Table of Contents

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