MLA style is usually used in English and the humanities. MLA stands for the Modern Language Association. The 8th edition (2016) of MLA is very similar to that of the 9th edition (2021).
The MLA Handbook is the official guide to MLA format. You can also visit the MLA Style Center for official guidance.
MLA Handbook by
The Modern Language Association, the authority on research and writing, takes a fresh look at documenting sources in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. Works are published today in a dizzying range of formats. A book, for example, may be read in print, online, or as an e-book--or perhaps listened to in an audio version. On the Web, modes of publication are regularly invented, combined, and modified. Previous editions of the MLA Handbookprovided separate instructions for each format, and additional instructions were required for new formats. In this groundbreaking new edition of its best-selling handbook, the MLA recommends instead one universal set of guidelines, which writers can apply to any type of source. Shorter and redesigned for easy use, the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook guides writers through the principles behind evaluating sources for their research. It then shows them how to cite sources in their writing and create useful entries for the works-cited list. More than just a new edition, this is a new MLA style.
All Merced College students have access to Microsoft 365 (formerly branded as Office 365), which includes Word, through student email.
"MLA Style, 8th Edition: An Introduction" (4:30) by Raynor Memorial Libraries is licensed under CC-BY.
Why Cite?
When to Cite
How to Cite
MLA citation requires two parts: