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MLA Style 9th edition: MLA Style 9th edition

This style guide is based on the MLA Style's 9th edition.

About

Welcome to the MLA Style guide. Click on any of the tabs above to see how to reference & cite that particular type of information source. 

Please note: the latest edition of the MLA handbook is the 9th edition. Always check that your references (especially those generated online) follow the specifications of the latest MLA edition.

MLA In-text Citations

In-text citation in MLA Style follow the general format that includes:

  • 1 author: the author's last name followed by a page number and enclosed in parentheses. For example: (Smith 10).
  • 2 authors: connect both authors' last names and page number and enclosed in parentheses. For example: (Smith and Jones 9).
  • 3 or more authors: use the first author's last name and et al., and include the page number. For example: (Marcus et al. 12).
  • No author: if the author's name is not given, use the first word (or words) of the title and include the page number.
  • ChatGPT- the author of the model is OpenAI. For example: (OpenAI, 2023). 

Helpful sources

The information in this guide is based on MLA style instruction from the following sources: 

 

General notes on referencing social media

For all social media platforms:

  • Real name unknown, use the screen/account name (no brackets)
  • No proper title? Use the first 20 words of the post (links, #, emojis count as one word each--do not italicize emojis)
  • Include any attachments in the post (in square brackets). Ex. title of post [image attached]
  • When referencing a comment, use the comment's URL, not the original post's (R click on comment's timestamp & click "Copy link address")

 

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