How to Cite a Conference Paper in MLA 9th Edition

General Format

MLA 9 treats conference papers as part of a container (the proceedings or conference): **Published proceedings:** Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Paper." *Title of Proceedings*, edited by First Last, Publisher, Year, pp. page range. **Unpublished presentation:** Presenter Last Name, First Name. "Title of Presentation." Conference Name, Day Month Year, Location. Presentation type.

Worked Example

Published proceedings: Baker, Lynne R. "The Ontology of Artifacts." *Philosophical Explorations of the Legacy of Alan Turing*, edited by Juliet Floyd, Springer, 2017, pp. 49--62. Unpublished presentation: Smith, John. "Machine Learning in Education." Modern Language Association Annual Convention, 5 Jan. 2023, San Francisco. Conference presentation.

Common Mistakes

1. **Not treating proceedings as a container** -- The proceedings volume is the container; the individual paper is the source within it. 2. **Omitting the editor** -- If the proceedings have editors, include them using "edited by." 3. **Using incorrect date format** -- MLA uses Day Month Year format (5 Jan. 2023), not Month Day, Year.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite conference proceedings accessed online in MLA?

Add the database or website as a second container, followed by the DOI or URL.

What if the conference paper has no page numbers?

Omit page numbers if they are not available. This is common for online-only proceedings.

How do I cite a keynote speech in MLA?

List the speaker, the title of the speech in quotation marks, the conference name, date, location, and "Keynote address" as the description.