1. MLA 8th Edition A NEW WAY TO THINK ABOUT THE WORKS CITED PAGE
Courtesy of the IVCC Writing center

2. Works Cited Pages
The Works Cited page is a list of all sources used in an essay or assignment. Whenever a writer uses information from a source, that source should be cited in the essay. The citation of the source within the essay directs the reader to the full bibliographic information about the source, which is listed on the Works Cited page.

3. History
The old version of MLA required the writer to use a different formula for each type of source on the Works Cited page. For example, the Works Cited formulas for books, journal articles, and websites were all different, each with their own set of rules to follow.
This approach was extremely prescriptive and rigid, sometimes leading to confusion for writers and making the process of creating a Works Cited page pretty complex.
The folks at MLA recognized the difficulty created by this approach to Works Cited pages.
With the 2016 update to the 8th edition, MLA has greatly simplified the process for creating Works Cited entries for all types of sources.

4. The New Approach
MLA now uses one formula to guide the creation of a Works Cited entry for any type of source. This means that books, articles, websites, YouTube videos—whatever source you can imagine—will follow the same template for Works Cited entries.
This approach, while easier to remember, is also less rigid than the previous idea of a Works Cited page. In other words, it’s possible to create more than one version of a “correct” Works Cited entry for a particular source. MLA now talks about Works Cited entries in terms of “strong and weak” rather than “right and wrong.”
In reality, this new flexibility may also lead to confusion at times, but as long as the writer does her or his best to properly document the facts and follow the formula given, the Works Cited page will likely be successful.

5. The Template
The following slide presents the formula that writers should follow when creating a Works Cited entry for any type of source.
The formula consists of “core elements” that writers will include in any entry. Follow the order given in the template. Notice and use the punctuation indicated after each core element. Omit any element that is unknown. You can visit Professor Rambo’s web page to find a version of the template that’s downloadable in Microsoft Word.

6. Source: MLA Style Center

7. Author is listed last name first.
Copeland, Edward. “Money.” The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen, edited by Copeland and Juliet McMaster, Cambridge UP, 1997, pp
Author is listed last name first.
Titles are properly formatted and capitalized.
Unknown elements are left blank.
Entry is properly punctuated.
Questions? Click here for more information on any of the core elements. A few are clarified on the next slides.
Source: MLA Style Center

8. Formatting Titles
In general, a title is placed in quotation marks if the source is part of a larger work. A title is italicized if the source is self-contained and independent.
Use quotation marks for a short story/essay/poem from an anthology/collection; episodes of television series; song titles; articles from journals; and a posting/article from a Web site.
Use italics for book/anthology titles; periodicals (journals, magazines, newspapers); and Web sites. When a work that is normally independent (such as a novel or play) appears in a collection, the work's title remains in italics.
 On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (book)
 “House Mothers and Haunted Daughters: Shirley Jackson and Female Gothic” (journal article)

9. Capitalizing Titles
Capitalize the first letter of the major words of titles. Minor words, such as articles, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions, are not capitalized unless they are the first word of a title or subtitle.
 “Why Boys Don’t Play with Dolls” (a short essay) 
 In the Heat of the Night (a film)

10. Location Location depends on the medium of publication.
For printed works, indicate the page or page range (preceded by p. for a single page and pp. for a page range).
Indicate online works by their URL (unless your instructor specifies otherwise). Omit and Digital object indicators (DOIs) and permalinks are preferable to URLs when available.
Clements, Susan. “Deer Cloud.” Unsettling America, edited by Maria Mazziotti Gillan and Jennifer Gillan, Penguin Books, 1994, p. 56.
Goodman, Michelle. Anti 9 to 5 Guide. 2010,

11. Containers
The concept of “containers” is very important in the 8th edition of the MLA Handbook. According to the MLA Style Center, “When the source being documented forms part of a larger whole, the larger whole can be thought of as a container that holds the source. For example, a short story may be contained in an anthology. The short story is the source, and the anthology is the container.”
Many sources have no or only one container, and will follow the template discussed in the previous slides, which we can think of as the “container 1 template.” However, some sources will have a second or more containers, and will need additional documentation.

12. Container 1 Examples
A novel usually has no container and therefore requires no documentation for that core element.
Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Bantam, 2006.
A poem in an anthology is contained within the anthology.
Frost, Robert. “Fire and Ice.” Modern Poetry, edited by Jahan Ramazani et al., Norton, 2003, p

13. Container 1 Examples
An article posted on a website is contained within that website.
Choi-Fitzpatrick, Austin. “The Rise of Nonviolent Drones.” Slate, 5 May 2016, nonviolent_drones.html.
An article published in a journal is contained within that journal.
Richter Basbanes, Barbara. “Roald Dahl and Danger in Children’s Literature.” Sewanee Review, vol. 123, no. 2, 2015, pp

14. Container 2
A container, however, can be nested in a larger container, meaning that some Works Cited entries will also use the “container 2 template.” The writer would first fill out the “container 1 template,” and after that information would add information for the “container 2 template.”
According to the MLA Style Center, “A blog, for example, may form part of a network of similar blogs. The complete back issues of a journal may be stored on a digital platform such as JSTOR. A book of short stories may be read on Google Books. Documenting containers is important. It is usually best to account for all the containers that enclose your source.”

15. Container 2 Template: Follows information from Container 1 template

16. Confused about any of the core elements
Confused about any of the core elements? Click here for more information!
Source: MLA Style Center

17. Container 2 Examples
A journal article found through a database will have two containers: the first container is the journal the article was originally printed in, and the second container is the database that stores the issues of the journals. As you can see, the journal contains the article, and the database contains the journal.
Redlawsk, David, et al. “Symbolic Racism and Emotional Responses to the 2012 Presidential Candidates." Political Research Quarterly, vol. 67, no. 3, Sep. 2014, pp JSTOR,

18. Container 2 Examples
A book published electronically on a platform such as eRead Illinois will have no first container named (because stand-alone works like books are self-contained). However, the book has been published on a digital platform that would be considered the second container. In other words, eRead Illinois contains the stand-alone work.
Okonkwo, Joe. Jazz Moon. E-book, Kensington Publishing, eRead Illinois, ivcc.axis360.baker-taylor.com/Title?itemId=

19. Container 2 Examples
A television episode is contained within the entire show. If you watch a television episode online, it is also contained within the website that streams the program.
"The Competition Begins." Dance Moms, season 1, episode 1, A&E Networks.       Lifetime,

20. Wrap Up
The new style may be tough to get used to at first, but quickly begins to make sense with practice. Refer to the templates, use the resources included on the next slide, and seek help from your instructor or the Writing Center. You’ll soon get the hang of it.
Happy writing!

21. Resources IVCC Stylebook
IVCC Writing Center. Call or stop by D-201 to make an appointment with a tutor.
MLA Handbook, 8th Edition
MLA Style Center
NoodleTools citation generator. Choose MLA 8th Edition, advanced, as your citation style.
Professor Rambo’s MLA Resource Page. Includes a downloadable template.
Purdue Online Writing Lab's MLA page

22. Works Cited
“Works Cited: A Quick Guide.” MLA Style Center, Modern Language Association of America, , style.mla.org/works-cited-a-quick-guide/.