The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is a widely used citation style for writing research papers, particularly in the fields of literature and the humanities. The eighth edition of the MLA Handbook, released in 2016, provides guidelines for formatting and citing sources in research papers.
One important aspect of the MLA style is the use of footnotes and endnotes. Footnotes and endnotes are notes that are placed at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or at the end of the document (endnotes), and they provide additional information or citations for the material in the main text.
There are several rules to follow when using footnotes and endnotes in an MLA-style paper:
Use footnotes or endnotes to provide additional information or to clarify a point. Footnotes and endnotes should not be used to provide information that is essential to the main argument of the paper.
Use footnotes or endnotes sparingly. Overuse of footnotes or endnotes can make a paper appear cluttered and can distract from the main points of the paper.
Use Arabic numerals to number the footnotes or endnotes. These numbers should be placed at the end of the sentence or clause in which the footnote or endnote is referenced, and they should be superscripted (raised slightly above the line of text).
Use double spacing for footnotes and endnotes, just like in the main text.
Use a separate line for each footnote or endnote, and indent the first line of each note by five spaces.
Use the same font and font size as the main text for footnotes and endnotes.
When citing sources in footnotes or endnotes, use the same format as you would in the main text. For example, if you are citing a book, you would include the author's name, the title of the book, the publication information, and the page number(s) being cited.
Use a hanging indent for the second and subsequent lines of each footnote or endnote. This means that the first line is flush with the left margin, and the remaining lines are indented five spaces.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your footnotes and endnotes are clear, concise, and correctly formatted according to the MLA style.
Citation MachineĀ®: MLA8 Format & MLA8 Citation Generator
Sony Pictures Classics, 2011. They are generally located on the front or top of the source. Placement of more than one note in a sentence. Unlike typical in-text citations that tend to muddy up your body paragraphs, endnotes and footnotes in MLA style happen underneath all the text, keeping things looking clean and simple. Include all words in the title and any subtitles as well.
Therefore, MLA footnotes and endnotes help to convince readers that information is significant. An example is as follows: Recently, the government has addressed the issues 8ā a development that stakeholders consider a move in the right direction. Avoid blurry, pixilated, or distorted images for both print and electronic documents. Since the following citation has two containers the book itself and Google Books there are two locations included, a page range and a web site address: Kipling, Rudyard. In the case of student papers, instructors often do not count the space taken up by visual aids toward the required page length of the document. The Novels of Daniel Defoe, edited by W.
While How to use footnotes There are two types of footnotes: bibliographical and content. Seventh edition: Kincaid, Jamaica. Often times, others, such as an editor or a translator can play the leading role. Ā²Beach considers Readicide to be a necessary read for all incoming Student Teachers, including it in recommended words for all his students. Beginning in 1997, population figures are adjusted for net underenumeration using the 1990 National Population Adjustment Matrix from the U. Along the left margin, type the endnote number and a period and add five spaces before starting your actual note.
Today, this information generally serves little purpose and the city of publication can often be omitted. Other Aspects Notably, the latest edition of the MLA Handbook ā eighth edition ā does not specify how writers should format footnotes and endnotes. If it is not, skip that portion of the source. Summary You may not write many MLA essays that require footnotes and endnotes, but if you ever need to rely on them instead of parenthetical citations, this guide should lead you through each step! Rather than insisting that writers follow strict citation formulas, this handbook outlines the principles of MLA documentation and explains how writers can use them in many different situations. Ā²Gilmore considers the relationship between caffeine, productivity, and success 151.
MLA Footnotes: Basic Guidelines and Key Points to Learn
A Page on a Website Last name, First name. Common Film and TV Sources Entire Films Title of Film. Example of an MLA Eighth Edition Works Cited Page: Patterson, James, and Chris Grabenstein. This can be done by placing a note in the text where the work is first referenced. Justifying the scope of your study can help readers better understand what to expect from reading your work by specifically pointing to what will or will not be explored, and why.
When there is no author listed for a source, place it in alphabetical order by the title. In those cases, it can be worth placing further examples in a note, if you think they add something to your point. In addition, a Works Cited list gives credit to the original authors of the works that were consulted for a project. Example of how to cite a movie in MLA 8: Ratatouille. Example of how to cite an article on a blog in MLA 8 when the publisher matches one of the other components of the citation Chan, Magdalene. For example, you can use May 5, 2016 or 5 May 2016. .
Directed by James Cameron, performance by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, Paramount Pictures, 1997. For periodicals, the name of the publisher is generally insignificant. Title the page Note if there is only one note. Notes should be in the same font as the rest of your document, but a smaller font size; the first line of each note is slightly indented. Ā³Italicised words denote translations for which there are no clear equivalents in the original Chinese. So does a company. Works Cited Magyarody, Katherine.
More often, you might notice a footnote or endnote that gives a bit more context to a piece of information in the main text. Whichever way the date is placed in one citation, the same format should be used in the other citations in your project. Example: Kill Bill Vol. For example, you might use your own translations for some texts but not others, or you might cite different editions of a text in different ways. For instance: Placement of a note mid-sentence, for clarity of citations. For preparing manuscripts with visual materials for publication, see Note on Manuscripts below. Due to the various ways that information is now received, in books, websites, lectures, tweets, Facebook posts, etc, it has become unrealistic for MLA to create citation formats for every source type.
