MLA Format

MLA format refers to the style and guidelines developed by the Modern Language Association (MLA) of America. Researchers and students most often use MLA guidelines to format papers written for the humanities and liberal arts fields. The style has evolved over time to address changes in technology—including information on how to cite online sources, such as websites, social media posts, and YouTube videos—and simplify citations of traditional sources such as books and periodicals.

The MLA also publishes a guide to its formatting rules. The MLA Handbook was first published in 1977. Since then, the organization has released several updated editions of its handbook. The ninth edition was published in 2021.

Brief History

A group of forty college professors founded the Modern Language Association of America in 1883. At the time, the study of classical languages, such as Latin, was starting to decline. However, the study of the modern languages, such as English, in academia was not well established in the 1880s. The MLA sought to encourage academics to focus more on the study of modern languages and literature through its work.

One of the methods the organization used to try to accomplish its goal was by publishing its own journal, PMLA. Since 1884, PMLA has published essays by MLA members on the topics of language and literature. Still in publication, PMLA releases four issues each year that are sent to approximately 26,000 university professors and other professionals. Nearly two thousand libraries around the world receive the journal as well. In addition to PMLA, the MLA publishes the ADE Bulletin, the ADFL Bulletin, and Profession. It also manages digital resources, including MLA Handbook Plus and the MLA Style Center. A database available to libraries, called the MLA International Bibliography, provides online access to more than 3 million citations for a broad range of materials related to the humanities.

Following its founding, the MLA almost immediately began holding an annual convention where scholars and professors from across the country and around the world could meet to discuss issues concerning the fields of modern languages and literature. The first convention was held in New York in December 1883. Only about forty people attended the convention that year. Since then, the MLA's conventions have grown in popularity. The 2023 convention—held both in San Francisco and online—attracted more than four thousand participants.

In the twenty-first century, the MLA's mission is to support and promote the study and teaching of various languages and literature. In 2023, the organization had more than twenty thousand members in one hundred countries. The MLA also works with other related organizations to achieve its mission, support the professional endeavors of its members, and stress the importance of humanities education around the world.

Since the first MLA Handbook was published in 1977, the handbook has become one of the premier style guides. College students and professors are not the only people who use MLA format. Many organizations and publications that require citations of sources use the format to help their readers understand where an author obtained his or her information.

Overview

Authors use citations for several reasons. Citations, whether they are in text or in a works cited page, help readers follow the author's ideas. They also allow readers to look up additional information about the topic of the essay or article. Citations allow authors to establish credibility by showing their audiences that they have done the proper research to speak knowledgeably about a particular subject within their field. Additionally, citations help authors to avoid plagiarism by giving other researchers and authors credit for their ideas.

Depending on their fields, researchers and authors may use different style guides to format their papers or essays and cite their sources. The Chicago Manual of Style and Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association are two common style guides used by academics in various fields, including business, history, and the social sciences. MLA format is most often used in the fields of language, literature, and cultural studies.

Some general guidelines for formatting a paper in MLA style include the following:

• using standard paper of 8.5 x 11 inches
• creating 1-inch margins on all sides
• double-spacing the text of the paper
• using a legible font
• indenting the start of each paragraph

MLA format is especially important when including citations in a paper or essay. There are two types of citations: in-text citations and citations on a works cited page. In-text citations are brief citations in the body of a paper or essay. These citations provide readers with an author's last name and page number, so they can look up the full citation on the works cited page if they want to learn more. These types of citations are also important in instances when a student or author is paraphrasing the work of another scholar. In-text citations let the reader know that the idea in a particular sentence or paragraph belongs to someone other than the author of the paper.

For instance, a sentence with an in-text citation might read, "Gloria Steinem argues that feminism 'depends on the possibility of transforming the status of all women'" (380). In this case, the author's name is in the sentence, so all that is needed is the page number in parentheses at the end. However, an in-text citation might also be formatted like this: "Feminism 'depends on the possibility of transforming the status of all women'" (Steinem 380). In this case, the author's last name must be included so the quote can be attributed.

Works cited pages include all the important sources an author used when writing a paper or essay. Any source that is quoted in the text of the paper must be included in the works cited page. A basic book format includes the author's last name and first name, the title of the book, the publisher, and the publication date. Book citations might also include an editor, an edition number, and page numbers, if applicable. For the Gloria Steinem example, a simple citation would look like this: Steinem, Gloria. Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions. 2nd ed., Henry Holt and Co., 1995, p. 380.

MLA format also provides guidelines for citing periodicals, including magazines and journals; electronic sources, such as websites and online databases; and other common sources, including interviews, conference proceedings, speeches, podcasts, and lectures.

One of the most significant changes made between the seventh and eighth editions of the MLA Handbook was that the city of publication was no longer needed for most book citations. In addition, online sources no longer required brackets around the page's web address. The publication of the ninth edition added new material on inclusive language, including gender-specific terms and person-first language, and plagiarism.

Bibliography

"About the MLA." Modern Language Association, www.mla.org/About-Us/About-the-MLA. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Franklin, Phyllis. "Modern Language Association of America." Encyclopedia of Education, edited by James W. Guthrie, 2nd ed., vol. 5, Macmillan Reference USA, 2002, pp. 1672–74.

MLA Annual Report 2022–2023. Modern Language Association, 2023, www.mla.org/content/download/191636/file/MLA-Annual-Report-22-23.pdf. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

"MLA Ninth Edition: What's New and Different." Purdue Online Writing Lab, Purdue University, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research‗and‗citation/mla‗style/mla‗formatting‗and‗style‗guide/mla‗changes‗9th‗edition.html. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

"The MLA's Mission." Modern Language Association, www.mla.org/About-Us/About-the-MLA/The-MLA-s-Mission. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

"PMLA." Modern Language Association, www.mla.org/Publications/Journals/PMLA. Accessed 13 Nov. 2017.

Steinem, Gloria. Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions. 2nd ed., Henry Holt and Co., 1995, p. 380.

"What's New in the Eighth Edition." Modern Language Association, www.mla.org/MLA-Style/What-s-New-in-the-Eighth-Edition. Accessed 13 Nov. 2017.