MLA Handbook Ninth edition The Modern Language Association of America New York 2021 © 2021 by The Modern Language Association of America Published by The Modern Language Association of America 85 Broad Street, Suite 500, New York, New York 10004-2434 www.mla.org All rights reserved. MLA and the MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION are trademarks owned by the Modern Language Association of America. Except as allowable by applicable copyright law, written permission from the publisher is required to reproduce or distribute MLA copyrighted material. For permission requests, e-mail [email protected]. To order MLA publications, go to mla.org/books. For wholesale and international orders, see mla.org/Bookstore-Orders. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Name: Modern Language Association of America. Title: MLA handbook / Modern Language Association of America. Other titles: MLA handbook for writers of research papers. Description: Ninth edition. | New York, New York : The Modern Language Association of America, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2020039581 (print) | LCCN 2020039582 (e-book) | ISBN 9781603293518 (paperback) | ISBN 9781603295611 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781603295628 (spiral bound) | ISBN 9781603293525 (EPUB) Subjects: LCSH: Report writing—Handbooks, manuals, etc. | Research—Handbooks, manuals, etc. Classification: LCC LB2369 .M52 2021 (print) | LCC LB2369 (ebook) | DDC 808.02/7—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020039581 LC e-book record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020039582 Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Formatting Your Research Project [1.1] Margins [1.2] Text Formatting [1.3] Title [1.4] Running Head and Page Numbers [1.5] Internal Headings and Subheadings [1.6] Placement of the List of Works Cited [1.7] Tables and Illustrations [1.8] Lists [1.9] Integrated into Your Prose [1.10] Set Vertically [1.11] Lists introduced with a complete sentence [1.12] Lists that continue the sentence introducing them [1.13] Paper and Printing [1.14] Proofreading and Spellcheckers [1.15] Binding a Printed Paper [1.16] Electronic Submission 2. Mechanics of Prose [2.1] Spelling [2.2] Dictionaries [2.3] Plurals [2.4] Punctuation [2.5] Commas [2.6] When a comma is necessary [2.7] Before a coordinating conjunction joining independent clauses [2.8] Between coordinate adjectives [2.9] To set off parenthetical comments [2.10] After long introductory phrases and clauses [2.11] With contrasting phrases [2.12] In series [2.13] With dates and locations [2.14] With nonrestrictive modifiers [2.15] When a comma is incorrect [2.16] Subject and verb [2.17] Verb and object [2.18] Parts of a compound subject [2.19] Parts of a compound object [2.20] Two verbs that share a subject [2.21] Two subordinate elements that are parallel [2.22] When a comma is optional [2.23] With short introductory phrases and clauses [2.24] Around specific words [2.25] Before some coordinating conjunctions [2.26] Semicolons [2.27] Colons [2.28] Dashes and Parentheses [2.29] To enclose an interruption [2.30] To prevent misreading [2.31] To introduce an elaboration or an example [2.32] To introduce a list [2.33] Hyphens [2.34] When to hyphenate compound adjectives before a noun [2.35] Adverbs [2.36] Number-noun combinations [2.37] Prepositional phrases [2.38] Clarity [2.39] When not to hyphenate compound adjectives before a noun [2.40] Adverbs [2.41] Comparatives and superlatives [2.42] Familiar compound terms [2.43] Foreign language terms [2.44] Proper nouns [2.45] Hyphens before suppressed words [2.46] Hyphens with prefixes [2.47] Hyphens in fractions [2.48] Hyphens versus en dashes [2.49] Apostrophes [2.50] Singular and plural nouns [2.51] Proper nouns [2.52] Nouns expressing shared possession [2.53] Letters [2.54] Plural abbreviations and numbers [2.55] Quotation Marks [2.56] To flag provisional meaning [2.57] To mark translations of words or phrases [2.58] Slashes [2.59] Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Points [2.60] Italics in Prose [2.61] Words and Phrases Referred to as Words [2.62] Letters Referred to as Letters [2.63] Foreign Words in an English-Language Text [2.64] Capitalization of Terms [2.65] English [2.66] French [2.67] German [2.68] Italian [2.69] Spanish [2.70] Latin [2.71] Names of Persons in Your Prose [2.72] First Uses of Personal Names [2.73] Surnames Used Alone [2.74] English [2.75] French [2.76] German [2.77] Italian [2.78] Spanish [2.79] Latin [2.80] Asian languages [2.81] Premodern names [2.82] Transliterated Names [2.83] Titles with Personal Names [2.84] Suffixes with Personal Names [2.85] Given Names and Personal Initials [2.86] Names of Fictional Characters [2.87] Names of Organizations and Groups [2.88] Names of Literary Periods and Cultural Movements [2.89] Titles of Works in Your Prose [2.90] Capitalizing Titles in English [2.91] Capitalizing Titles in Languages Other Than English [2.92] French [2.93] German [2.94] Italian [2.95] Spanish [2.96] Latin [2.97] Other languages in the Latin alphabet [2.98] Languages in non-Latin alphabets [2.99] Punctuation of Titles [2.100] Serial comma [2.101] Subtitles [2.102] Alternative titles [2.103] Dates appended to titles [2.104] Multivolume works [2.105] Punctuation around Titles [2.106] Styling Titles [2.107] Italicized titles [2.108] Italicized titles of works contained in a larger work [2.109] Titles in quotation marks [2.110] Titles with no formatting [2.111] Titles within Titles [2.112] Surrounding title in quotation marks [2.113] Surrounding title in italics [2.114] Surrounding title with no formatting [2.115] Quotations within Titles [2.116] Foreign Language Terms and Titles within Titles [2.117] Styling [2.118] Capitalization [2.119] Titles within titles [2.120] Shortened Titles in Your Prose [2.121] Subtitles [2.122] Conventional forms of titles [2.123] Very long titles [2.124] Punctuating shortened titles [2.125] Translating Titles in Languages Other Than English [2.126] Numbers [2.127] Use of Numerals or Words [2.128] Number-heavy contexts [2.129] Street addresses [2.130] Decimal fractions [2.131] Percentages and amounts of money [2.132] Items in numbered series [2.133] Large numbers [2.134] Plural forms [2.135] At the start of a sentence [2.136] In titles [2.137] Commas in Numbers [2.138] Dates and Times [2.139] Number Ranges 3. Principles of Inclusive Language 4. Documenting Sources: An Overview [4.1] Why Plagiarism Is a Serious Matter [4.2] Avoiding Plagiarism [4.3] Careful Research [4.4] Giving Credit [4.5] Paraphrasing [4.6] When to paraphrase [4.7] How to paraphrase [4.8] How to paraphrase and give credit [4.9] Quoting [4.10] When to quote [4.11] How to quote and give credit [4.12] When Documentation Is Not Needed [4.13] Common Knowledge [4.14] Passing Mentions [4.15] Allusions [4.16] Epigraphs 5. The List of Works Cited [5.1] Creating and Formatting Entries: An Overview [5.2] The MLA Core Elements [5.3] Author: What It Is [5.4] Author: Where to Find It [5.5] Author: How to Style It [5.6] One author [5.7] Two authors [5.8] Three or more authors [5.9] Names not reversed [5.10] Languages that order surname first [5.11] Lack of surname [5.12] Variant forms of a personal name [5.13] Different spellings [5.14] Pseudonyms and name changes [5.15] When not to supply information, cross-reference, or use the published form of a name [5.16] Online handles [5.17] Organizations, groups, and government authors [5.18] Listing by name [5.19] Avoiding redundancy [5.20] Government authors [5.21] Standardizing and supplying information [5.22] Consolidating entries [5.23] Title of Source: What It Is [5.24] Title of Source: Where to Find It [5.25] Title of Source: How to Style It [5.26] Shortened titles [5.27] Sections of a work labeled generically [5.28] Description in place of a title [5.29] Quoted text in place of a title [5.30] Translations of titles [5.31] Title of Container: What It Is [5.32] Works that are self-contained [5.33] Works with more than one container [5.34] Determining when a website is a container [5.35] Apps and databases [5.36] Title of Container: Where to Find It [5.37] Title of Container: How to Style It [5.38] Contributor: What It Is [5.39] Key contributors