A Complete Guide to MLA 8th Edition

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Key differences in MLA 8th Edition

1. One standard citation format that applies to every source type

In previous editions of the MLA Handbook, researchers were required to locate the citation format for the source that they used. For example, if a magazine was used, researchers needed to locate the specific citation format for periodicals. Due to the various ways that information is now received, in books, websites, lectures, tweets, Facebook posts, etc, it has become unrealistic for MLA to create citation formats for every source type. Now, there is one standard, universal format that researchers can use to create their citations.

2. Inclusion of “containers” in citations.

Containers are the elements that “hold” the source. For example, if a television episode is watched on Netflix, Netflix is the container. Both the title of the source and its container are included in a MLA 8th edition citation.

3. The ability to use pseudonyms for author names

It is now acceptable to use online handles or screen names in place of authors’ names.

Example:

@WSJ. “Generation X went from the most successful in terms of homeownership rates in 2004 to the least successful by 2015.” Twitter, 8 Apr. 2016, 4:30 p.m., www.twitter.com/WSJ/status/718532887830753280

4. Adding the abbreviations vol. and no. to magazine and journal article citations.

In MLA 7, there was no indication that the numbers in periodical citations referred to the volume and issue numbers.

Example of a journal article citation in MLA 7th Edition:

DelGuidice, Margaux. “When a Leadership Opportunity Knocks, Answer!” Library Media Connection 30.2 (2011): 48-49. Print

An example of a journal article citation in MLA 8th edition:

DelGuidice, Margaux. “When a Leadership Opportunity Knocks, Answer!” Library Media Connection, vol. 30, no. 2, 2011, pp. 48-49.

5. Inclusion of URLS

In previous versions of the MLA handbook, it was up to the discretion of the instructor whether URLs should be included in a citation. In MLA 8, it is highly recommended to include a URL in the citation. Even if it becomes outdated, it is still possible to trace the information online from an older URL.

Omit “https://” or “https://” from the URL when including it in a MLA 8th edition citation.

6. Omitting the publisher from some source types

It is not necessary to include the publisher for periodicals or for a web site when the name of the site matches the name of the publisher. For periodicals, the name of the publisher is generally insignificant.

7. Omitting the city of publication

In previous versions of the MLA handbook, researchers included the city where the publisher was located. Today, this information generally serves little purpose and the city of publication can often be omitted.

Only include the city of publication if the version of the source differs when published in a different country (Example: British editions of books versus versions printed in the United States).

Features that have not changed, and are the same as MLA 7:

  • The overall principles of citing and plagiarism
  • The use of in-text citations and works cited pages

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How to Format an MLA 8 Works Cited List

The purpose of a Works Cited list is to display the sources that were used for a project. Showcasing the sources that were used allows others to locate the original sources themselves. In addition, a Works Cited list gives credit to the original authors of the works that were consulted for a project.

Works Cited lists are typically found at the very end of a project. The last page of a research paper, the final slide of a presentation, and the last screen of a video are all appropriate places to display a Works Cited list.

Each source is displayed in a special format, called a citation. This guide explains how to create citations for the Works Cited page.

Citations are listed in alphabetical order by the first word in the citation, which is typically the last name of the author. In an MLA annotated bibliography, after each citation, you’ll also include a brief paragraph summarizing and evaluating the source.

When there are two or more sources with the same author, only include the author’s name in the first citation. In the second or subsequent citations, use three hyphens in place of the author’s name, followed by a period.

Example:

Sparks, Nicholas. Dear John. Grand Central, 2007, p. 82.

– – -. A Walk to Remember. Warner, 1999.

If the individual is someone other than an author, such as a director or an editor, follow the three hyphens with a comma. Then, include the role of the individual after the comma. Place the citations in alphabetical order by the title of the work when there are multiple works by one author.

Example:

Allen, Woody. Getting Even. Vintage, 1978.

– – -, director. Midnight in Paris. Sony Pictures Classics, 2011.

The only instance when it is acceptable to include an author’s name more than once in a Works Cited Page is when the author is a coauthor with another individual or team.

Example:

Patterson, James, and Chris Grabenstein. House of Robots. Little, Brown and Co., 2014.

Patterson, James, and Chris Tebbetts. Middle School: Get Me Out of Here. Little, Brown and Co., 2012.

When there is no author listed for a source, place it in alphabetical order by the title. Omit words such as A, An, and The. If the title begins with a number, write the number out in word form.

Example:

Twenty-Eight Days Later. Directed by Danny Boyle, produced by Alex Garland, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2002.

Example of an MLA Eighth Edition Works Cited Page:

Patterson, James, and Chris Grabenstein. House of Robots. Little, Brown and Co., 2014.

Patterson, James, and Chris Tebbetts. Middle School: Get Me Out of Here. Little, Brown and Co., 2012.

Sparks, Nicholas. Dear John. Grand Central, 2007, p. 82.

– – – . A Walk to Remember. Warner, 1999.

Twenty-Eight Days Later. Directed by Danny Boyle, produced by Alex Garland, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2002.


How to Format the Author’s Name in an MLA 8th Edition Citation:


How to Format the Title in MLA 8


How to Format the Title of the Container in MLA 8


How to Format Other Contributors in MLA 8:


How to Format the Version in MLA 8:


How to Format Numbers in MLA 8:


How to Format the Publisher in MLA 8:


How to Format the Publication Date in MLA 8:


How to Format the Location in MLA 8:


How to Create In-Text Citations in MLA 8:


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What is the purpose of an MLA citation generator?

The purpose of an MLA citation generator is to help you generate citations in the Modern Language Association (MLA) format without having to format the elements manually, which may help you to avoid formatting errors. The tool will have multiple fields and you need to insert information such as author names, the title of the work, and page details. After you add all necessary information, the tool will generate a completely formatted citation as an output. You can then insert the citation into your works cited list.

What is the difference between MLA8 and MLA7?

There are many differences between MLA8 and MLA7. Below are a few major differences between MLA8 and MLA7:

The location of the publisher is usually added in MLA7, whereas it is excluded in MLA8.

The medium of publication (i.e., print and web) is stated explicitly in MLA7, but it is omitted in MLA8. However, if the medium web-based, the URL is included in MLA8. MLA8 treats e-books as a “version” within citation entries.

MLA7 does not include the URLs, but MLA8 includes them (preferably a DOI or permalink). In MLA8, the URL does not include the “https://” at the beginning of the URL.

The date of access is optional in MLA8, and is generally only included if the website is expected to change or become unavailable, or if there is no publication date.

If a source has 3 authors, MLA7 lists all author names. However, MLA8 uses only the first author’s name followed by et al.

For page ranges, MLA7 does not include “pp.,” whereas MLA8 uses “pp.” to indicate a page range.

MLA7 does not add any label to volume and issue numbers for a periodical. MLA8 includes “vol.” and “no.” for volume and issue numbers. MLA8 also uses commas to separate those elements, whereas MLA7 used periods.

The abbreviations “Ed.” and “Trans.’’ used in MLA7 are expanded in MLA8 to “edited by___” or “translated by____”.

MLA8 allows for contributors to be identified by their online aliases (but for YouTube videos, the the uploader should not be treated as the author unless it can be verified that the author and the uploader are the same person).