MLA Style
What Is MLA Style?
MLA style is a system for documenting sources in scholarly writing. For over half a century, it has been widely adopted for classroom instruction and used worldwide by scholars, journal publishers, and academic and commercial presses.
Works today are published in a dizzying range of formats. On the Web, modes of publication are regularly invented, combined, and modified. MLA style was updated in 2016 to meet the challenges facing today’s researchers. It recommends one universal set of guidelines that writers can apply to any type of source. Entries in the list of works cited are composed of facts common to most works—the MLA core elements. Works are cited in the text with brief parenthetical citations keyed to the list of works cited.
Learn more about what's new in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook.
Resources for MLA Style
MLA Handbook
The eighth edition of the MLA Handbook, while suitable for writers at all levels, is designed with teaching students in mind. It explains the principles behind citing sources, provides instruction on the MLA’s system of documenting sources, and offers detailed guidelines on the mechanics of scholarly prose. The handbook includes guidelines on plagiarism and academic dishonesty, tips on evaluating sources, and a worksheet for creating works-cited-list entries. The eighth edition’s system of documentation supersedes the guidelines set out in the seventh edition and in the MLA Style Manual.
The MLA Style Center
The MLA Style Center is a free companion to the MLA Handbook. The only official Web site devoted to MLA style, it provides
the opportunity to submit your own questions
insights about MLA style from the MLA’s editors
sample research papers
instructions on formatting research papers
teaching resources
tools for creating works-cited-list entries
Buy the MLA Handbook.
Request your complimentary copy (for MLA members).