How to Format Dates in the MLA Style

• Tomas Elliott (Ph.D.)
• Published on 12/12/2023

In this article, we will explore the MLA rules of formatting publication dates, the omission of dates, and the appropriate use of abbreviations for months in works cited.

• MLA Citation Guidelines: Follow the Day-Month-Year format for online sources, using access dates for websites without publication dates and publication year for books.
• No Publication Info? Skip the Date: For print works without publication information, simply exclude the date in your MLA citation.
• Month Abbreviations: Abbreviate months longer than four letters in the works cited, except for May, June, and July, which remain unabbreviated.

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PUBLICATION YEAR IN PRINT SOURCES

The publication year is a required field for various source types, such as books, articles, and other printed materials. With the exception of online works like websites and webpages, use the inclusion of publication date. 

Example	2023
Structure	Publication Year

NO PUBLICATION DATE IN PRINT SOURCES

In cases where a printed source, especially a book, has no publication date (though rare, it is not unheard of), the date field should be omitted. The citation should conclude after the publisher field, with no need for the inclusion of ‘n.d.’ (no date) notations in the MLA Style.

Example	Green, Robert. The Enigma of Time. Time Publications.
Structure	Contributor. Title of Book. Publisher.

The absence of a date is acknowledged by its omission, adhering to MLA guidelines.

Uncommon but Possible: Acknowledge the rarity but not the impossibility of encountering printed sources, particularly books, without a publication date. Avoid ‘n.d.’ Notations: Resist the urge to include ‘n.d.’ (no date) notations in your citations for printed sources with missing publication dates. Altered or Removed Online Works: When dealing with online sources, especially those lacking publication dates, an access date becomes crucial.

HOW TO USE DATE IN ONLINE SOURCES

When citing online sources in MLA format, it’s important to follow the Day-Month-Year format. 

Example	11 Dec. 2023
Structure	Day Abbreviated Month Year

NO PUBLICATION DATE IN ONLINE SOURCES

If an online work has no publication date, exclude this information from the citation. However, it is crucial to include an access date in the citation for online sources without publication dates.

Example	Accessed 12 Dec. 2023
Structure	Accessed Day Abbreviated Month Year

ABBREVIATING MONTHS IN WORKS CITED

For months longer than four letters, such as January, February, March, April, August, September, October, November, and December, use the abbreviated form: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec.

However, no abbreviations are required for May, June, and July. 

HOW TO USE DATE IN-TEXT CITATIONS

Unlike some other citation styles, MLA in-text citations doesn’t incorporate dates. In practice, this means that when quoting or paraphrasing within the text, there’s no need to worry about inserting the publication date alongside the author’s name.