Skip to Main Content

MLA Citation Guide: What is MLA?

Resources for understanding and creating MLA citations.

What is MLA?

MLA is the official style of the Modern Language Association of America. 

What does that mean? The Modern Language Association of America (also called MLA) is a professional group focusing on and advocating for the study of languages and literatures. Since 1931 the group has written, and subsequently revised, MLA style as a standard for professionals to use when to ensure consistency across the field. The style is comprised of multiple parts, including formatting, grammar and punctuation, and citation use (also called documentation).

Why use MLA?

MLA is considered the style to use in a range of fields, including English, languages, linguistics, literatures, and philosophy. Other fields may use different styles, such as APA or Chicago. This is because the different styles emphasize different elements each field finds important. For example, in an APA citation, the second element is typically a publication date or year, while in MLA the publication date normally comes towards the end of the citation. This is because APA is used in fields such as nursing, where when something was published is critical in determining if it is considered a reputable source and/or contains the most accurate information. 

MLA Websites

Interested in learning more about the Modern Language Association of America? Check out the MLA's website to learn more, including a timeline of the history of the style!

Want to learn more about MLA style besides citations? The MLA Style Center contains a range of resources, from answering language questions to quizzes on the style to lessons for teachers

MLA Handbook

The MLA Handbook is the official published style guide for MLA. It was most recently updated and published in 2021 with the 9th edition. Copies of the 8th and 9th editions of the MLA Handbook can be found in Goddard Library.