What is MLA format?
MLA is a style of writing and formatting that is created and updated by the Modern Language Association (MLA). MLA style is most commonly used in the Humanities and English courses of study.
The current edition of MLA is the 9th Edition. Each update includes changes to the formatting.
Major changes in 9th Ed. include:
- More guidance on how to use MLA core elements.
- More information on in-text citations.
- Guidance on research papers
- Inclusive language
Information from this MLA article.
In-text Citations
Following a quote or a paraphrase, include an in-text citation. MLA style follows Author-Page style.
Single Author
(Comiskey 22)
Multiple Authors
(Wittman and Kinney 235)
Three or more authors, list only the first followed by et al.
No Author
(Shortened title)
Place the title in "quotes" if it's an article.
Italicize the title if it's a longer work like a book, play, etc.
Citing Images in Presentations
In MLA style, how your cite an image in a presentation depends upon how the image is being used.
Image used as decorative element:
Full citation when the image is shown.
Fig. #: Author. "Title." Publication, Date, URL. Accessed date.
Fig. 1: Solerieu, Nicolas. "Photo." Unsplash, n.d., unsplash.com/photos/4gRNmhGzYZE. Accessed 15 Jan. 2021.
When the image is integral to the presentation and discussed:
Fig. #: Description of what is being discussed (Title).
Fig. 1: Unstable wooden frame (Photo).
In all cases, the image should also be cited correctly in MLA format within the Works Cited.
Online Resources
- Purdue OWL - MLA resourcesCovers all aspects of MLA formatting including a sample paper and references.
- MLA Cheat SheetThis cheat sheet from The Learning Hub is intended to clarify how certain types of sources are meant to be cited. It is not a complete guide.
- The MLA Style CenterCompiled by the MLA - this list of FAQs provides questions on all aspects of MLA citations and is helpful to all students.
Sample Bibliographic Entries
Book by a single author:
Spillers, Charlie. Confessions of an Undercover Agent: Adventures, Close Calls, and the Toll of a Double Life. University Press of Mississippi, 2016.
Book by more than one author:
Wittman, Robert K., and David Kinney. The Devil's Diary: Alfred Rosenberg and the Stolen Secrets of the Third Reich. Harper, 2016.
Magazine Article, No Author Named:
"The Eternal Quest for Youth; EU Referendum Campaign." The Economist, 7 May 2016, p. 52(US).
Article from Online Journal:
Comiskey, John. "How Do College Homeland Security Curricula Prepare Students for the Field?"Journal of Homeland Security Education, vol. 4 2015, pp. 20-40, doi:10.1017/cbo9781139198875.005. Accessed 23 June 2016.
Article from online Newspaper:
Bogdanich, Walt, et al. "The New Panama Canal: A Risky Bet." New York Times.com, 23 June, 2016, nyti.ms/28Td9co. Accessed 23 July 2016.
Secondary Sources
You should always cite the source in which you found your information. However, sometimes, you find a quote that you wish to reuse. This is called a secondary source. The best way to do this, is to acknowledge the original source in your in-text citation and then include the citation for the source you used in the bibliography.
In-Text Citation Example:
Dincin and Zeitz’s study of mentally ill mothers (qtd. in Hanrahan, et al. 291)
Works Cited List Example:
Hanrahan, Patricia, et al. “The Mothers’ Project for Homeless Mothers with Mental Illnesses and Their Children: A Pilot Study.” Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, vol. 28 no. 3, 2005, pp. 291-294. APA PsycArticles, doi: 10.2975/28.2005.291.294
MLA Game
- Citation PracticePractice writing citations by correctly identifying the different elements of citation from books and articles.