MLA style is commonly used by students and academics in the humanities. In this citation guide, we give a broad overview of the guidelines from the 9th edition (the most recent) of the MLA Handbook.
MLA citations have two parts:
In-text citation: Every quotation or paraphrase of another source is accompanied by a parenthetical citation including the author’s last name and the page number.
Works Cited entry: At the end of the paper, you include a Works Cited page, which gives a full reference for each source cited, listed alphabetically by the author’s last name.
APA Style is quite commonly used in the field of social and behavioral sciences. In this citation guide, we give a broad overview of the guidelines from the 7th edition (2020) of the APA Publication Manual.
An en dash (–) is used to indicate number ranges (e.g., 2022–2024), to show a connection or relationship (e.g., “the Boston–New York train”), and to connect certain compound adjectives (e.g., “a World War II–era building”).
The en dash is longer than a hyphen (-) but shorter than an em dash (—). It is so named because, historically, it was about the same length as a typeset N.
En dash examplesFor homework, read pages 195–230.
The Wildcats beat the Huskies 32–17 to win the championship.
The urban–rural political divide has grown in recent years.
Demure is an adjective that means “modest,” “shy,” or “reserved.” It is most commonly applied to women and girls or their clothing, though it can be used to describe people of any gender.
Demure in a sentence examplesThe CEO’s demure demeanor belied her shrewd negotiation skills.
She wore a demure dress to the gala, choosing understated elegance over flashy trends.
In response to the interviewer’s question, the actor gave a demure smile and changed the subject.
Either … or is a correlative conjunction that is used to present two options or say that one of two things is true (e.g., “I’d like either ramen or sushi”).
Correlative conjunctions are pairs of words that are used to show the relationship between two words, phrases, or clauses. Others include neither … nor and not only … but also.
Either … or examplesEither Marisol or Asher will lead the meeting.
The movie was divisive: people either hated it or loved it.
Will you either wash the dishes or sweep the floor?
Neither … nor is a correlative conjunction that is used to indicate that two things are not true (e.g., “The candidate appeared neither prepared nor interested”).
Correlative conjunctions are pairs of words that are used to show the relationship between two grammatically equal parts of a sentence. Others include either … or and not only … but also.
Neither … nor examplesNeither the rain nor the wind could stop the match.
The new policy neither addresses employee concerns nor improves productivity.
The committee accepted neither the proposed rule change nor the amended budget.
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Not only … but also is a correlative conjunction—a pair of words that is used to show the relationship between two grammatically equal parts of a sentence (e.g., “The company let down not only its shareholders but also its employees”).
You can use not only … but also when you want to emphasize that in addition to something already known, assumed, or expected (the “not only” phrase), there is something else (the “but also” phrase) that makes the statement more surprising, interesting, terrible, etc.
Not only … but also examplesShe has visited not only all 50 states but also 13 countries.
Not only minor celebrities but also true superstars turned out for the event.
The high winds not only downed power lines but also overturned mobile homes.
