MLA Referencing Style Guide: Mastering 9th Edition for Academic Success

Navigating the complexities of academic writing often involves adhering to specific citation styles, and for many, the Modern Language Association (MLA) style is a cornerstone. This comprehensive Mla Referencing Style Guide, based on the 9th edition, aims to clarify the process of citing sources effectively, ensuring academic integrity and enhancing your scholarly work. Brought to you as a content expert from conduct.edu.vn, we aim to provide an enhanced, SEO-optimized guide, drawing inspiration from resources like the Purdue OWL, to help you master MLA citation for your academic endeavors.

Understanding MLA 9th Edition: Core Principles

The 9th edition of the MLA handbook marks a significant shift from a rigid rule-based system to one grounded in guiding principles. This evolution acknowledges the increasingly digital nature of texts and the diverse platforms where information can be found. Instead of memorizing an exhaustive list of rules, the current MLA style emphasizes a flexible, universally applicable method of documentation. Becoming familiar with these core principles empowers you to cite any source, in any field, for any type of academic paper.

The foundation of MLA 9th edition lies in understanding the core elements of a citation. These are the fundamental pieces of information that MLA recommends including in each Works Cited entry. Arranged in a specific order and punctuated consistently, these elements ensure clarity and consistency in your citations. Here are the nine core elements in the prescribed order:

1. Author.
2. Title of source.
3. Title of container,
4. Other contributors,
5. Version,
6. Number,
7. Publisher,
8. Publication date,
9. Location.

Each element is followed by specific punctuation, primarily commas and periods, simplifying the process compared to earlier editions. This streamlined approach focuses on essential information, making your Works Cited page both comprehensive and user-friendly.

Constructing Your Works Cited Page: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a Works Cited page in MLA 9th edition involves meticulously assembling the core elements for each source you’ve used. Let’s delve into each element with detailed explanations and examples to guide you.

Author

Begin each Works Cited entry with the author’s name. Start with the last name, followed by a comma, and then the rest of the name as it appears in the source. Conclude this element with a period.

Example:

Bhabha, Homi K. The Location of Culture. Routledge, 1994.

Alt Text: Image showing citation example for author Homi K. Bhabha in MLA format, emphasizing last name first.

Title of Source

The next element is the title of the source itself. How you format this title depends on the type of source.

• Books: Italicize the title of a book.

  Example:

  Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. MacMurray, 1999.

• Individual Webpages: Use quotation marks for the title of an individual webpage. The website’s name, considered the “container,” should then be italicized.

  Example:

  Lundman, Susan. “How to Make Vegetarian Chili.” eHow, www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html.

  Alt Text: MLA citation example for a webpage titled “How to Make Vegetarian Chili” on eHow, showing quotation marks for webpage title and italics for website name.

• Periodical Articles (Journals, Magazines, Newspapers): Enclose article titles in quotation marks.

  Example:

  Bagchi, Alaknanda. “Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahasweta Devi’s Bashai Tudu.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, vol. 15, no. 1, 1996, pp. 41-50.

• Songs or Music Tracks: Use quotation marks for the song title and italicize the album title.

  Example:

  Beyoncé. “Pray You Catch Me.” Lemonade, Parkwood Entertainment, 2016, www.beyonce.com/album/lemonade-visual-album/.

Title of Container

The concept of “containers” is central to MLA 9th edition. Containers are the larger entities that hold your source. For instance, a poem in a collection has the collection as its container. Container titles are usually italicized and followed by a comma.

• Collections: A collection of short stories or poems.

  Example:

  Kincaid, Jamaica. “Girl.” The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories, edited by Tobias Wolff, Vintage, 1994, pp. 306-07.

• Television Series: A TV series is a container for individual episodes.

  Example:

  “94 Meetings.” Parks and Recreation, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, performance by Amy Poehler, season 2, episode 21, Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2010.

• Websites: Websites host articles, blog posts, and various other works.

  Example:

  Wise, DeWanda. “Why TV Shows Make Me Feel Less Alone.” NAMI, 31 May 2019, www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/May-2019/How-TV-Shows-Make-Me-Feel-Less-Alone. Accessed 3 June 2019.

  Alt Text: MLA citation example for a NAMI blog post “Why TV Shows Make Me Feel Less Alone”, illustrating website as container in italics.

Containers can also be nested. For example, a journal article found on JSTOR involves JSTOR as a container within a container.

Example of nested containers:

Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical Journal, vol. 50, no. 1, 2007, pp. 173-96. ProQuest, doi:10.1017/S0018246X06005966. Accessed 27 May 2009.

Other Contributors

Besides the author, acknowledge other significant contributors like editors, illustrators, translators, etc., especially if their role is crucial to your research or source identification.

Examples:

Foucault, Michel. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason. Translated by Richard Howard, Vintage-Random House, 1988.

Woolf, Virginia. Jacob’s Room. Annotated and with an introduction by Vara Neverow, Harcourt, Inc., 2008.

Version

If your source specifies an edition or version, include this information.

Examples:

The Bible. Authorized King James Version, Oxford UP, 1998.

Crowley, Sharon, and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. 3rd ed., Pearson, 2004.

Number

For sources within numbered sequences, like multi-volume books or journals with volume and issue numbers, include these numbers in your citation.

Examples:

Dolby, Nadine. “Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future Directions.” Social Work and Society: The International Online-Only Journal, vol. 6, no. 2, 2008, www.socwork.net/sws/article/view/60/362. Accessed 20 May 2009.

Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria. Translated by H. E. Butler, vol. 2, Loeb-Harvard UP, 1980.

Publisher

The publisher is responsible for producing or distributing the source. List all relevant publishers, separated by a forward slash if multiple are important to your research.

Examples:

Klee, Paul. Twittering Machine. 1922. Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Artchive, www.artchive.com/artchive/K/klee/twittering_machine.jpg.html. Accessed May 2006.

Daniels, Greg and Michael Schur, creators. Parks and Recreation. Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2015.

Note: Publishers are generally not required for periodicals, works self-published, websites with the same name as the publisher, or platforms like YouTube, WordPress, or JSTOR that host but don’t publish content.

Publication Date

A source may have multiple publication dates, such as an original air date and a release date on a streaming platform. Use the date most relevant to your context. If uncertain, the original publication date is usually preferable.

Examples:

“Hush.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer, created by Joss Whedon, performance by Sarah Michelle Gellar, season 4, Mutant Enemy, 1999. (General Citation)

“Hush.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer, created by Joss Whedon, performance by Sarah Michelle Gellar, season 4, episode 10, WB Television Network, 14 Dec. 1999. (Specific air date context)

Location

Be as precise as possible when indicating the location of your source.

• Page Numbers: For essays in books or articles in journals, include page numbers.

  Example:

  Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. “On Monday of Last Week.” The Thing around Your Neck, Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, pp. 74-94.

• URLs: For online works, provide the URL, removing “http://” or “https://” prefixes.

  Example:

  Wheelis, Mark. “Investigating Disease Outbreaks Under a Protocol to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.” Emerging Infectious Diseases, vol. 6, no. 6, 2000, pp. 595-600, wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/6/6/00-0607_article. Accessed 8 Feb. 2009.

  Alt Text: MLA citation example for a CDC article “Investigating Disease Outbreaks”, demonstrating URL inclusion for online sources.

• Physical Location: For physical objects experienced firsthand, specify the location.

  Example:

  Matisse, Henri. The Swimming Pool. 1952, Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Optional Elements

MLA 9th edition prioritizes conciseness and relevance. Include optional elements only if they provide essential or helpful context for your reader.

• Date of Original Publication: Useful when a source has multiple publication dates and the original date is significant.

  Example:

  Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine. 1984. Perennial-Harper, 1993.

• City of Publication: Generally needed only for works published before 1900, where the city was closely tied to publishing identity.

  Example:

  Thoreau, Henry David. Excursions. Boston, 1863.

• Date of Access: Recommended for online sources as content can change; check with your instructor or editor for specific requirements.

  Example:

  Bernstein, Mark. “10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.” A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites, 16 Aug. 2002, alistapart.com/article/writeliving. Accessed 4 May 2009.

• URLs: Include when citing online sources, as recommended by the MLA Handbook, but confirm with your instructor.

• DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers): Use DOIs instead of URLs when available, especially for journal articles, as they are more stable.

  Example:

  Alonso, Alvaro, and Julio A. Camargo. “Toxicity of Nitrite to Three Species of Freshwater Invertebrates.” Environmental Toxicology, vol. 21, no. 1, 3 Feb. 2006, pp. 90-94. Wiley Online Library, doi: 10.1002/tox.20155.

Mastering MLA In-Text Citations: Citing Sources Within Your Text

In-text citations are brief references within your paper that point to the full citation in your Works Cited list. They are crucial for attributing ideas, paraphrases, and direct quotations to their original sources, maintaining academic honesty and guiding readers to your sources. Typically, an in-text citation includes the author’s last name and the page number in parentheses.

Examples:

Imperialism is “the practice, the theory, and the attitudes of a dominating metropolitan center ruling a distant territory” (Said 9).

or

According to Edward W. Said, imperialism is defined by “the practice, the theory, and the attitudes of a dominating metropolitan center ruling a distant territory” (9).

Works Cited Entry:

Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. Knopf, 1994.

For media with runtimes, like movies or podcasts, use timestamps to specify the referenced section.

Example: (00:02:15-00:02:35)

The primary goal of in-text citations is to provide clear attribution without disrupting the flow of your writing. They should be concise and seamlessly integrated into your text, allowing readers to focus on your argument while still acknowledging your sources.

How to Cite the Purdue OWL in MLA Style

As a valuable resource for MLA guidance, citing the Purdue OWL itself may be necessary. Here’s how to cite it in MLA format:

Entire Website:

The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2019.

Individual Resources:

“MLA Formatting and Style Guide.” The Purdue OWL, Purdue U Writing Lab. Accessed 18 Jun. 2018.

Note that current Purdue OWL pages often omit author names and publication dates, so citations typically start with the title of the resource.

Conclusion

Mastering the MLA referencing style, particularly the 9th edition, is an essential skill for academic success. This guide has provided a detailed overview of creating both Works Cited entries and in-text citations, emphasizing the core principles and adaptability of the latest MLA guidelines. By following these guidelines, and utilizing resources like the Purdue OWL for further assistance, you can ensure the integrity of your research and effectively communicate with your academic audience.