THA 150A Global Theater: Voices from Asia, Africa, and the Americas

Modern Language Association (MLA) style is commonly used to write papers and cite sources for disciplines within the humanities. It's developed and maintained by the Modern Language Association of America.

Learn more about the style at the MLA Style Center, use the MLA Handbook online (linked in the box below) and check out the tools and interactive templates (also linked below)

MLA is most commonly used for early and undergraduate research, literature research, and research in the humanities. You may see MLA used in other contexts as well, as it is up to the professor, publication, or department!

A couple of important notes about MLA:

• MLA doesn't have footnote citations! MLA's in-text citations are parenthetical and generally list the author and page number of a citation
• MLA can have explanatory footnotes, such as when you need to explain, translate, or expand on a point and would like to do so outside of the main text
• MLA's main focus is authorial importance, which is why there's a focus on the main author or authors in citations such as in-text. If you're more concerned about historical context around a citation, you might want to consider using Chicago Style, and if you're more concerned about showing the recency or date of a citation, you may want to consider using APA Style, both covered in this guide!

Zotero works well with MLA, but there are always edge cases where Zotero struggles! If you're not sure if your MLA citations are correct or if you want to cite something that Zotero isn't citing correctly please feel free to make an appointment with one of our Zotero specialists. 

MLA 9 is the current edition! There are very few changes to the style between versions 8 and 9; if you'd like to check the examples in the book, you can find it on reserve at the Information and Borrowing Desk!