MHRA Referencing Guide (Modern Humanities Research Association Style)
The MHRA referencing style is a citation system used widely in the humanities, particularly in subjects like literature, history, and the arts. Created by the Modern Humanities Research Association, it emphasizes detailed referencing through footnotes and a full bibliography, making it ideal for academic essays, dissertations, and journal articles.
This comprehensive MHRA referencing guide (based on the 3rd edition of the MHRA Style Guide) will help you cite your sources correctly using footnotes and bibliographic entries.
š Overview of MHRA Style
MHRA is a footnoteābibliography style similar to the Chicago style. This means that:
- Footnotes appear at the bottom of each page to reference sources directly.
- A Bibliography at the end of the document lists all cited works in alphabetical order.
MHRA is preferred in many UK institutions and is known for its clarity, attention to detail, and suitability for in-depth textual analysis.
āļø General Formatting Guidelines
- Font: Times New Roman or similar, 12 pt
- Line spacing: Double-spaced for the main text; single-spaced for footnotes
- Margins: 1 inch on all sides
- Footnotes: Use superscript numbers in the text; the full citation appears at the bottom of the page
- Bibliography: Titled Bibliography, arranged alphabetically by author surname
š¢ In-Text Citations (Footnotes)
MHRA does not use parenthetical in-text citations. Instead, you insert a superscript number at the end of the sentence (after punctuation), which corresponds to a footnote at the bottom of the page.
ā Example:
Shakespeareās treatment of power in Macbeth is one of his darkest.^1
Footnote (at bottom of page):
- William Shakespeare, Macbeth, ed. by Nicholas Brooke (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008), p. 14.
š MHRA Footnote Citation Examples
1. Book (One Author)
Footnote:
First Last Name, Title of Book (Place: Publisher, Year), page number.
Example:
Mary Beard, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (London: Profile Books, 2015), p. 78.
2. Book (Multiple Authors)
Footnote:
First Author and Second Author, Title of Book (Place: Publisher, Year), page number.
Example:
Robert Tombs and Isabelle Tombs, That Sweet Enemy: The French and the British from the Sun King to the Present (London: William Heinemann, 2006), p. 119.
3. Edited Book
Footnote:
Editor Name (ed.), Title (Place: Publisher, Year), page.
Example:
Peter France (ed.), The Oxford Guide to Literature in English Translation (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), p. 203.
4. Book Chapter or Essay in Edited Volume
Footnote:
Chapter Author, āChapter Titleā, in Book Title, ed. by Editor Name (Place: Publisher, Year), pp. xāy (p. z).
Example:
Fred Botting, āReflections of Evilā, in Gothic Histories, ed. by Glennis Byron (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2010), pp. 57ā77 (p. 59).
5. Journal Article (Print or Online)
Footnote:
Author, āTitle of Articleā, Journal Title, Volume.Issue (Year), pp. xāy (p. z).
Example:
Rachel Bowlby, āKiss Me Again: Notes on the Melodramatic Impulseā, Screen, 18.1 (1977), pp. 103ā110 (p. 105).
6. Website
Footnote:
Author (if available), Title of Page, Website name, [accessed Day Month Year].
Example:
British Museum, Parthenon Sculptures, British Museum, https://www.britishmuseum.org/parthenon-sculptures [accessed 13 May 2025].
7. Film
Footnote:
Title of Film, dir. by Directorās Name (Place of Distribution: Distributor, Year).
Example:
Parasite, dir. by Bong Joon-ho (Los Angeles: Neon, 2019).
š Subsequent Footnote Citations
After the first full citation, subsequent citations of the same source can be shortened:
Shortened format:
Last Name, Short Title, p. x.
Example:
Beard, SPQR, p. 102.
š Bibliography Format
The bibliography includes all referenced sources, listed alphabetically by surname. Entries should be single-spaced, with a blank line between entries, and formatted as follows:
- Authorsā names are inverted: Last name, First name
- Book and journal titles are italicized
- Include full page ranges for chapters and articles
š MHRA Bibliography Examples
Books:
Beard, Mary, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (London: Profile Books, 2015)
Edited Books:
France, Peter (ed.), The Oxford Guide to Literature in English Translation (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000)
Book Chapters:
Botting, Fred, āReflections of Evilā, in Gothic Histories, ed. by Glennis Byron (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2010), pp. 57ā77
Journal Articles:
Bowlby, Rachel, āKiss Me Again: Notes on the Melodramatic Impulseā, Screen, 18.1 (1977), pp. 103ā110
Websites:
British Museum, Parthenon Sculptures, British Museum, https://www.britishmuseum.org/parthenon-sculptures [accessed 13 May 2025]
āCommon MHRA Referencing Mistakes to Avoid
- Missing page numbers in footnotes
- Using et al. (MHRA prefers listing all authors)
- Incorrect order of details (especially in book citations)
- Using āibid.ā incorrectly (used only if the same source and page are cited immediately above)
š MHRA vs MLA vs Chicago (Comparison Table)
| Feature | MHRA | MLA (9th ed.) | Chicago (Notes-Biblio) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citation type | Footnotes + Bibliography | In-text + Works Cited | Footnotes + Bibliography |
| Preferred fields | Literature, History, Arts | Literature, Humanities | History, Humanities |
| Author name in footnote | Full (e.g., Mary Beard) | Short (Beard 2015) | Full (e.g., Mary Beard) |
| Page numbers in footnotes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
ā Final Tips for Using MHRA
- Always double-check citation rules for capitalization, punctuation, and italicization
- Use citation management tools like Zotero, EndNote, or Mendeley with MHRA support
- Refer to the MHRA Style Guide for full details
š Conclusion
Mastering the MHRA referencing style enhances your academic credibility and helps you structure humanities research papers with clarity and professionalism. With accurate footnotes and a well-formatted bibliography, your work will meet high academic standards and avoid plagiarism.