New style: MLA

We’re excited to announce Thrix can now convert references to MLA style!

What is the MLA style?

The MLA style is the set of formatting rules based on the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook.

The MLA Handbook is published by the Modern Language Association. MLA style is widely used in the humanities, particularly in literature, language studies, and the arts. If you write or edit in these fields, Thrix is the automatic reference editor you.

MLA style is unique among other styles, because it uses the author–page reference system, rather than the author–date or numerical systems. This means in-text citations consist of just a surname or title, and when relevant, a page number.  The alphabetized reference list is titled Works Cited.

What does the MLA style do in Thrix?

Thrix is an automatic reference editor, that can convert your citations and references from any style to the MLA style, while also ensuring correctness, completeness, and consistency. Applying MLA style is our most requested feature ever, with over 500 user requests! Thrix can automatically:

• Convert author–date citations (e.g. APA) into MLA format, e.g.:
  …as discussed by Foucault (2024, p. 23) → …as discussed by Foucault (23)
• Convert numerical citations (e.g. AMA) into MLA format, e.g.:
  …was critically acclaimed¹² → …was critically acclaimed (Davidson 46)
• Convert footnote citations (e.g. Chicago: Notes and bibliography) into MLA format, e.g.:
   …themes explored in ‘Beowulf’¹ → …themes explored in Beowulf (143)
• Style the Works Cited entries according to MLA rules, including:
  • author formatting (last name first, with full first name)
  • chapter or article name in quotation marks and in title case
  • correct placement and styling of dates, volumes, issues, and page ranges
  • proper use of DOIs and URLs

Example with changes:

Example finished:

How to format references in the MLA style

1. Upload your whole document.

If you’re converting from author–date citations like APA, or numerical citations like AMA, uploading your whole document is essential. This lets Thrix cross-check your Works Cited list with in-text citations, and alert you to missing or inconsistent entries. If a surname in a reference is updated to match online metadata, Thrix can fix the corresponding in-text citation too.

2. Review comments.

If something isn’t recognized, or something is missing and can’t be added automatically, Thrix will add a comment. It’s important to review these manually.

3. Review changes.

Thrix is powerful and accurate, but like any automated editing tool, mistakes can happen. Thrix tracks changes so you can review them, and reject any errors.

Try Thrix now

To use MLA style in Thrix, just paste your references or upload your document, then select MLA (9th Ed.) in the style dropdown and click Thrix it. Go to the Thrix homepage to get started!