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Course: MLA Style 101: Using the Practice Template

Hi, everyone. My name is Autumn Pressley and I am a recent graduate from the University of Georgia and the current publishing intern at the Modern Language Association.

This video helps you put your knowledge about the core elements to work and shows you how to assemble a works-cited-list entry using the template.

[Visual: The MLA template of core elements is shown. The core elements are listed vertically and numbered from 1 to 9 and are as follows: Author, Title of Source, Title of Container, Contributor, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, and Location.]

At the end of the lesson, you’ll be given the opportunity to test your knowledge with a quiz.

[Visual: An illustration of a sheet of paper with check boxes and a check mark on it appears.]

The best way to learn how to create entries in MLA style is to use our practice template. It can be downloaded on the MLA Style Center.

[Visual: The MLA template of core elements is shown alongside the MLA Style Center logo.]

To create your entry, assess the work you are citing and determine whether the elements apply to it.

You list each pertinent element in the order it appears on the template, followed by the punctuation shown.

[Visual: In the MLA template of core elements, each element is circled briefly in sequential order. Then the corresponding punctuation mark appears beside each element: a period is next to the Author element, a period is next to the Title of Source element, a comma is next to the Title of Container element, a comma is next to the Contributor element, a comma is next to the Version element, a comma is next to the Number element, a comma is next to the Publisher element, a comma is next to the Publication Date element, and a period is next to the Location element.]

Omit an element if it’s not relevant to the work being documented.

Remember: the exception is Title of Source. To document a work, you must identify it.

[Visual: The Title of Source element is circled and the following text appears to the right of it: “To document a work, you must identify it.”]

So if the work you are citing lacks a title, you’re going to substitute a description. Otherwise, if your work lacks any element, leave it blank and move on to the next one.

In this video, we’ll look at how to cite the three most commonly structured types of works-cited-list entries: a work with one container, two containers, and no container.

[Visual: The words “One Container,” “Two Containers,” and “No Container,” appear as a vertical list.]

First, a work with one container.

[Visual: The text “One Container” appears on screen by itself.]

Here we are documenting an essay that appears in an edited collection.

[Visual: The cover of the book Mexican Literature in Theory, edited by Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado appears. The book cover moves to the side and the first page of Anna Sabau’s essay “The Perils of Ownership: Property and Literature in Nineteenth-Century Mexico” is shown.]

First, record the author and title in the template.

[Visual: The MLA template of core elements appears to the right of the first page of Sabau’s essay. On the essay’s first page, a box appears around the title of the essay, “The Perils of Ownership: Property and Literature in Nineteenth-Century Mexico” and another box appears around Sabau’s name. In the MLA template of core elements, the following text appears in the Author element, with a comma appearing after “Sabau” and a period included after “Ana”: Sabau, Ana. The following text appears in the Title of Source element, with a period placed after it: “The Perils of Ownership: Property and Literature in Nineteenth-Century Mexico.”]

Once the foundation of your entry is in place, move on to the Title of Container.

[Visual: In the MLA template of core elements, the Title of Container element is highlighted.]

In this case it’s the title of the anthology.

[Visual: The title page of the book replaces the first page of Sabau’s essay. The page includes the book title, Mexican Literature in Theory, and the words “Edited by Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado.” A box pops up around the Mexican Literature in Theory title on the page.]

The essay is contained in this anthology. So you would list the title of the anthology in the Container element.

[Visual: In the MLA template of core elements, the following appears in the Container element, with a comma included after it: Mexican Literature in Theory.]

Consult the title page of the work for the publication information.

[The screen zooms out on the book’s title page, so the full page is shown.]

The title page shows the name of the volume’s editor and the publisher.

[Visual: On the title page, the text “Edited by Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado” and “Bloomsbury Academic” are enlarged.]

So you would list these elements in the Contributors and Publisher elements.

[Visual: In the MLA template of core elements, the following text is included in the Contributor element, with the word “edited” lowercase and a comma appearing after “Prado”: edited by Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado. The Version and Number elements are grayed out, and in the Publisher element, the following text appears, with a comma included after it: Bloomsbury Academic.]

The publication date is found on the copyright page.

[Visual: The book’s copyright page appears to the left of the MLA template of core elements, and on the page the year 2019 is enlarged.]

So you would list this date in the Publication Date element.

[Visual: The publication date element is filled in with the year 2019, and a comma appears after it.]

To fill in the final element in the container, Location, you will need to look at the beginning and end of the essay to determine the page range.

[Visual: The first and last page of the essay are displayed to the left of the MLA template of core elements, and the Location element is circled. The page numbers of those pages are shown above them: the first page is labeled p. 33 and the last page is labeled p. 54.]

List the page range in the Location element.

[Visual: The labels above the pages are replaced with “pages 33–54.” In the Location element in the MLA template of core elements, the following text appears, with a period included after it: pp. 33–54.]

Here’s the final entry for the work in one container.

[Visual: The filled in MLA template of core elements appears on the left and the following works-cited-list entry appears on the right: Sabau, Ana. “The Perils of Ownership: Property and Literature in Nineteenth-Century Mexico.” Mexican Literature in Theory, edited by Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado, Bloomsbury Academic, 2019, pp. 33–54.]

Now we’ll cite a work in two containers.

[Visual: The title “Two Containers” appears.”]

Here we see an essay that appears in a print journal.

[Visual: The cover of American Literary Realism appears, and then the first page of Tom Quirk’s essay “The Flawed Greatness of Huckleberry Finn” is shown.]

Issues of the journal are contained in JSTOR, an online database of journals and books.

[Visual: The landing page for Quirk’s essay on the JSTOR website appears.]

First, record the author and the title.

[Visual: The first page of Quirk’s page appears on the left and the MLA template of core elements is on right. On the essay’s first page, a box appears around the author’s name, Tom Quirk, and then another box appears around the essay’s title, “The Flawed Greatness of Huckleberry Finn.” In the MLA template of core elements, the Author element is filled in as follows, with a comma appearing after “Quirk” and a period appearing after “Tom”: Quirk, Tom. Then the Title of Source element is filled in with the following, with a period included after it: “The Flawed Greatness of Huckleberry Finn.”]

With the Author-Title unit in place, proceed to Title of Container.

[Visual: The Title of Container element is circled.]

Since the essay was digitized from a journal, the journal title is the title of container 1.

[Visual: The footer of the essay’s first page is shown, and it displays information about the journal, including the journal title, American Literary Realism; the publication date, which is fall 2012; and the volume and issue numbers, which are vol. 45 and no. 1. A box appears around American Literary Realism. In the MLA template of core elements, the label “container 1” appears around all the elements after the Title of Source element (i.e., Title of Container, Contributor, etc.). In the Title of Container element, the following text appears, with a comma included after it: American Literary Realism.]

We see the volume and issue number listed on the essay.

[Visual: In the footer of the essay, a box appears around the following text: vol. 24, no. 1.]

So list that information in the Number element.

[Visal: In the MLA template of core elements, the Contributor and Version elements are grayed out. The following text appears in the Number element, with a comma included after it: vol. 45, no. 1.]

We see the date of publication.

[Visual: A blue box appears around the “fall 2012” date in the footer of the essay.]

So list that information in the Publication Date element.

[Visual: The Publisher element is grayed out in the MLA template of core elements, and the Publication Date element is filled in with the following information, with a comma included after it: fall 2012.]

We see the page range.

[Visual: The second page of the essay is displayed next to the first page, with the first page labeled p. 38 and the last labeled p. 48.]

So list that information in the Location element.

[Visual: Above the essay pages, the labels are replaced with “pages 38–48.” In the MLA template of core elements, the Location element is filled in with the following, with a period included after it: pp. 38–48.]

Note that I haven’t recorded the publisher listed.

[Visual: The grayed out Publisher element in the template is circled.]

Periodicals are one of those works traditionally considered not to have a publisher.

Here is the entry thus far.

[Visual: The filled in MLA template is displayed on the left and the following works-cited-list entry appears on the right: Quirk, Tom. “The Flawed Greatness of Huckleberry Finn.” American Literary Realism, vol. 45, no. 1, fall 2012, pp. 38–48.]

It shows the publication information for container 1, the print version of the article as it appears in the journal.

But a container itself can be contained in another container, and that’s the case here. The journal is contained in the website JSTOR.

[Visual: The landing page for Quirk’s essay on the JSTOR website appears.]

So you cycle through the template again from this point on.

[Visual: The screenshot of the JSTOR page moves to the left and the filled-in MLA template is displayed on the right. At the bottom of the template, a new section labeled “container 2” appears. It includes the same elements as container 1: Title of Container, Contributor, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, and Location.]

You know JSTOR is a container because it is the platform of publication for the digitized version of the print journal, not a passive conduit.

[Visual: The JSTOR logo is enlarged.]

And you also know that it’s important to record publication information for the version of the work you consult—in this case, the digitized version of the print article.

So in the Title of the Container slot, record the title of the website JSTOR.

[Visual: In the MLA template, JSTOR is included in the Title of Container, with a comma appearing after it.]

There are no other contributors, no version, no number, and no publication date indicating when the essay appeared on JSTOR.

[Visual: The Contributor, Version, Number, and Publication Date elements are grayed out in the template.]

Once again, you will note that I have not recorded the publisher because a website not involved with producing a work it makes available is not listed as a publisher.

[Visual: The Publisher element is grayed out in the template.]

I do have a location to include, however. In this case, JSTOR provides a DOI for the article, so it’s included in the Location element.

[Visual: On the JSTOR webpage, the DOI is enlarged: https://doi.org10.5406/amerlitereal.45.1.0038. In the MLA template, that DOI is included in the Location element, with a period included after it.]

Remember: the location depends on the medium of publication. For a website the location is a URL, permalink, or DOI.

[Visual: The entire filled-in template is displayed.]

We’ve now created an entry for a work in two containers.

[Visual: The template appears on the left, focusing on the container 2 section of it. The following works-cited-list entry appears on the right: Quirk, Tom. “The Flawed Greatness of Huckleberry Finn.” American Literary Realism, vol. 45, no. 1, fall 2012, pp. 38–48. JSTOR, https://doi.org10.5406/amerlitereal.45.1.0038. The Title of Container and Location elements of container 2 are circled.]

Now we’ll look at the third basic type of work: a unified, stand-alone work.

[Visual: The title “No Container” appears.]

In this case, we’re citing a novel.

[Visual: The cover of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall appears.]

On the title page, you’ll see the title, author, and publisher.

[Visual: The title page of Wolf Hall appears. Boxes appear around the following pieces of information: Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel, and Picador.]

Turning to the practice template, you’ll record the Author and Title of Source.

[Visual: The MLA template of core elements appears to the right of the title page. In the template, the Author element is filled in with the following text, with a period included after it: Mantel, Hilary. Then the Title of Source element is filled in with the following text, with a period included after it: Wolf Hall.]

With that unit in place, move on to the next element, which is Title of Container.

[Visual: The Title of Container element is circled.]

There is no title of container for this work. So you move on to the next elements and list all that apply.

[Visual: The Title of Container element is grayed out. Then the Contributor, Version, and Number elements are grayed out.]

In this case, you list the publisher and the date of publication, which is shown on the copyright page.

[Visual: In the Publisher element, the following text appears, with a comma appearing after it: Picador. Then the title page is replaced by the book’s copyright page. The copyright page is enlarged and then a box appears around the year 2009 on the page. In the MLA template, 2009 is added to the Publication Date element, with a period appearing after it. The Location element is then grayed out.]

Here is our entry.

[Visual: The filled-in MLA template appears on the left, and the following works-cited-list entry is included on the right: Mantel, Hilary. Wolf Hall. Picador, 2009.]

You will note that in all of our examples, the container is a unit of information generally separated by commas and ending in a period.

[Visual: In the MLA template of core elements, punctuation appears to the right of the elements: a period is next to the Author element, a period is next to the Title of Source element, a comma is next to the Title of Container element, a comma is next to the Contributor element, a comma is next to the Version element, a comma is next to the Number element, a comma is next to the Publisher element, a comma is next to the Publication Date element, and a period is next to the Location element.]

So, to sum up, whether a work is contained in another work will determine how many times you cycle through the template from Title of Container as you assemble your entry.

[Visual: An empty MLA template of core elements appears on the right, and the following text appears to the left: “Whether a work is contained in another work will determine how many times you cycle through the template.”]

If your work has more than one container, you’ll cycle through the template again.

OK, now it’s your turn.

This essay appears in a journal.

[Visual: The cover of the journal Narrative is displayed on the left. The MLA template of core elements appears on the right.]

You read the print version of the essay.

The journal shows the volume number, issue number, and year of publication.

[Visual: The title page of the journal is shown, and boxes appear around the following pieces of information one after another: volume 14, number 3, and October 2006.]

By looking at the beginning and end of the essay, you can determine the page range.

[Visual: The first and last pages of Charles H. Hinnant’s essay “Jane Austen’s ‘Wild Imagination’: Romance and the Courtship Plot in the Six Canonical Novels” is shown. Above the first page is the label “p. 294” and above the last page is the label “p. 310.”]

So how would you document this source using the template?

[Visual: A question mark appears.]

Let’s see how you did.

You would list the author and the title of the article.

[Visual: The top of the first page of the essay is enlarged, and a box appears around the author’s name, Charles H. Hinnant. Another box appears around the title: “Jane Austen’s ‘Wild Imagination’: Romance and the Courtship Plot in the Six Canonical Novels.” In the MLA template of core elements, the following text is included in the Author element, with a period included after it: Hinnant, Charles H. In the Title of Source element, the following text appears, with a period included after it: “Jane Austen’s ‘Wild Imagination’: Romance and the Courtship Plot in the Six Canonical Novels.”]

Proceed to Title of Container.

[Visual: The title page of the journal is shown.]

The journal title is the title of container 1.

[Visual: At the top of the journal’s title page, a box appears around the following text: Narrative. In the MLA template, the Title of Container element is filled in with the following, with comma appearing after it: Narrative.]

Then the volume and issue number in the Number element.

[Visual: On the journal’s title page, a box appears around the following text: “Volume 14/Number 3.” In the MLA template of core elements, the Number element is filled in with the following text, with the word “vol.” lowercase and a comma included after “3”: vol. 14, no. 3.]

Then the date in the Publication Date element.

[Visual: On the journal’s title page, a box appears around the following text: October 2006. In the MLA template of core elements, the Publisher element is grayed out and then the Publication Date element is filled in with the following text, with a comma included after it: Oct. 2006.]

Then you would list the page range as the location.

[Visual: The first and last page of Hinnant’s essay appears. Above the first page, the following label is included: p. 294. Above the last page, the following label is included: p. 310. Then the labels are replaced with the following: pages 294–310. In the MLA template of core elements, the Location element is filled in with the following: pp. 294–310.]

And here’s the final entry.

[Visual: The filled-in MLA template of core elements appears on the left, and on the right is the following works-cited-list entry: Hinnant, Charles H. “Jane Austen’s ‘Wild Imagination’: Romance and the Courtship Plot in the Six Canonical Novels.” Narrative, vol. 14, no. 3, 2006, pp. 294–310.]

Now let’s say that instead of reading this essay in print, you read a version housed in the database JSTOR.

[Visual: The landing page for Hinnant’s essay on the JSTOR website appears.]

How would you document this source in the template?

[Visual: A question mark appears.]

Let’s see how you did.

You would begin by listing all the information for the journal article and the journal in container 1.

[Visual: The MLA template of core elements appears to the right of the JSTOR home page of Hinnant’s essay. In the Author element, the following appears, with a period included after it: Hinnant, Charles H. In the Title of Source element, the following appears, with a period included after it: “Jane Austen’s ‘Wild Imagination’: Romance and the Courtship Plot in the Six Canonical Novels.” In the Title of Container element, the following appears, with a comma included after it: Narrative. Then the Contributor and Version elements are grayed out. In the Number element, the following appears, with a comma included after it: vol. 14, no. 3. The Publisher element is grayed out. In the Publication Date element, the following appears, with a comma included after it: Oct. 2006. In the Location element, the following appears, with a period included after it: pp. 294–310.

But since JSTOR contains the journal, you would need a second container. In the second container, you would list JSTOR as the title of the container and the URL as the location.

[Visual: The MLA template of core elements extends to include an empty section labeled container 2, and information is added to it. In the Title of Container element, the following appears, with a comma included after it: JSTOR. The following elements are then grayed out: Contributor, Version, Number, Publisher, and Publication Date. In the Location element, the following appears, with a period included after it: www.jstor.org/stable/20107392.]

And here’s the final entry.

[Visual: The filled-in template appears on the left, and the following works-cited-list entry is on the right: Hinnant, Charles H. “Jane Austen’s ‘Wild Imagination’: Romance and the Courtship Plot in the Six Canonical Novels.” Narrative, vol. 14, no. 3, 2006, pp. 294–310. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20107392.]

OK, let’s try one more. Let’s say you wish to cite a painting, which you saw in person at a museum.

[Visual: Berthe Morisot’s painting Reading appears. The painting is of a woman in a dress sitting in a grassy field reading a book. An open umbrella is behind the woman on the left and a paper hand fan is on the right.]

The wall text indicates when the work was painted.

[Visual: The wall text for the painting appears and is enlarged. It includes the following text, with a blue box appearing around 1873: Reading; 1873; Berthe Morisot (French, 1841–1895); Oil on Fabric; 46 x 71.8 cm; Gift of the Hanna Fund 1950.89.]

How would you document this source in the template?

[Visual: A question mark appears.]

Let’s see how you did.

You would begin by listing the name of the creator in the Author element.

[Visual: The image of the wall text moves to the left, and an empty MLA template of core elements appears to the right. In the wall text, a box appears around Berthe Morisot, and in the Author element, the following text appears, with a comma appearing after “Morisot” and a period after “Berthe”: Morisot, Berthe.]

You would then list the name of the painting in the Title of Source element.

[Visual: In the wall text, a box appears around Reading, and in the Title of Source element, the following text appears, with a period included after it: Reading.]

This work is not contained in anything so you would skip the Title of Container element.

[Visual: The Title of Container, Contributor, Version, Number, and Publisher elements are grayed out.]

Since the wall text for the painting indicates when the work was painted, you would list this date in the Publication Date element.

[Visual: In the wall text, a box appears around 1873, and in the Publication Date element, the following text appears, with a comma included after it: 1873.]

Finally, because you saw the work in person, you would list the name of the museum in the Location element.

[Visual: In the Location element, the following text appears, with a period after it: Cleveland Museum of Art.]

And here’s the final entry.

[Visual: The filled-in MLA template appears on the left, and on the right is the following works-cited-list entry: Morisot, Berthe. Reading. 1873, Cleveland Museum of Art.]

So that’s our lesson on the three most common types of entries: an entry in one container, two containers, or no container.

[Visual: The title “The Three Most Common Types of Entries” appears. Beneath it, three pieces of text appear in a vertical list: “an entry in one container”, “an entry in two containers,” and “an entry with no container.”]

You can read more about these types of entries in the latest edition of the MLA Handbook. Then test your knowledge with our quiz.

Course: MLA Style 101: Using the Practice Template

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Course: MLA Style 101: Using the Practice Template

Course Contents

Quick Links

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