MLA

This guide is based on MLA Handbook Plus, 9th edition.

MLA

About MLA

Before selecting a referencing style check with your tutor, lecturer or supervisor for the style preferred by the School or Department.

Before you use GenAI for assessment-related work you must check to ensure that your Subject Coordinator has authorised its use

The MLA style is often used in the Humanities disciplines including Languages, Literature and Communication. MLA is an in-text citation style with 2 key components: 1. Citations in the text that direct the reader to entries in the Works Cited list. 2. An alphabetical list of sources (Works Cited list) that appears at the end of the paper. The style uses a template of core elements common to most sources such as author, title and publication date. These core elements are used to cite any type of work including books and e-books, journal articles, online images, social media posts, theses etc.

  • This guide is based on the MLA Handbook Plus. 9th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2021.

    The handbook is available from the library as an eBook.  Print copies are also available from Baillieu library. Please consult the official manual for more information.

    Handbook references in Re:cite are given for sections of the manual (eg: 5.1, 6.22), rather than page numbers. Section numbers are consistent across print and online formats.

    For further information about the style, see https://www.mla.org/MLA-Style.

    These online resources provide more detailed advice on how to cite in the MLA style:

    MLA's Interactive Practice Template is a tool for learning MLA style, although it is not a citation generator.

  • What is an in-text citation? How are they formatted?

    In-text citations are brief, unobtrusive references that direct readers to the works-cited-list entries for the sources you consulted and, where relevant, to the location in the source being cited. The citation can appear in the prose or in parentheses. Use shortened titles in parenthetical citations. (6.1)

    An in-text citation begins with the shortest piece of information that directs the reader to the entry in the works-cited list. It begins with whatever comes first in the entry: the author’s name or the title (or description) of the work. (6.2)

    Citation in prose:

    Gertrude Himmelfarb discusses this in her chapter on poverty.

    Parenthetical citation:

    The importance of the concept of the poverty line has been thoroughly discussed (Himmelfarb).

    All in-text references should be concise. Do not provide the author’s name or title of a work in both your prose and parentheses.

    eg. According to Gertrude Himmelfarb, Charles Booth never used the "the Poverty Line" (103).

    In parenthetical citations, use only the part of an author’s name necessary to find the entry in the list of works cited. This is usually the surname.

    eg. At least one researcher has discovered a discrepancy in dates (Himmelfarb).

    If a specific part of a work is quoted or paraphrased and the work includes a page number, or other indication of where the information can be found in the work, the page number or location marker should be included in parentheses.

    Parenthetical citations:

    According to Carolyne Lee, “professional literacy includes knowledge of scholarly citation practices” (154).

    The author or title can also appear alongside the page number or other location marker in parentheses.

    Parenthetical citations:

    “Professional literacy includes knowledge of scholarly citation practices” (Lee 154).

    Do not precede a page number with p. or pp., as you do in the list of works cited list (6.16).

  • General notes on the Works Cited List

    References cited in the text must be listed at the end of your paper. Title the list, Works Cited.

    Order the Works Cited list alphabetically by author surnames. Where an item has no author it is cited by its title, and ordered in the reference list alphabetically by the first significant word of the title (not A or The) (5.123).

    References in the list of works cited at the end of the paper are to be arranged as follows (1.6):

    • Begin each entry flush with the left margin.
    • For entries that run for more than one line, indent the subsequent line or lines by half an inch from the left margin. This format is sometimes called hanging indentation.

    Entries in the Works Cited list are created using the MLA template of core elements - author, title, and publication date, etc. (fig. 5.1).

    The MLA style uses the concept of “containers”. A container is a work that contains another work. For example, a book is the container for a book chapter, YouTube is the container of a video clip (See 5.31 and fig. 5.2 of the Handbook for further explanation).  Print novels are self-contained.

    There can be more than one container. For further explanation see 5.33 of the Handbook.

    The MLA elements are listed below in the order they should appear in your citations. The highlighted elements below represent the “container” part of the citation.

    The highlighted elements represent the “container” part of the citation . Author and title are outside of the container, followed by Title of container, Contributor, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location


    Periods are used after the Author element, after the Title of Source element, at the end of each container string, and at the end of each entry. Commas are used mainly between elements within each container and between the surname and the first name when the name in the Author element is inverted (5.120).

    Omit any element that does not apply except Title of Source (5.1).

    Note: an element name is not always literal and can be applied to a range of situations. For example, Publication Date can include an actual date of publication, a date of composition for unpublished material, the date a performance was attended, and other dates relevant to the work you are citing (5.2).

    • DOIs are more reliable locators than URLs (the web addresses that appear in your browser window), because DOIs remain attached to their sources even if the URLs change.  DOIs are therefore more stable, and often more concise (5.84).
    • In deciding when to include a URL, follow the preferences of your instructor, institution, or publisher (5.84: see also 5.96 for guidance on shortening URLs).
    • An access date for an online work should generally be provided if the work lacks a publication date or if you suspect that the work has been altered or removed (5.111).

Explore resources to help with reference management and enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks .

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Quick Guide to MLA

Download the Quick Guide to MLA for a handy guide to the style, with a summary of the main elements and examples of the most commonly cited reference types.

Archival material


Material type


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GenAI text (eg ChatGPT)

Before you use GenAI for assessment-related work you must check to ensure that your Subject Coordinator has authorised its use. Find more guidance and resources on the AI at Melbourne page.

The MLA Style Manual recommends following the guidelines for software when citing GenAI text:

  • Cite a generative AI tool whenever you paraphrase, quote, or incorporate into your own work any content (whether text, image, data, or other) that was created by it
  • Acknowledge all functional uses of the tool (like editing your prose or translating words) in a note, your text, or another suitable location
  • Take care to vet the secondary sources it cites

For more information see the MLA Style Center

Format for in-text citation

*MLA does not recommend treating the AI tool as an author. In-text citations  should include the first few words of the prompt.

(First words of the text generative prompt)

In-text citation example

Though a powerful tool, ChatGPT has some limitations. When asked who won the 2022 Australian Open ChatGPT’s response was that as its knowledge cutoff date is September 2021, the 2022 Australian Open has “not yet taken place” ("Who won the 2022 Australian Open?" ).

Format for Works cited

Elements, punctuation & capitalisation

"Prompt text" prompt. Name of AI, Day Mon. version, Name of software provider, Day Mon. Year, URL. 

Example

"Who won the 2022 Australian Open?" prompt. ChatGPT, 23 Mar. version, OpenAI, 13 Apr. 2023, https://chat.openai.com/chat


Explore resources to help with reference management and enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks .

Books, book chapters, theses


    Author type


    Book type


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    DVD and videos


    Format for in-text citation

    In-text citation example

    ("Schindler's List"  00:21:16-17)

    Format for reference list

    Elements, punctuation & capitalisation

    Title of DVD/ video/ film. Directed by Director's name, production company, date of recording or year of release.

    Reference list example

    Schindler's List. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Universal, 1993.

    Style notes for this reference type

    Citations in Forms Other Than Print

    The standards for source documentation in nonprint forms will change as media themselves change, but the aims will remain the same: to provide information that enables you to give credit to those whose work influenced yours and that allows your audience to both understand and retrieve the sources that you discuss (6.78).

    Basic elements of citation:

    These will change depending on what is being cited. For example, you are focusing on a key contributor to a work, such as Screenwriter, Director, Actor and so on, rather than the author.

    • Title (in italics).
    • Director,
    • Production company,
    • Year of release/ recording.

    See Handbook

    • If your discussion of a work focuses on the contribution of a particular person, place that contributor in the Author element, followed by an appropriate label – Spielberg, Steven, director. (5.40)
    • If you are writing about a film or television series without focusing on an individual’s contribution, begin with the title. You can include information about the director and other key participants in the position of other contributors. (5.39)
    • For works in a time-based media, such as audio and video, cite the relevant time span if it is displayed. Give the numbers of the hours, minutes and seconds as displayed in your media player, separating the numbers with colons, with no space on either side. (6.28).
    • The location of a television episode in a DVD set is indicated by the disc number. (5.84)

    For more specific information, consult the Handbook’s index under the type of work you are citing, or the element you are trying to find.


    Explore resources to help with reference management and enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks .


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    Journal articles


    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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    Maps

    Newspaper articles


    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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    Non-English language and translated sources

    Non English language sources

    • In the works-cited list, translations of titles in languages other than English are usually unnecessary, especially if your audience is composed primarily of people who know the language (e.g. when you are writing a paper for a class studying the language or for a specialist journal) (5.30).
    • If your audience is likely to include readers unfamiliar with the language, however, it may be helpful to provide a translation, placed in square brackets after the original title and with the same formatting as the original title (here, italics) (5.30).

    Hao, Chunwen 郝春文. Tang houqi wudai Songchu Dunhuang sengni de shehui shenghuo 唐后期五代宋初敦煌僧尼的社会生活 [The social existence of monks and nuns in Dunhuang during the late Tang, Five Dynasties and early Song]. Beijing: Zhongguo shehui kexue chubanshe, 1998.

    Kondō, Shigekazu 近藤成一.  " Yēru Daigaku Shozō Harima no Kuni Ōbe no Shō Kankei Monjo ni tsuite" イェール大学所蔵播磨国大部庄関係文書について [On Harima no Kuni Ōbe no Shō Kankei Monjo at Yale University Collection]. Tōkyō: Tokyō Daigaku Shiryō Hensanjo  Kenkyū  Kiyō 23  (March 2013) : 1-22.

    Translated works

    Format for in-text citation

    For the in-text citation, provide the author's surname followed by the page(s) cited.

    In-text citation example

    In beginning the novel, "Mother died today."(Camus  1), the novel sets up...

    Format for reference list

    Translators should always be listed, generally in the Contributor element.

    Elements, punctuation & capitalisation

    Author. Title of Book. Translated by Given Name, Family Name, Publisher, Year.

    Bibliography entry example

    Bhagavad Gita. Translated by L. L. Patton, Penguin, 1988.

    Camus, Albert. The Stranger. Translated by Michael Ward, A. A. Knopf, 1988.

    Playscripts and performances

    Playscript

    Format for in-text citation

    For the in-text citation, provide the playwright's family name followed by the act, scene and line numbers where possible, otherwise use page numbers.

    In the case of Shakespeare's plays, use the name of the play in place of the author's name.

    In-text citation example

    ... foreshadows his fate; "beware the Thane of Fife" (Macbeth 4.1.72).

    OR

    ... the precarity of her situation, "It's the way of life out here. Everything's a gamble" (Purcell 8).

    Format for reference list

    Elements, punctuation & capitalisation

    Author. Title of Play. Publisher, Year.

    Reference List example

    Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Edited by Kenneth Muir, Arden Shakespeare, 2001. http://10.5040/9781408160244.00000006

    OR

    Purcell, Leah. The Drover's Wife. Currency Plays, 2016.

    Performance

    Format for in-text citation

    For the in-text citation, provide the director's family name followed by the exact date of the performance.

    In-text citation example

    ... speaks to family legacies and stories (James 12 May 2025).

    Format for reference list

    Elements, punctuation & capitalisation

    Playwright. Title of Play. Directed by First Name Last Name, Theatre/Production Company, dd, Mon.  YYYY, Venue, City.

    Reference List example

    James, Andrea. The Black Woman of Gippsland. Directed by Andrea James, Melbourne Theatre Company, 12 May 2025, The Sumner Theatre, Melbourne.

    Recorded performance

    Format for in-text citation

    For the in-text citation, provide the director's surname followed by the exact date of performance.

    In-text citation example

    ... performs the most iconic musical number from this show (Funny Girl 1 Mar 2018).

    Format for reference list

    Elements, punctuation & capitalisation

    Title of Play. Directed by First Name Last Name, Theatre/Production Company, dd, Mon.  YYYY, Venue, City.  URL

    Reference List example

    Funny Girl. Directed by Michael Mayer, 1 Mar 2018, Palace Theatre, Manchester. Digital Theatre+, https://edu.digitaltheatreplus.com/content/productions/funny-girl.

    Primary sources

    What are primary sources?

    Primary sources are original sources of information that were produced during the time period being studied or researched. This may include direct, first hand accounts by people who were connected to the events, or manuscripts and other works that were a direct product of the time and reflect or report contemporaneous events.

    Primary sources include:

    Primary source material may be found within secondary sources (usually a book).

    Webpages, blog posts and social media

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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    Sample Works Cited List/Bibliography


    Works Cited list style notes

    For formatting the Works Cited List, see Handbook: 1.6, 1.7, Fig. 1.4.

    References in the list of works cited at the end of the paper are to be arranged as follows

    • Begin each entry flush with the left margin.
    • For entries that run for more than one line, indent the subsequent line or lines by half an inch from the left margin. This format is sometimes called hanging indentation.
    • References are listed alphabetically by the author's last name.
    • If there is no author, alphabetise by the title.
    • Initial articles (a, an, the) should be omitted in the works-cited-list entry (5.18).

    Incorrect

    The Beatles . Revolver . EMI Records , 1966.

    Beatles, The. Revolver. EMI Records , 1966.

    Correct

    Beatles. Revolver. EMI Records, 1966.

    • For more information, consult the index in the Handbook under Works-cited list

    Works Cited

    Bockelman, Brian. “Buenos Aires Bohème: Argentina and the Transatlantic Bohemian Renaissance, 1890–1910.” Modernism/Modernity, vol. 23, no. 1, Jan. 2016, pp. 37 – 63. Project Muse, https://doi.org/10.1353/mod.2016.0011.

    Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Circa 1400-10, British Library, London, Harley MS 7334.

    Fisher, Margaret. “The Music of Ezra Pound.” Yale University Library Gazette, vol. 80, nos. 3–4, Apr. 2006, pp. 139 – 60. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40859548. PDF download.

    Gill, Jane [@persiankiwi]. “We have a report of large street battles in east & west of Tehran now - #iranelection.” Twitter, 23 June 2009, twitter.com/persiankiwi/status/2298106072.

    Good Housekeeping Illustrated Book of Child Care: From Newborn to Preteen. 1st ed. Hearst Books, 1995.

    Hassan, Robert. Media, Politics and the Network Society. Open UP, 2004.

    Hickethier, Knut. “Television and Social Transformation in the Federal Republic of Germany.” Mass Media, Culture and Society in Twentieth Century Germany, edited by Karl Christian Fuhrer and Corey Ross, Palgrave Macmillan, 2006, pp. 1-22. Palgrave Social & Cultural Studies Collection, https://doi:10.1057/9780230800939.

    Hollmichel, Stefanie. “The Reading Brain: Differences between Digital and Print.” So Many Books, 25 Apr. 2013, somanybooksblog.com/2013/04/25/the-reading-brain-differences-between-digital-and-print.

    Kissane, K. “Brumby calls for tough sentences”. The Age, 29 Oct. 2008, p. 8.

    Moore, Marianne. Letter to Bryher. 28 Sept. 1954. Bryher Papers, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale U, GEN MSS 97, box 38, folder 1373.

    Schindler's List. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Universal, 1993.

    University of Melbourne Archives. UMA: bulletin of the University of Melbourne Archives. No. 1, 1994, University of Melbourne, Baillieu Library Special Collections, 027.79451 UNIV.



    Explore resources to help with reference management and enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks .


    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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    Further help


    If you are unsure about which referencing style to use, check with your tutor, lecturer or supervisor for the style preferred by your Faculty, School or Department.


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