Create a spot-on reference in MHRA 3 and MHRA 4
In February 2024, the 4th edition of the MHRA Style Guide: A Handbook for Authors, Editors, and Writers of Theses was published, marking an update from its predecessor, the 3rd edition released in 2013. To assess the evolution over the past 11 years, we conducted a comparative analysis of these two editions.
General changes in the 4th edition of the MHRA: examples of references
1. Modification of DOI format.
In the 3rd edition, there was no distinction between formatting for DOIs and regular URLs; both were formatted identically. However, the 4th edition presents DOI identifiers differently, including only their alphanumeric value in the bibliography and footnotes, without the inclusion of 'www' or 'doi.org'. For instance:
3rd edition:
Navas-Solé, Roger, ‘Sainte-Beuve's Quixotic Response to Hugo's Shakespeare’, Modern Language Review, 119.1 (January 2024), 36–54 <https://doi.org/10.1353/mlr.2024.a916727>
4th edition:
Navas-Solé, Roger, ‘Sainte-Beuve's Quixotic Response to Hugo's Shakespeare’, Modern Language Review, 119.1 (January 2024), pp. 36–54, doi:10.1353/mlr.2024.a916727
2. Introduction of 'p.' / 'pp.' for page intervals in articles and other types of sources:
In the 3rd edition, the marking for page intervals was absent, whereas the 4th edition mandates the use of 'p.' for a single page and 'pp.' for page ranges. For example:
3rd edition:
Vaughn, Charlotte, and Kara Becker, ‘Documenting the Emerging Social-Semiotic Landscape in Children Ages 5 to 12’, Language & Communication, 95 (March 2024), 16–30 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langcom.2024.01.001>
4th edition:
Vaughn, Charlotte, and Kara Becker, ‘Documenting the Emerging Social-Semiotic Landscape in Children Ages 5 to 12’, Language & Communication, 95 (March 2024), pp. 16–30, doi:10.1016/j.langcom.2024.01.001
3. Optional inclusion of the city of publication in bibliographic references for books.
Unlike the 3rd edition, which required the city of publication for all book references, the 4th edition makes it optional, suggesting its inclusion only for older editions where this detail might be pertinent. For instance:
3rd edition:
Bliss, Lauren, The Maternal Imagination of Film and Film Theory (Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020)
4th edition:
Bliss, Lauren, The Maternal Imagination of Film and Film Theory (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020)
4. Requirement to include the title of the work in abbreviated footnotes:
3rd edition:
Bliss, p. 78.
4th edition:
Bliss, The Maternal Imagination of Film and Film Theory, p. 78.
Additionally, there have been minor adjustments in the presentation of other source types.
To ensure a seamless transition between MHRA style versions, utilize our automatic bibliographic reference generator tailored for the MHRA (4th edition).