How to Arrange MLA Citations in Alphabetical Order with Numbers

Properly organizing your MLA citations is essential for creating a clean, easy-to-follow works cited page. One of the most common questions students and professionals ask is how to arrange citations in alphabetical order when numbers are involved. Whether you’re working on an academic paper, a professional research report, or an essay in Google Docs, the process of organizing your citations can be streamlined with the right approach.

In this post, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of arranging MLA citations in alphabetical order, with a special focus on handling numbered citations effectively. Let’s dive in!

Step 1: Start with the Author's Last Name

The first rule in MLA citation order is to arrange entries alphabetically by the author's last name. This is the most crucial part of organizing your works cited list. If a citation has no author, use the title of the source instead.

Example:

1. Smith, John.
   
2. Doe, Jane.
   
3. The History of Technology (no author listed, so it will be organized alphabetically by the title, ‘H’ for History).
   

Step 2: Ignore Articles for Alphabetization

When you have sources that start with “The,” “A,” or “An,” disregard these words in the alphabetization process. For example, The Great Gatsby would be listed under "G" for “Great,” not “T.”

Example:

1. The Great Gatsby should be alphabetized as "Great Gatsby."
   

Step 3: Numbered Citations – What to Do?

When you are dealing with numbered citations, you may wonder whether the numbers should impact the alphabetical arrangement. In MLA format, numbers are treated the same as any other part of the citation. The key is that the citation still follows the basic rules: alphabetize by the author's last name or by the first significant word in the title.

However, if your citation is numeric, such as a citation from a government document or a report, you treat it the same way—by the author’s last name or title.

Example:

1. U.S. Department of Education. (If listed under a title like "Report #2," it goes by "U.")
   

Step 4: Organize Citations by Year When No Author

If no author is listed, MLA requires that you organize citations by the title of the work. The title is alphabetized as usual, with articles ("A," "An," and "The") ignored.

Example:

1. A Brief History of Time will be alphabetized by "B."
   

Step 5: Utilize Google Docs for Easy Alphabetization

Google Docs makes the process of managing your citations much simpler. By leveraging its built-in tools and add-ons, you can easily keep track of your citations and sort them without much hassle.

FAQ: MLA Citation Alphabetical Order with Numbers

1. Do I need to include numbers in the alphabetical order of MLA citations? Yes, numbers are treated as part of the citation. However, the primary rule for alphabetization is based on the author's last name or the title (if no author is available). Numbers should not disrupt this order.

2. What if my source has no author? If there’s no author, alphabetize the citation by the first word in the title (ignoring articles like "The," "A," or "An").

3. Should I manually sort citations in Google Docs or is there an automatic tool? Google Docs doesn’t have an automatic feature for sorting citations, but you can use add-ons and templates to streamline the process. Docswrite also offers helpful guides and resources for citation management.

4. What about multiple authors in MLA citations? If there are multiple authors, list the citation alphabetically by the first author's last name. If there are more than three authors, you can use "et al." after the first author's name.