed Numeric-Day Month year.

General Format for Books with One Author

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.

  • Include City of Publication only if: published pre-1900, publisher offices are in multiple countries, or publisher does not have North American presence. 
General Format for Books with Two Authors

Last Name, First Name, and Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date.

General Format for Books with Several Authors

Last Name, First Name, et al. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date.

Translated Work

Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title of Work. Translated by First Name Last Name, Publisher, Year.

For MLA in-text citation, the author’s name and the page number should be cited. However, the author’s name can appear in the sentence itself or in the parentheses with the page number. The page number (if available) should always appear in parentheses.

No known author

In cases where the author’s name is not available, use a shortened title.

With the increase of frequency in cyberattacks, the need for information security analysts is expected to rise (“Information Security Analysts”).

Short quotations

According to O’Connor & Weatherall, “partisans on all sides attached their opponents through vicious pamphlets” (152). By some accounts, fake news “has a long history, particularly in the United States” (O’Connor & Weatherall 152).

Long quotations (4 or more lines of prose, 3 or more lines of verse)

Do not use quotation marks. Instead indent as a separate paragraph. Parenthetical citation should occur after final punctuation. Example:

Fake news has a long history in the United States:

In the decades before and after the American Revolution, for instance, partisans on all sides attacked their opponents through vicious pamphlets that were often filled with highly questionable accusations and downright lies. (O’Connor & Weatherall 152)

Summary or paraphrase

According to O’Conner & Weatherall (2019), spreading false information about political opponents occurred in the time surrounding the American Revolution.

Spreading untrue and potentially damning information about political opponents has a long history in the United States (O’Conner & Weatherall 152).

Interview you conducted (in-person, email, phone)

Cats and books are “the perfect combination” (Smith).

General MLA Paper Formatting

  • Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
  • Double-space the text of your paper and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are each distinct from one another. The font size should be 12 pt.
  • Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise prompted by your instructor).
  • Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
  • Indent the first line of each paragraph one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the “Tab” key as opposed to pushing the space bar five times.
  • Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow your instructor's guidelines.)
  • Use italics throughout your essay to indicate the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, provide emphasis.
  • If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited page. Entitle the section Notes (centered, unformatted).

Check out the MLA Style website for more formatting information.

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