MLA Citation Style

MLA Handbook

Relied on by generations of writers, the MLA Handbook is published by the Modern Language Association and is the only official, authorized book on MLA style. The new, ninth edition builds on the MLA’s unique approach to documenting sources using a template of core elements—facts, common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date—that allows writers to cite any type of work, from books, e-books, and journal articles in databases to song lyrics, online images, social media posts, dissertations, and more. With this focus on source evaluation as the cornerstone of citation, MLA style promotes the skills of information and digital literacy so crucial today. 

The many new and updated chapters make this edition the comprehensive, go-to resource for writers of research papers, and anyone citing sources, from business writers, technical writers, and freelance writers and editors to student writers and the teachers and librarians working with them.

The MLA Handbook is currently in its 9th edition , published in 2021. This quick guide to MLA style explains the latest guidelines for citing sources and formatting papers according to MLA.

MLA 9th Edition Citation Style Graphic for Works Cited page- courtesy of Widener University

Introduction to MLA 9th edition from California State University, Dominguez Hills Library

"Introduction to Citation Styles: MLA 9th ed." by CSUDH Library (CC-BY)