Guides: MLA Style Guide: 9th Edition Updates

List of Handbook Updates

While the format for citations has not changed in the MLA Handbook, 9th edition, there have been some updates to the content of the Handbook itself. Below is a quick guide to some of the newest features of the Handbook and where to find that information:

Guidance on each of the MLA Core Elements (author, title of source, title of container, other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, and location), with examples of what the element is, where to find it, and how to cite it.
An updated appendix with hundreds of examples for citations, such as books, scholarly articles, audiovisual sources, reports, and more (pp.303-346).
Updated guidelines on in-text citations. Please note that the formatting for in-text citations has not changed, but the 9th edition provides guidance for more nuanced in-text citations, such as citations for two authors with the same last name, how to cite using a time stamp, and more (pp. 227-286).
Updated guidelines for students about why citations matter and how to avoid plagiarism in writing (pp. 95-102).
Recommendations for how to include inclusive language in writing (pp. 89-94).
Guidelines on how to format a paper in MLA format (pp. 1-14). Please note that the formatting has not changed, but the 8th edition of the MLA Handbook did not include this information.
Guidelines on spelling, punctuation, and grammar in MLA format (pp. 15-87).
Guidelines on using notes in MLA style (pp. 287-291)

Information about the 9th Edition

The Modern Language Association style (MLA) is most often used by scholars in the Humanities, especially on writing in language and literature. MLA requires both in-text citations in the body of a paper and a works cited list at the end of a paper that gives formal citations of all sources used for the research assignment.

This guide provides brief examples and descriptions of how to cite works in a paper for in-text citations and the works cited page. Additional information regarding inclusive language is included in the 9th edition handbook. There is also a new appendix featuring more than one hundred examples of work-cited entries by publication format.
Sources:
Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook. Ninth ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2021.
Purdue, Online Writing Lab, OWL, MLA Ninth Edition, What's New and Different. Accessed November, 2021.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_changes_9th_edition.html
Union University LibGuides, MLA 9th Ed. Style Guide. Accessed November, 2021
https://guides.uu.edu/c.php?g=1158337&p=8454461