MLA style guide
The Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence Journal uses MLA style, 9th edition, for citations, works-cited lists, and manuscript formatting.
Why one style
A single house style makes every article in the journal readable, checkable, and machine-citable in the same way. MLA's container model handles the range this journal publishes in -- journal articles, datasets, model cards, technical reports, and deployed systems -- without forcing each into a form that misdescribes it.
Manuscript formatting
- Double-spaced throughout, including block quotations and the works-cited list.
- A legible serif face at 12 pt; one-inch margins; first line of each paragraph indented half an inch.
- Title in title case, not bold, not underlined, not in quotation marks.
- Section headings in title case, numbered only if the argument depends on the numbering.
- Quotations of more than four lines set as an indented block without quotation marks.
- Notes as endnotes, not footnotes. Use them for substantive comment, not for citation.
- The reference list is headed Works Cited and set with a hanging indent.
In-text citation
MLA cites in the text by author and locator, in parentheses, with the full entry in the works-cited list:
Variational quantum classifiers have been evaluated against classical baselines on benchmark datasets (Okonkwo and Wei 18).
Omit the page number when the source has no pagination. Name the author in your sentence and the parenthetical carries only the locator.
Works-cited entries
Author. "Title of Article." Title of Container, other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, location.
A published article in this journal
Okonkwo, Amara, and Liang Wei. "Variational Quantum Classifiers for Molecular Property Prediction." Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence Journal, vol. 2, no. 1, 12 Apr. 2026, pp. 18-41, https://qcaij.com/?page=article&id=QCAIJ-2026-0007.
The same work while it is still under consideration
Okonkwo, Amara, and Liang Wei. "Variational Quantum Classifiers for Molecular Property Prediction." 2026. Manuscript submitted for publication, Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence Journal. Manuscript ID QCAIJ-2026-0007, version 2.0.
The journal generates both forms automatically. Every manuscript page carries a Cite as block from the moment the draft exists, stamped with the workflow stage, so a pre-publication citation can never be mistaken for the version of record.
Sources this journal cites often
| Source | MLA pattern |
|---|---|
| Journal article with DOI | Family, Given. "Article Title." Journal, vol. 4, no. 2, 2026, pp. 10-28, https://doi.org/10.xxxx/yyyy. |
| Conference paper | Family, Given. "Paper Title." Proceedings of the Conference Name, edited by Given Family, Publisher, 2026, pp. 55-70. |
| Preprint | Family, Given. "Title." arXiv, 12 Mar. 2026, arxiv.org/abs/2603.01234. Preprint, not peer reviewed. |
| Dataset | Family, Given. Dataset Title. Version 2.1, Repository Name, 2026, https://doi.org/10.xxxx/zzzz. Dataset. |
| Software or model | Family, Given. System Name. Version 1.4, Organisation, 2026, github.com/org/repo. Software. |
| Model or system card | Organisation. Model Name System Card. Organisation, 14 May 2026, example.org/card.pdf. |
| Report by an organisation | Organisation Name. Report Title. Organisation Name, 2026, example.org/report.pdf. |
| Generative AI output | "Prompt text used, abbreviated" prompt. Tool Name, version, Developer, 3 Feb. 2026, tool.example.com. See the AI use policy. |
Verification is the author's duty
Format is not accuracy. Every entry in your works-cited list must point to a source you have read and can produce on request. Citations generated by any tool, including this platform's own, must be checked against the source before submission.