MLA Citations Guide - Maple Woods

Libguide URL: https://libguides.mcckc.edu/mla

The 8th edition of the MLA Handbook has a general set of guidelines to follow as you document your sources within the works cited page.

The MLA core elements recommend that citations include these specific pieces of information:

1. Author.
2. Title of Source.
3. Title of Container,
4. Other Contributors,
5. Version,
6. Number,
7. Publisher,
8. Publication date,
9. Location.

*It is possible elements 3-9 may be repeated if your source appeared in a database or in other platform.

Putting it all together: 

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book in italics, Publisher, year of publication.

Rees, Celia. Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook. Harper Collins, UK, 2020.

*For more specific examples of a variety of sources, click the tabs along the left.

• Double-space the paper. Use a 12 point font and one inch margins throughout.
• Leave a single space after periods and other types of punctuation.
• Indent the first line of each paragraph one half inch. (Press tab once.)
• Create a header that numbers each page consecutively. (Unless your instructor requests no number on page one.)
• Use italics to indicate the title of lengthy sources.  (Not sure what to do? Check the MLA handbook.)
• Month names longer than 4 letters should be abbreviated as follows: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.
• Double space your Works Cited page entries.  Use a hanging indent for those entries that have a second or third line of information.

Maple Woods Libguide on Copyright and Plagiarism