MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

Title Page
Copyright
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
			[5.40] Key contributors in the Author element
			[5.41] Other types of contributors
		[5.42] Contributor: Where to Find It
		[5.43] Contributor: How to Style It
			[5.44] Labels describing the contributor’s role
			[5.45] Capitalization of labels
			[5.46] Multiple contributors in the same role
			[5.47] Repeated personal names in an entry
		[5.48] Version: What It Is
		[5.49] Version: Where to Find It
		[5.50] Version: How to Style It
		[5.51] Number: What It Is
		[5.52] Number: Where to Find It
		[5.53] Number: How to Style It
		[5.54] Publisher: What It Is
		[5.55] Publisher: Where to Find It
			[5.56] Books
			[5.57] Websites
			[5.58] Audio and visual media
		[5.59] Publisher: How to Style It
			[5.60] Capitalization
			[5.61] Copublishers
			[5.62] Divisions of nongovernment organizations as publishers
			[5.63] Government agencies as publishers
			[5.64] Terms omitted from publishers’ names
			[5.65] Common abbreviations in publishers’ names
			[5.66] Ampersands and plus signs in publishers’ names
			[5.67] City of publication
		[5.68] Publication Date: What It Is
		[5.69] Publication Date: Where to Find It
			[5.70] Books
			[5.71] E-books
			[5.72] News articles
			[5.73] Journal articles
			[5.74] Music
			[5.75] Government documents
			[5.76] Television episodes
		[5.77] Publication Date: How to Style It
			[5.78] Year
			[5.79] Season
			[5.80] Time
			[5.81] Date range
			[5.82] Approximate date given in source
			[5.83] Uncertain date given in source
		[5.84] Location: What It Is
		[5.85] Location: Where to Find It
			[5.86] Page numbers
			[5.87] Online works
		[5.88] Location: How to Style It
			[5.89] Inclusive pages
			[5.90] Descriptive label before page numbers
			[5.91] Numerals for page numbers
			[5.92] Plus sign with page number
			[5.93] DOIs
			[5.94] Permalinks
			[5.95] URLs
				[5.96] Truncating
				[5.97] Breaking
				[5.98] Including terminal slash
			[5.99] Physical locations and events
	[5.100] The Three Most Common Types of Entries
		[5.101] Works in One Container
		[5.102] Works in Two Containers
		[5.103] Works That Are Self-Contained
	[5.104] One Work Cited Different Ways
	[5.105] Supplemental Elements
		[5.106] Placement after Title of Source
			[5.107] Contributor
			[5.108] Original publication date
			[5.109] Section of a work labeled generically
		[5.110] Placement at End of Entry
			[5.111] Date of access
			[5.112] Medium of publication
			[5.113] Dissertations and theses
			[5.114] Publication history
			[5.115] Book series
			[5.116] Columns, sections, and other recurring titled features
			[5.117] Multivolume works
			[5.118] Government documents
		[5.119] Placement between Containers
	[5.120] Punctuation of Entries
		[5.121] More Than One Item in an Element
		[5.122] Supplied Publication Information
	[5.123] Ordering the List of Works Cited
		[5.124] Alphabetizing: An Overview
		[5.125] Alphabetizing by Author
			[5.126] Multiple works by one author
			[5.127] Multiple works by two authors
			[5.128] Multiple works by more than two authors
			[5.129] Multiple works by a single author and coauthors
		[5.130] Alphabetizing by Title
	[5.131] Cross-References
	[5.132] Annotated Bibliographies
6. Citing Sources in the Text
	[6.1] In-Text Citations
		[6.2] Overview
		[6.3] What to Include and How to Style It
			[6.4] Citing a work listed by author
				[6.5] Coauthors
				[6.6] Corporate authors
				[6.7] Two authors with the same surname
				[6.8] Two or more works by the same author or authors
			[6.9] Citing a work listed by title
			[6.10] Shortening titles of works
				[6.11] Titles in quotation marks that start with a title in quotation marks
				[6.12] Titles in quotation marks that start with a quotation
				[6.13] Using abbreviations for titles of works
				[6.14] Shortening descriptions used in place of titles
			[6.15] When author and title are not enough
			[6.16] Page numbers and other divisions of works
				[6.17] One-page works
				[6.18] Quotations spanning two or more pages of a work
				[6.19] Quotations from a nonconsecutively paginated work
				[6.20] Numbered paragraphs, sections, and lines
				[6.21] Commonly cited works
					[6.22] Verse works
					[6.23] Prose works
					[6.24] Ancient and medieval works
					[6.25] Scripture
				[6.26] Works without numbered pages or divisions
				[6.27] Volume numbers for multivolume nonperiodical works
				[6.28] Time stamps
				[6.29] Numbered notes in your source
			[6.30] Punctuation in the parenthetical citation
	[6.31] Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources
		[6.32] Integrating Quotations into Prose
			[6.33] Prose works
				[6.34] Short quotations
				[6.35] Long quotations (block quotations)
			[6.36] Poetry
				[6.37] Short quotations
				[6.38] Long quotations (block quotations)
			[6.39] Dialogue
				[6.40] Drama
				[6.41] Prose
				[6.42] Poetry
		[6.43] Placement of Parenthetical Citations
			[6.44] Consolidating citations
				[6.45] References to a single source
				[6.46] References to multiple works citing the same idea
		[6.47] Omitting Citations for Repeated Quotations and Terms
		[6.48] Punctuation with Quotations
			[6.49] Introducing quotations
			[6.50] Quotations within quotations
			[6.51] Marking the end of a quotation
				[6.52] Periods and commas
				[6.53] Other punctuation marks
		[6.54] Capitalization with Quotations
			[6.55] When to capitalize
			[6.56] When to lowercase
			[6.57] When to follow the case of your source
		[6.58] Using an Ellipsis to Mark Material Omitted from Quotations
			[6.59] Omission within a sentence
			[6.60] Omission in a quotation of one or more sentences
			[6.61] Omission in a quotation of poetry
			[6.62] An ellipsis in the source
		[6.63] Other Permissible Alterations of Quotations
			[6.64] Emphasis
			[6.65] Errors in the source
			[6.66] Clarification
			[6.67] Syntax
		[6.68] What Not to Reproduce from Your Source
		[6.69] Languages Other Than Modern English
			[6.70] Accents
			[6.71] Umlauts
			[6.72] Ligatures
			[6.73] Letters in older languages
			[6.74] Orthography (spelling)
			[6.75] Translations of quotations (bilingual quotations)
			[6.76] Quotations from languages in non-Latin alphabets
		[6.77] Indirect Sources
	[6.78] Citations in Forms Other Than Print
		[6.79] Slides
		[6.80] Videos
		[6.81] Web Projects
		[6.82] Oral Presentations
7. Notes
	[7.1] Bibliographic Notes
	[7.2] Content Notes
	[7.3] Styling of Notes
	[7.4] Placement of Notes in the Text
Appendix 1: Abbreviations
	Punctuation
	Common Academic Abbreviations
	Months
	Titles of Works
Appendix 2: Works-Cited-List Entries by Publication Format
	Appendix Contents
	Work-Cited-List Entries
Index