How to cite unpublished letters from the archives in MLA style?

[crazygecko]

Could you recheck the personal communications/letter guidelines from your MLA handbook? If I recall correctly letters just require: Author’s last name, first name. Letter to [name of recipient]. Date of the letter. TR (if typed), MS (if handwritten). So your example would be formatted as follows:

     Benton, Thomas Hart. Letter to Charles Fremont. 22 June 1847. MS.

Endnote’s MLA output style does not have a Personal Communications bibliography template so I modified the style* to include one which can accommodate the letter format shown above as well as your original shown below:

     Benton, Thomas Hart. Letter to Charles Fremont. 22 June 1847. John Charles Fremont Papers. Southwest Museum

     Lib., Los Angeles.

Refer to the attached images showing how to enter the information needed into the reference to generate the desired output.

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* To install the output style file:

1. Download the style file to your computer desktop.
2. Double-click the style file.  It should open in EndNote.
3. In EndNote, go to “File Menu” and choose “Save As”.  Replace the word “copy” with your style’s name or a different name if preferred and click “Save”.
4. Click on “File Menu” and choose “Close Style”.
5. Change the Endnote setting (in the MS Word ribbon) to use the new output style file.
   MLA_Mirna.ens (47.6 KB)