---
title: "Change APA references into MLA (Ellis, Goodson)"
subject: "Communication English"
chapter: 4
key: "semester_5/communication_english:change-apa-to-mla-ellis-goodson"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/communication_english/change-apa-to-mla-ellis-goodson
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Change APA references into MLA (Ellis, Goodson)

Communication English · Chapter 4: Introduction to technical writing process

- Asked in: 2069 Chaitra, 4 marks
- Video: [MLA to APA citations](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwDwyveHRr4) — DSCWritingCenter
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_5/communication_english/change-apa-to-mla-ellis-goodson
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_5/communication_english/chapter-4

## Question

Change the following bibliographic references from APA style into MLA:
a) Ellis, R.(1996). How culturally appropriate is the communicative approach? ELT Journal, 50 (3)
b) Goodson, I. (2001). The principled professional. Prospects, xxx (2), 181-188.
c) Hughes, A. (1989). Testing for language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University press.
d) Nunan, D. (1989). Understanding language classroom. U.K: Prentice Hall.

## Short answer

Ellis, R. "How Culturally Appropriate Is the Communicative Approach?" ELT Journal, vol. 50, no. 3, 1996; Goodson, I. "The Principled Professional." Prospects, vol. 30, no. 2, 2001, pp. 181-88; Hughes, A. Testing for Language Teachers. Cambridge UP, 1989; Nunan, D. Understanding Language Classroom. Prentice Hall, 1989.

## Answer

#### a) Ellis
Ellis, R. "How Culturally Appropriate Is the Communicative Approach?" *ELT Journal*, vol. 50, no. 3, 1996.

(If the page range is known, add it at the end: pp. 213–18.)

#### b) Goodson
Goodson, I. "The Principled Professional." *Prospects*, vol. 30, no. 2, 2001, pp. 181–88.

(The Roman numeral xxx in the volume position is 30.)

#### c) Hughes
Hughes, A. *Testing for Language Teachers*. Cambridge UP, 1989.

#### d) Nunan
Nunan, D. *Understanding Language Classroom*. Prentice Hall, 1989.

**Notes:** MLA puts the author first, then the title (in quotation marks for an article, in italics for a book or journal), then the container (journal, with volume and number), the year and the pages. The place of publication is omitted. The year moves from after the author (APA) to the end of the entry.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. What is the Roman numeral xxx in Goodson's volume?
   A. 30
   B. 20
   C. 60
   D. 300
   Answer: A. xxx equals 30. (Key point: Roman numeral)

2. How is Ellis's entry formatted in MLA?
   A. Author (year). Title.
   B. Author, article title in quotation marks, journal in italics, vol., no., year
   C. Journal first, then author
   D. Title in italics, then year
   Answer: B. MLA: Author. "Title." Journal, vol., no., year. (Key point: MLA article format)

3. What happens to the year when changing from APA to MLA?
   A. It stays after the author
   B. It is deleted
   C. It moves from after the author to the end of the entry
   D. It goes before the title
   Answer: C. MLA places the year later in the entry. (Key point: Year placement)

## Related in Communication English

- [Change references to MLA/APA (Jones, Sasikumar)](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Achange-references-jones-sasikumar) — Communication English, chapter 4
- [Change MLA references into APA (Lawrence, Mack)](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Achange-mla-to-apa-lawrence-mack) — Communication English, chapter 4
- [Convert references to MLA/APA (Nunan, Gass)](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Achange-bibliographic-references-nunan-gass) — Communication English, chapter 4
- [APA and MLA: book and journal article](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Aapa-mla-acs-style-guide-journal) — Communication English, chapter 4
- [Transform APA references to MLA (Perkin, Morgan, Slabough)](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Atransform-apa-to-mla-perkin-hall-morgan) — Communication English, chapter 4
- [Transform references to MLA/APA (Perkin, Hall)](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Atransform-bibliographic-reference-perkin-hall) — Communication English, chapter 4

## Related in other subjects

- [Participatory approach, appropriate and labour intensive technology](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Aparticipatory-appropriate-labour) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 1