Skip to Main Content

MLA 9th

MLA (Modern Language Association) 9th edition is an author-page number referencing style requiring an in-text citation within the text of your document and a related entry in a works cited at the end of your document.

Quoting

This section covers short quotes and long quotes.

In-text citations

Direct quotes of no more than four lines are included as part of your sentence/paragraph. Quotation marks are placed around the information you have copied, and the author/s and page number/s are included.

Parenthetical citation

Research suggests that "students perform better when rested" (Smith 56).

Citation in prose

Smith observed that "students perform better when rested" (56).

 

Numbered paragraphs, sections, and lines

If there are no page numbers, but there are numbered chapters (ch/s.), sections (sec/s.), paragraphs (para/s.), or lines (line/s), then use these with the appropriate abbreviation in front of the number.  

Parenthetical citation

Note: Add a comma after the author's name when including a chapter, section, paragraph, or line number.

... talking about sacrifice, “accepte of me my piteous sacrifice” (Chaucer, line 1520).

Citation in prose

Chaucer, in The Knight's Tale, talks about sorrowful sacrifice “accepte of me my piteous sacrifice” (line 1520). 

 

Audiovisual works - time stamp

For audiobooks, YouTube videos, TED talks, TV episodes, etc., provide a time stamp for the beginning of the quotation in the place of the page number. Separate the hours, minutes and seconds with colons.

Parenthetical citation

... the often-quoted scene "you're not in Guatemala now, Dr Ropata" (Burton 00:09:03).

Citation in prose

Burton's often-quoted scene "you're not in Guatemala now, Dr Ropata" is ... (00:09:03).

In-text citations

Quotations of more than four lines should be placed in a double-spaced block of typewritten lines indented 1.27cm from the left margin. Omit the quotation marks.

Parenthetical citation

   On the topic of necessary and sufficient conditions,

detecting the exact conclusion is of the first importance. But that is often a complex task. If you are serving on the jury during a breaking or entering case, it is easy enough to state the conclusion that the prosecution is attempting to prove: The defendant is guilty of breaking or entering. That's right as far as it goes, but it doesn't go very far. (Waller 82)

Citation in prose

   Sumpter points out the following:

The fact that it is now what the public thinks, rather than trade opinion, is a change from the previous law and puts New Zealand out of step with Australia and the United Kingdom. It moves our law much closer to that of the United States, whose case law may become relevant in this jurisdiction. (330)