Humanities theses formatted to MLA 9th edition.

MLA formatting applies the Modern Language Association style guide to your thesis. This covers in text citations (author-page format), Works Cited list using MLA core elements, heading hierarchy, page layout, tables, figures, and quotations. Specifically, MLA is the standard citation style for humanities theses including literature, languages, cultural studies, and modern language departments worldwide.

We format theses to MLA 9th edition (released April 2021) which is the current standard. Importantly, we also support MLA 8th edition for any university or programme still requiring the older edition. Both editions share the core elements framework introduced in MLA 8, with MLA 9 adding more guidance on annotated bibliographies, inclusive language, and updated digital source formatting.

MLA uses author-page format for in text citations. One author: (Smith 45). Two authors: (Smith and Jones 50). Three or more authors: (Smith et al. 50). Importantly, MLA does not include the year of publication in the in text citation, unlike APA or Harvard. Furthermore, narrative citations integrate the author name in the sentence with just the page number in parentheses: As Smith argues (45)…

The Works Cited list appears at the end of the thesis with the title ‘Works Cited’ centered. Entries are alphabetised by first author surname with hanging indent. MLA 9 uses 9 core elements to structure every entry: Author, Title of Source, Title of Container, Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, and Location. Specifically, this container framework handles every source type from books to web pages to databases.

MLA 9 uses 9 core elements for every Works Cited entry: 1. Author, 2. Title of Source, 3. Title of Container (e.g., journal or anthology title), 4. Other Contributors (editors, translators), 5. Version (edition number), 6. Number (volume, issue), 7. Publisher, 8. Publication Date, and 9. Location (page numbers, URL, DOI). Furthermore, elements are separated by specific punctuation and only included if relevant to the source.

MLA does not require a separate title page by default. Instead, the first page begins with a heading block in the upper left containing student name, instructor name, course, and date, followed by the title centered. However, many universities override this and require a separate MLA-style title page for thesis submission. Specifically, we format to your university’s exact MLA title page requirements.

MLA does not prescribe a strict heading system like APA. Instead, MLA recommends using consistent heading levels with clear visual hierarchy throughout your thesis. Common practice uses Level 1 (centered, bold, title case), Level 2 (flush left, bold, title case), and Level 3 (flush left, italic, title case). Importantly, we apply heading styles as Word styles or LaTeX commands for automatic table of contents generation.

MLA distinguishes between short quotations (under 4 lines of prose or 3 lines of poetry) which are integrated into the paragraph with quotation marks, and block quotations (longer passages) which are indented 0.5 inch from the left margin, double spaced, without quotation marks. Notably, all quotations are followed by parenthetical citations giving author and page number.

Standard MLA formatting typically takes 3 to 5 working days for a Master’s dissertation (15,000 to 30,000 words) and 5 to 10 working days for a PhD thesis (60,000 to 100,000 words). Express service compresses these timelines to 2 to 3 days for Master’s and 3 to 7 days for PhD. We confirm exact timing in your free quote within 3 hours.

Yes. We work directly with EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero, and BibTeX reference manager files to apply MLA 9 style. Specifically, we can clean up your existing library, remove duplicates, fix incomplete entries, update DOI links, and apply MLA 9 output style to your entire library. The cleaned library is delivered alongside your formatted thesis.

Yes. MLA 9 maintains the 9 core elements framework from MLA 8 with refinements rather than major structural changes. Notably, MLA 9 adds expanded guidance on annotated bibliographies, inclusive language, and updated digital source formatting. We handle complete MLA 8 to MLA 9 conversion as part of standard formatting.

MLA tables are labeled with Table 1, Table 2, etc., positioned above the table with the table caption on the same line or below. Figures are labeled Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc., positioned below the figure with the caption. Importantly, both tables and figures include source information at the bottom and are cross referenced from the main text using their numbers.

MLA is the standard citation style for humanities disciplines including English literature, comparative literature, foreign languages (French, German, Spanish, etc.), classics, philosophy, cultural studies, film studies, religious studies, and modern language pedagogy. Specifically, MLA is widely used in arts and humanities departments at universities in the US, UK, Canada, and worldwide.