Changes to the 7th edition of MLA

1. MLA 7th edition
All you ever wanted to know and
more

2. MLA Handbook Website: http://www.mlahandbook.org/fragment/public_index
Picture from the MLA Handbook Website.

3. What’s new?
• Underlining
• URLs
• Pagination
• Publication medium
• Abbreviations

4. Underlining
• Outdated and unnecessary
• Use italics - Angels and Demons

5. URLs
• URLs are no longer required
• Unless…citation information does not clearly
and easily lead to the source

6. Pagination
• Continuous pagination or no continuous
pagination?
• No longer matters
• Both volume and issue number required

7. Publication medium
• Each citation states the type of medium
• Print; Web; Performance; DVD; TV

8. Abbreviations
• No publisher – n.p.
• No page – n.pag.
• No date – n.d.

9. Examples
Let the fun begin!

10. Book – One Author
• Old
Brown, Dan. Angels and Demons. New York:
Atria Books, 2003.
• New
Brown, Dan. Angels and Demons. New York:
Atria Books, 2003. Print.

11. Print journal
• Old
Mullard, Asher. “Microbiology: Tinker, Bacteria,
Eukaryote, Spy.” Nature 459 (2009): 159-61.
• New
Mullard, Asher. "Microbiology: Tinker, Bacteria,
Eukaryote, Spy." Nature 459.7244 (2009):
159-61. Print.

12. Print magazine
• Old
Weber, Joseph, and Christopher Palmeri. “Be
Our Guest. Please.” Business Week 25 May
2009: 11.
• New
Weber, Joseph, and Christopher Palmeri. “Be
Our Guest. Please.” Business Week 25 May
2009: 11. Print.

13. Print Newspaper
• Old
Wines, Michael. “To Protect Ancient City, China
Plans to Raze It.” New York Times 28 May
2009, natl. ed.: A1+.
• New
Wines, Michael. “To Protect Ancient City, China
Plans to Raze It.” New York Times 28 May
2009, natl. ed.: A1+. Print.

14. Database journal
• Old
Wessels, Michael. “Foraging, Talking, and
Tricksters.” Journal of Folklore Research 45
(2008): 299-327. Project MUSE. UTPA Lib.,
Edinburg, TX. 1 June 2009
<http://muse.jhu.edu/>.
• New
Wessels, Michael. “Foraging, Talking, and
Tricksters.” Journal of Folklore Research 45.3
(2008): 299-327. Project MUSE. Web. 1 June
2009.

15. Website
• Old
Purdue OWL. “Evaluating Print vs. Internet
Sources." The Purdue OWL. 8 Jan. 2010. Purdue
U Writing Lab. 26 Jan. 2010
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/5
53/01/>.
• New
Purdue OWL. "Evaluating Print vs. Internet
Sources." The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing
Lab, 8 Jan. 2010. Web. 26 Jan. 2010.

16. In-text citations
• Must refer back to sources listed in works
cited
• Must specify location of the borrowed
information
• Usually includes author’s last name and a
page reference

17. Example – One author
• Author’s name in text
According to Brown, science and religion co-
exist (179-181).
• Author’s name in citation
Science and religion co-exist (Brown 179-181).

18. Example – Multiple authors
• Authors’ names in text
Weber and Palmeri agree that restaurants are
losing money (11).
• Authors’ names in citation
Restaurants are losing money (Weber and
Palmeri 11).

19. Example – Quote
• Author’s name in text
Place claims “bacteria are gross” (148).
• Author’s name in citation
“Bacteria are gross” (Place 148).

20. Example – No page numbers
• If no page numbers are available, include the
author in the text
• Example
Place provides a different viewpoint on the
situation.

21. Example – Multivolume source
• Author’s name in text – separate volumes
The anthology by Borntrager discusses the
influence of the short stories Jackson’s “The
Lottery”(2: 345-50) and Kafka’s “The
Metamorphosis” (3: 171-220).
• Author’s name in citation – volume as a whole
The hypocrisy of the authors and their works is
the central focus (Borntrager, vol. 1).

22. Some automatic citation sites
• EasyBib
– Offers free automatic citation for MLA style only
• Responsible for proper capitalization
• Knight Cite
• Citation Machine
• BibMe
• Word 2007

23. Now it’s your turn!
• Go to
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/BirthDefects/
• Practice by creating the citation for this
webpage

24. Survey says...?
• Answer
National Center on Birth Defects and
Developmental Disabilities, Division of Birth
Defects and Developmental Disabilities. “CDC
Features – 10 Things You Need to Know
About Birth Defects.” Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. CDC, 19 Jan. 2010.
Web. 28 Jan. 2010.

25. Questions?