The MLA rule is that all periods and commas need to be put within the quotation mark, even if they aren't part of the actual quotation. Now, in British English, periods and commas would go outside the quotation mark. When writing a paper in British English according to MLA style, do commas and periods really go inside the quotation mark?

This is quoted from the Purdue On Line Writing Lab regarding the MLA style for handling quotations:

MLA Formatting Quotations

Summary: MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.

Contributors:Tony Russell, Allen Brizee, Elizabeth Angeli, Russell Keck
Last Edited: 2011-09-21 12:24:39

When you directly quote the works of others in your paper, you will format quotations differently depending on their length. Below are some basic guidelines for incorporating quotations into your paper. Please note that all pages in MLA should be double-spaced.
Short Quotations

To indicate short quotations (fewer than four typed lines of prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks. Provide the author and specific page citation (in the case of verse, provide line numbers) in the text, and include a complete reference on the Works Cited page. Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.

Check with your instructor to find out if you are allowed to break with MLA's AmE style to use the British style of the punctuation of quoted material.