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Citation Guide (MLA 9th Edition) UNDER CONSTRUCTION

How to cite sources according to MLA
This page has been updated to MLA 9

Version (Works Cited)

Version is the fifth core element.

If different versions of the source exist, use this element to state which version is being cited.

Some examples of different versions include editions, director's cuts, and abridged or unabridged versions. It is not always needed.

  • This element begins with a capital letter only if the proceeding element ended with a period. If the proceeding element ended with a comma, the first letter of this element will be lowercase.
  • Abbreviate the word "edition" and other descriptive words.
  • This element ends with a comma.

Examples

For ease of identification, version information is in bold and red text below.

Edition:

Howard, Rebecca Moore. "Avoiding Sentence Fragments." Writing Matters: A Handbook for Writing and Research, 2nd ed., McGraw Hill, 2014, pp. 600-10. ​

Abridged/unabridged:

Sewell, Anna. Black Beauty. Unabridged version, F. M. Lupton, 1877.

Director's cut:

Scott, Ridley, director. Alien. 1979. Performance by Sigourney Weaver, director's cut, Twentieth Century Fox, 2004.

E-Book (generic):

MLA Handbook. 8th ed., e-book, Modern Language Association of America, 2016.

E-Book (specific type of file, e.g. EPUB, Kindle, PDF):

MLA Handbook. 8th ed., EPUB file, Modern Language Association of America, 2016.

MLA Handbook. 8th ed., Kindle ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2016.

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