MLA 8th edition is intended to be a universal set of guidelines to apply to any type of source. Each source in the Works Cited is based on a list of core elements (see below). Not all sources will have all nine elements.
| Core Elements | Examples | |
| 1 | Author. | Person, Corporation, Organization, Agency |
| 2 | Title of Source. | Book, Article, Web page, Blog post |
| 3 | Title of Container, | Journal, Website, TV series |
| 4 | Other Contributors, | Director, Narrator, Illustrator, Translator |
| 5 | Version, | Volume, Edition, Updated, Revised |
| 6 | Number, | Issue, Report, Series |
| 7 | Publisher, | |
| 8 | Publication Date, | Year, Month, Day |
| 9 | Location | Page range, URL, Database, DVD, Netflix |
For in-text citing, MLA follows the author-page format. For internet sources, you do not need to include the paragraph number unless part of the source. When there is not an author, use a shortened title of the work. Use quotation marks for a short work (e.g. article, blog post) or italics for a longer work (e.g. plays, books, television shows, entire websites).
MLA Style is not just in-text citing and a list of references. It also includes the formatting of your paper. Here are some of the basics elements. For examples, consult the Purdue OWL's sample paper or the MLA Style Center page with full formatting requirements. Ask your professor about including a title page, they may not require it. If you are writing your thesis or dissertation, you must use the Graduate School's MLA template.