The 8th edition of the MLA Handbook was devised to take into consideration all types of sources, therefore the list of core elements includes all possible sources. To cite any source, you simply follow the pattern of elements and skip those that are not relevant for the source itself.
In this section, we include some special cases that might be helpful when working on a research project.
Film and TV Shows
Scott, Ridley, director. Blade Runner. 1982. Performance by Harrison Ford, director's cut, Warner Bros., 1992.
The Walking Dead. Created by Frank Darabont, AMC Studios, 2010-2016.
Corresponding In-Text Citations
TV episodes
"Strangers." The Walking Dead, created by Frank Darabont, performance by Andrew Lincoln, season 5, episode 2, AMC Studios, 2014.
Corresponding In-Text Citation
Online Videos
Feinberg, Danielle. "The Magic Ingredient that Brings Pixar movies to Life." YouTube, TedTalks, 28 Apr. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1R1z9ipFnM.
"StoryCorps Shorts: The Bookmobile." POV, PBS, 13 Apr. 2016, www.pbs.org/pov/thebookmobile/video/storycorps-shorts-the-bookmobile/
Example
King, Bruce. Review of White Teeth, by Zadie Smith. World Literature Today, vol. 75, no. 1, Winter 2001, pp. 116-117. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40156375.
To cite a dissertation, you should provide the name of the author, the title of the work in italics (it is a standalone work), and the date of publication/discussion. As an optional element you can include the name of the institution granting the degree, and a description of the type of work (i.e. PhD dissertation, Master's thesies, etc.).
Examples
Chilelli, Justin. Intervention in Yugoslavia. 2007. John Cabot U, BA thesis.
Sofiani, Lily. China's Presence in Rwanda and Africa, through the Lens of the Product Life Cycle Theory. 2013. U California Los Angeles, Master's thesis. Political Science Database, jcu.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1284866980?accountid=130118.
If you accessed the dissertation through an online repository, include this fact as the title of the second container.
Example
Njus, Jesse. Performing the Passion: A Study on the Nature of Medieval Acting. 2010. Northwestern U, PhD dissertation. ProQuest, search.proquest.com/docview/305212264?accountid=7432.
Blog Posts
Hollmichel, Stephanie. "Wanderlust." So Many Books, 28 July 2016, somanybooksblog.com/2016/07/28/wanderlust/.
Corresponding In-Text Citation
Comments Posted on a Web Page
cirtnecce. Comment on "Wanderlust." So Many Books, 29 July 2016, somanybooksblog.com/2016/07/28/wanderlust/#comment-219771.
Corresponding In-Text Citation
Tweets
@librarycongress. "World War 1 Centennial: Brush up on your #WW1 trivia questions using our primary resources. go.usa.gov/xYfzA." Twitter, 27 July 2016, 1:30 pm, twitter.com/librarycongress/status/758399232675983361.
Works of Art (firsthand experience)
Bernini, Gianlorenzo. Ecstasy of St. Teresa. Marble, 1645-1652, Cornaro Chapel, S. Maria della Vittoria, Rome, Italy.
Corresponding In-Text Citations
Works of Art in an Online Platform
Bernini, Gianlorenzo. Ecstasy of St. Teresa. Detail, marble, 1645-1652, Cornaro Chapel, S. Maria della Vittoria, Rome, Italy. ARTstor, library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=8CdEdFUgJjg1QEI8dzF8KBUrWHYqdVl8&userId=gDRNezEh&zoomparams=
Examples
Beyoncé. "Pretty Hurts." Beyoncé, Parkwood Entertainment, 2013, beyonce.com/album/beyonce/?media_view=songs.
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Così Fan Tutte. Performance by Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, conducted by Herbert von Karajan, EMI, 1999.
Springsteen, Bruce. "Born in the U.S.A." Born in the U.S.A., Columbia, 1984.
If you are citing a source in an "unexpected type of work," you can identify it by using a descriptive label that will be placed at the end of the regular entry.
Examples
Brown, Tim. “Change...by Design.” Compiled by Michael Keller, 2009. PDF file.
Lebrun, David, director. "Cracking the Maya Code." Nova, PBS, 8 Apr. 2008, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/cracking-maya-code.html. Transcript.
Corresponding In-Text Citations
Examples of unexpected types of work are:
Transcript
Lecture
Address
A file format (e.g. PDF file)