How to Format Abbreviations in MLA

• Hannah Berry (Ph.D.)
• Published on 02/03/2024

When it comes to formatting abbreviations in the MLA style, adhering to certain conventions is crucial. The following guidelines cover common trends for abbreviating in MLA works cited and in-text citations.

• If the abbreviation ends with a small letter, use a period at the end, except for Internet suffixes, where the period comes before the abbreviation.
• Don’t use periods or spaces for abbreviations in all capital letters, unless it’s a proper name.

ABBREVIATIONS IN MLA CITATIONS

In references, months longer than four letters should be abbreviated, such as Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec.

Academic presses in the publisher field are abbreviated as follows: University (U) and Press (P), forming abbreviations like Harvard UP or U of Oxford P.

The following abbreviations are recommended:

WORD	ABBREVIATION IN MLA
Anonymous	anon.
Appendix	app.
Book	bk.
Circa	ca.
Chapter	ch.
Column	col.
Definition	def.
Department	dept.
Edition	ed.
For example	e.g.
And others	et al.
Et cetera	etc.
Figure	fig.
Foreword	fwd.
That is	i.e.
Journal	jour.
Library	lib.
Manuscript(s)	MS
Number	no.
Page(s)	p., pp.
Paragraph	par.
Press	P
Quoted in	qtd. in
Revised	rev.
Section	sec.
Series	ser.
Translation	trans.
University	U
University Press	UP
Version	vers.
Variant	var.
Volume	vol.

Acronym Consistency: Ensure uniformity when using acronyms or abbreviations throughout your MLA citations. Once you introduce an abbreviation, consistently use it throughout the document. This not only enhances readability but also avoids confusion for the reader. Citations Context: Tailor your use of abbreviations to the specific context of your citations. While MLA style allows for abbreviations to enhance brevity, it’s crucial to assess whether the abbreviation contributes to or hinders the clarity of your citations. Be mindful of the readers’ understanding and consider providing the full term along with the abbreviation upon first mention to establish clarity.

ABBREVIATIONS FOR SHAKESPEARE PLAYS

In narrative citations, Shakespearean plays are abbreviated, and it’s important to note that these abbreviations, being titles of works, are italicized. However, exceptions exist for references to the first and second folios and the quarto, as these are descriptors. Full references in the works cited list include the complete title and do not employ the abbreviations.

WORD	ABBREVIATION IN MLA
Much Ado about Nothing	Ado.
Antony and Cleopatra	Ant.
All’s Well That Ends Well	AWW
As You Like It	AYL
Coriolanus	Cor.
Cymbeline	Cym.
The Comedy of Errors	Err.
First Folio (1623)	F1
Second Folio (1632)	F2
Hamlet	Ham.
Henry IV, Part 1	1H4
Henry IV, Part 2	2H4
Henry V	H5
Henry VI, Part 1	1H6
Henry VI, Part 2	2H6
Henry VI, Part 3	3H6
Henry VIII	H8
Julius Caesar	JC
King John	Jn.
A Lover’s Complaint	LC
Love’s Labour’s Lost	LLL
King Lear	Lr.
The Rape of Lucrece	Luc.
Macbeth	Mac.
Measure for Measure	MM
A midsummer Night’s Dream	MND
The Merchant of Venice	MV
Othello	Oth.
Pericles	Per.
The Phoenix and the Turtle	PhT
The Passionate Pilgrim	PP
Quarto edition	Q
Richard II	R2
Richard III	R3
Romeo and Juliet	Rom.
The Taming of the Shrew	Shr.
Sonnets	Son.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona	TGV
Timon of Athens	Tim.
Titus Andronicus	Tit.
The Tempest	Tmp.
Twelfth Night	TN
The Two Noble Kinsmen	TNK
Troilus and Cressida	Tro.
Venus and Adonis	Ven.
The Merry Wives of Windsor	Wiv.
WT	The Winter’s Tale