The 7th edition of the MLA Handbook offers a separate set of citation instructions for each format type; unfortunately, there are so many variations not all can be covered in one book. The 8th edition of the MLA Handbook, published in 2016, offers a new approach to documentation that will help address all of the formats including digital publications. They have created a universal set of guidelines or elements that allow writers to intuitively document sources from the sciences to the humanities.
For a complete list of style rules, consult the MLA Handbook there are copies in the Reference Collection and also at the Reference Desk:
This guide is for the MLA Handbook 8th ed. published in 2016. For more information and examples about this new edition and new rules, see the MLA Style Center website.
How to Format Containers in MLA 8
Sometimes a source is part of a larger whole. For example, a magazine article is part of a larger whole, the magazine itself. For citation purposes, we call the larger whole, in this case the magazine, a container. When citing sources, the container is generally italicized and is followed by a comma.
How to Cite Sources With One Container
When citing sources with only one container, the title of the direct source is placed in quotes, and the title of the container is italicized.
How to Cite Sources With Two Containers
Sometimes the source you’re citing might have two containers. For example, if an article is found on a database, the first container is the name of the larger whole, such as a journal. The second container is the database where you found the article.
Another example might be a television series you watched on Netflix. The first container is the name of the series, and the second container is Netflix.
"How to Format Containers in MLA 8 - EasyBib Blog." EasyBib Blog. N.p., 2016. Web. 05 July 2016. <http://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/mla-8/container/>.
MLA 8 is arranged around “containers” instead of formats. Books, journals, and web sites are examples of containers. A container within a container is possible, so there could be a journal that is on a web site, or in a database.
Below are just a few of the changes you will find in the 8th Edition
Volume and Issue Number are listed using abbreviations
Place of publication is omitted
Publishers’ names are now given in full
Page numbers are designated with p. or pp.
Date of access is now optional and place holders for unknown information like n.d. are not used.
Medium of publication is omitted
URL is now normally given for a Web source
Common terms are no longer abbreviated
Some Examples from the MLA Web Site