How To Write Dates And Times in MLA Style

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In academic writing, it is important to adhere to specific style guidelines to ensure consistency and clarity in your work. One style guide frequently used in the humanities is the Modern Language Association (MLA) Style, which provides guidelines on how to format citations, references, and other elements in academic writing.

One area in which MLA Style provides guidelines is how to write dates and times. In this article, we will explore the rules for writing dates and times in MLA Style and provide examples to help you apply these guidelines to your own writing.

How To Write Dates in MLA Style

When writing dates in MLA Style, there are a few key guidelines to keep in mind:

Write out the month: In MLA Style, it is recommended to write out the name of the month rather than using numerals or abbreviations. For example, instead of writing “5/10/2022,” you would write “May 10, 2022.”
Use a comma: In between the day and year, use a comma. For example, “May 10, 2022.”
Use ordinal numbers: When writing the day, use ordinal numbers (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd) rather than cardinal numbers (e.g., 1, 2, 3). For example, “May 1st, 2022.”
Capitalization: Capitalize the first letter of the month and any proper nouns in the date (e.g., names of holidays). For example, “Independence Day, July 4th, 2022.”
Omit leading zeros: When writing the day, do not include a leading zero for single-digit numbers. For example, “May 5th, 2022” instead of “May 05, 2022.”
Inclusive ranges: If you are writing a range of dates, use “from” and “to” or an en dash (–) to indicate the range. For example, “May 1st – 5th, 2022” or “from May 1st to May 5th, 2022.”
No punctuation in running text: If the date is in running text (i.e., not in parentheses or a footnote), do not use any punctuation between the month, day, and year. For example, “The conference will take place on May 10 2022.”

Examples:

Correct: May 10, 2022
Incorrect: 5/10/2022
Correct: July 4th, 2022
Incorrect: july 4th, 2022
Correct: May 1st – 5th, 2022
Incorrect: May 1-5, 2022

How To Write Times in MLA Style

When writing times in MLA Style, there are a few key guidelines to keep in mind:

Use the 12-hour clock: In MLA Style, it is recommended to use the 12-hour clock (e.g., 7:00 pm) rather than the 24-hour clock (e.g., 19:00).
Use a colon: Separate the hour and minute with a colon. For example, “7:00 pm.”
No leading zeros: When writing the hour, do not include a leading zero for single-digit numbers. For example, “7:00 pm” instead of “07:00 pm.”
Use “am” or “pm”: Use “am” for times between midnight and noon and “pm” for times between noon and midnight. For example, “7:00 am” or “2:00 pm.”
Capitalization: Do not capitalize “am” or “pm

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