Citation Style Guide - Poorvam International Journal
Poorvam Citation Style Guide
MLA 9th Edition with Adaptations for Sanskrit Studies and Indological Scholarship
Version 1.0 | January 2026
This comprehensive style guide provides detailed instructions for manuscript preparation, citation formatting, and bibliographic conventions for submissions to Poorvam International Journal of Creative Arts and Cultural Expressions (PIJCACE). Based on MLA 9th Edition, it includes specific adaptations for Sanskrit transliteration, classical Indian texts, and Indological scholarship.
Poorvam follows MLA 9th Edition as the base citation style, with specific adaptations for Sanskrit, Pali, and other Indic language materials.
Core Values
Scholarly Accuracy: Precise attribution of traditional and modern sources
Cultural Respect: Honor traditional authorship concepts while maintaining academic clarity
Accessibility: Balance specialist knowledge with readability for interdisciplinary audiences
Consistency: Uniform formatting throughout all submissions
Language Philosophy
Important: Sanskrit and other Indic languages are treated as scholarly languages, not "foreign" languages. Technical terminology from classical Indian traditions is normalized, not exoticized. Transliteration follows IAST (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration) standards.
2. Transliteration and Diacritics
Required System
IAST (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration) is mandatory for all Sanskrit, Pali, and Prakrit terms.
Standard IAST Characters
Vowels: a ā i ī u ū ṛ ṝ ḷ ḹ e ai o au
Consonants: k kh g gh ṅ / c ch j jh ñ / ṭ ṭh ḍ ḍh ṇ / t th d dh n / p ph b bh m / y r l v / ś ṣ s h / ṃ ḥ
Italicization Rules
DO NOT Italicize:
Technical terminology appearing frequently (3+ times) in the manuscript
First occurrence of highly specialized terms with translation/gloss (optional)
Emphasis (sparingly)
Rationale: IAST diacritics already mark terms as Sanskrit. Adding italics creates double-marking and reduces readability, especially when terms appear dozens of times in a manuscript.
3. Citation Format
Footnote Citations
Poorvam uses footnote citations rather than parenthetical citations.
Format: Upaniṣad Name, chapter.section.verse (or traditional division).
First Citation (Full)
"Raso vai saḥ, rasaṃ hyevāyaṃ labdhvā ānandī bhavati" (Taittirīya Upaniṣad, translated by Gambhirananda Swami, with commentary by Śaṅkarācārya, 6th ed., Advaita Ashrama, 2010, 2.7.1).
Shortened Form
Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.7.1.
Important: Upaniṣads are śruti (revealed texts) without single human authors. Cite by title, not by ṛṣi name. Ṛṣis are seers/transmitters, not composers.
4. Works Cited Format
General Structure
Order of Elements:
Author (or Title for authorless works)
Title of source (italicized)
Contributor (Edited by / Translated by / with commentary by)
Edition
Volume (if applicable)
Publisher
Publication date
Series information (if applicable)
Sanskrit Texts with Traditional Authors
Format
Author. Title. Edited by Editor Name, Publisher, Year.
Example
Viśvanātha. Sāhityadarpaṇa. Edited by Krishnamohan Shastri, Chaukhambha Sanskrit Sansthan, 2015. Kashi Sanskrit Series 145.
Texts Attributed to Traditional Authors (Smṛti)
Include traditional author even if historical authorship is debated:
Examples
Vyāsa. Bhagavadgītā. Edited by Shripad Krishna Belvalkar, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 1968.
Bharata Muni. Nāṭyaśāstra. Edited by Manomohan Ghosh, Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1951.
Patañjali. Yogasūtram. Edited by Dhundhiraj Śāstri, with commentary by Bhojarāja et al., Jaikrishnadas Haridas Gupta, 1930. Haridas Sanskrit Granthamala 83.
Vedic Texts (Śruti) - Authorless Works
Begin with title, NOT with ṛṣi or traditional "author":
Examples
Taittirīya Upaniṣad. Translated by Gambhirananda Swami, with commentary by Śaṅkarācārya, 6th ed., Advaita Ashrama, 2010.
Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Translated by Swami Madhavananda, Advaita Ashrama, 1950.
Rationale: Vedic texts are apauruṣeya (authorless). Ṛṣis are seers/transmitters, not composers. This respects Vedic epistemology while maintaining academic clarity.
Translations
Original Author First, Translator as Contributor:
Correct
Homer. The Iliad. Translated by Alexander Pope, Cassell and Company Ltd., 1909.
Incorrect
❌ Pope, Alexander, translator. The Iliad of Homer.
Commentaries
When Citing Commentary Itself
Commentator. Commentary on Base Text. Edited by Editor, Publisher, Year.
Example
Śaṅkarācārya. Bhagavadgītābhāṣya. Edited by Dinkar Vishnu Gokhale, Oriental Book Agency, 1950.
Repeated Authors
Use three hyphens (---) for entries by the same author:
Example
Ānandavardhana. Dhvanyāloka. Edited by Pattabhirama Shastri, Jayakrishnadas Haridas Gupta, 1940.
Important: Order chronologically (earliest publication first) when multiple works by same author. Use exactly three hyphens (---), not nine dashes (---------).
5. Quotations and Block Quotes
Short Quotations (Under 4 Lines)
In running text with quotation marks:
Sanskrit Example
Viśvanātha states: "Parasya na parasyeti mameti na mameti ca" (Sāhityadarpaṇa 3.12).
Block Quotations (4+ Lines of Prose, 3+ Lines of Poetry)
Bharata Natyam, Performance Theory, Embodied Knowledge, South Indian Classical Dance, Gesture Semiotics, Nāṭyaśāstra
Poor Keywords (Redundant)
❌ Bharata Natyam, Classical Dance, Indian Classical Dance, South Indian Dance, Traditional Dance, Dance [Three terms for same concept - wastes keyword slots]
7. Special Cases
Jain and Buddhist Texts
Follow same principles: traditional author if attributed in smṛti/āgama tradition, title-first for authorless canonical works.
Examples
Tattvārtha Sūtra. Translated by Nathmal Tatia, Harper Collins, 1994.
Nāgārjuna. Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. Edited and translated by Jay L. Garfield, Oxford University Press, 1995.
Dīgha Nikāya. Edited by T.W. Rhys Davids and J.E. Carpenter, Pali Text Society, 1890-1911. 3 vols.
Digital Sources
Online Editions
Kālidāsa. Abhijñānaśākuntalam. Edited by C.R. Devadhar, GRETIL (Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages), 2015, http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil/1_sanskr/5_poetry/2_kavya/kalidasa/abhijnau.htm. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
8. Pre-Submission Checklist
Before Submission, Verify:
All Sanskrit in IAST (no missing diacritics)
Technical terms in roman type (not italicized)
Book titles italicized
First footnote citation includes full publication data
Every footnote has corresponding Works Cited entry
Works Cited alphabetized correctly
Three hyphens (not nine) for repeated authors
Original authors listed first (not translators/editors)
Upaniṣads cited by title (not ṛṣi)
Smṛti texts cited with traditional author (Vyāsa, Bharata, etc.)
Keywords: 5-7, no redundancy
Abstract: 150-250 words
Em dashes (—) not three hyphens (---)
Smart/curly quotes (" ") not straight quotes (" ")
9. Sample Works Cited Entries
Classical Sanskrit Texts (Smṛti - with traditional authors)
Bharata Muni. Nāṭyaśāstra. Edited by Manomohan Ghosh, Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1951.
Kālidāsa. Abhijñānaśākuntalam. Edited by C.R. Devadhar, Motilal Banarsidass, 1984.
Patañjali. Yogasūtram. Edited by Dhundhiraj Śāstri, with commentary by Bhojarāja et al., Jaikrishnadas Haridas Gupta, 1930. Haridas Sanskrit Granthamala 83.
Vyāsa. Bhagavadgītā. Edited by Shripad Krishna Belvalkar, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 1968.
Vedic/Upaniṣadic Texts (Śruti - authorless)
Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Translated by Swami Madhavananda, Advaita Ashrama, 1950.
Taittirīya Upaniṣad. Translated by Gambhirananda Swami, with commentary by Śaṅkarācārya, 6th ed., Advaita Ashrama, 2010.
Śaṅkarācārya. Bhagavadgītābhāṣya. Edited by Dinkar Vishnu Gokhale, Oriental Book Agency, 1950.
Translations of Classical Works
Homer. The Iliad. Translated by Alexander Pope, Cassell and Company Ltd., 1909.
Kālidāsa. The Recognition of Śakuntalā. Translated by W.J. Johnson, Oxford University Press, 2001.
Modern Secondary Sources
Gerow, Edwin. "Rasa as a Category of Literary Criticism." Sanskrit and Indian Studies: Essays in Honour of Daniel H. H. Ingalls, edited by Masatoshi Nagatomi et al., D. Reidel, 1980, pp. 226-57.
Pollock, Sheldon. The Language of the Gods in the World of Men: Sanskrit, Culture, and Power in Premodern India. University of California Press, 2006.
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