1. CENTRALIA COLLEGE WRITING CENTER
What’s new with MLA?
An overview of the 2016 update
CENTRALIA COLLEGE WRITING CENTER
Faculty Coordinator, Linda G. Foss
English Department

2. Rule #1: ASK Your Instructor
Always follow your instructor’s
guidelines and instructional materials for source documentation. Ask for clarification, if needed.

3. Rule #2: Don’t assume . . .
. . . because you learn a documentation system, it will always work for you:
Different disciplines have their own systems, such as APA for social sciences
Teachers sometimes adapt systems
Handbooks aren’t comprehensive
Citation generators aren’t reliable

4. MLA Style: an overview This presentation will cover:
General MLA guidelines
First page format
In-text citations
Works Cited list, including 2016 updates*
*See the MLA Style Center

5. 2016 Update
The 2016 MLA Handook, 8th edition, is based on these 3 principles:
“Cite traits shared by most works.”
“. . . there is often more than one correct way to document a source.”
“Make your documentation useful to readers.”
(MLA Handbook 3-4)

6. Page Formatting: no changes*
*from the 2009 edition
Margins: one inch on all sides of a standard
8-1/2 x 11 page
Text: 12 pt. “easily readable,” such as Times Roman, double-spaced, not justified at right margin
Paragraphs: are indented ½” without extra spacing
Running Heads: author’s last name and page number in upper right header
(The MLA Style Center)

7. First Page Format: no changes*
*from the 2009 edition
(The MLA Style Center)

8. In-Text Citations: no changes*
*from the 2009 edition
MLA uses parenthetical (in-text) citations within the paper to identify source usage.
Parenthetical citations generally include author’s last name--OR if no author, use first words of title--& page number if print or stable PDF.
Parenthetical citations must correspond to the source’s full citation entry on the alphabetical Works Cited.
(The MLA Style Center)

9. Works Cited: what’s the same
as the 2009 edition ?
It’s the last page of the paper
It has a centered title: Works Cited
It’s all in the same typestyle as paper
It’s all double-spaced
It’s alphabetized by first word in citation
It uses a “hanging indent” for run-over lines
Each citation ends with a period
(The MLA Style Center)

10. Works Cited: what’s new in 2016?
The biggest change in 2016 is the approach to citing, which does not depend on type of source (such as book, newpaper, website)
Citations include core elements in the same order, per template
Missing information such as dates or page numbers is simply omitted (instead of using abbreviations, such as n.d.)
Source modality (web, print) is not indicated
Web sources end with URLs, but without angle brackets < >
Web access dates are not required
(The MLA Style Center)

11. Gathering information . . .
about your sources is the first step to being able to create an accurate citation:
Who? wrote, composed, produced it?
What? is its title, name, descriptor?
How? was it published, created?
Where? did you find it? (the container)
When? was it published, created?
(MLA Handbook 13)

12. New: Core Elements & Containers
(The MLA Style Center)

13. Template:
(The MLA Style Center)

14. Works Cited: 2016 example
(The MLA Style Center)

15. Visit the Writing Center:
On campus: Kemp 105, M-F and evenings in the Kirk Library
Online:

16. Works Cited
MLA Handbook: 8th Edition, the Modern Language Association of America, The MLA Style Guide, The Modern Language Association of America, 2016,