Standard: how to cite in MLA (8th ed.)?

Create a spot-on reference in MLA 8 and 9

Select a source type:

Book Website Journal article Video (online)

Archival document Blog post Book Book chapter Complete reference Conference paper Copyright certificate Court case Dictionary Dictionary entry Disc Dissertation / Thesis Encyclopedia Encyclopedia article Extended abstract of dissertation Image Journal article Law / Act Newspaper article Patent Podcast Preprint Press release Religious text Report Social media post Software Standard Video (online) Video game Website

Basic rules

MLA Style (8th ed.) does not provide any explicit rules for referencing standards (such as ISO standards, etc.). However, the general referencing principles set forth in the MLA Manual and the recommendations of universities regarding how to reference such sources in works cited allow identifying the main elements required for citing standards. These are namely the following: organisation that developed the standard, standard title, standard code (number), publisher, publication date (year), and URL address and date of access (for citing a standard available online).

If the standard was developed and published by the same organisation, the latter is to be cited as the publisher in the reference, while the information on the author is omitted.

How to cite in a bibliography

Reference template:

Organisation. Standard Title. Standard сode, Publisher, year of publication, URL. Accessed date of access.

Examples of references in works cited:

Dentistry — Powered Toothbrushes — General Requirements and Test Methods. ISO 20127:2005, ISO, 2005.

Safety Requirements For Material Hoists. ANSI/ASSE A10.5-2013, American Society of Safety Engineers, 2013.

Standard Terminology Of Symbols And Definitions Relating To Magnetic Testing. ASTM A340-20, ASTM International, 2020.