MLA Guide (7th edition)

The examples provided in this guide are meant to introduce you to the basics of citing sources using the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (seventh edition). For types of resources not included in this guide (e.g., government documents, manuscript collections, video recordings) and for further information about the examples included below, please consult the MLA Handbook itself , and/or a Reference Librarian . For help with layout, margins, spacing and page numbering, see the MLA Handbook (Fig. 12, page 131). Consider using RefWorks to help you track your research and automatically create a bibliography in MLA style.

If you need help with the current version of MLA, please see the guide for MLA ( 8th edition, 2016). If you are unsure which version of MLA to use, please consult with your professor.

Table of Contents:

Parenthetical Documentation Preparing the List of Works Cited A Brief Note on Footnotes and Endnotes For More Help

PARENTHETICAL DOCUMENTATION

When using MLA documentation style, you need to reference your sources by using a combination of a list of works cited (see below) and parenthetical notation . Whenever you refer to or use another's words, facts or ideas in your paper, you are required to cite the source. Generally, brief parenthetical notations consisting of the author's last name and a page reference are sufficient. For example: (Drucker 30) .

Note: If you mention the author in your sentence, then you need only cite the page number . And if you cite more than one work by the same author , include the title of the work in your notation. For example: (Drucker, Management Cases 30) .

1. ONE AUTHOR

The character Folly denies satirizing Christianity when she says, "it is no part of my present plan to rummage through the lives of popes and priests," yet she spends much of her encomium doing just that (Erasmus 115).

2. TWO OR MORE AUTHORS

Max Weber purported that value systems could be studied "without the social scientist's own values distorting such studies" (Keat and Urry 196).

According to Russell Keat and John Urry in Social Science as Theory, Max Weber believed that value systems could be studied "without the social scientist's own values distorting such studies" (196).

Max Weber believed that individuals can objectively study values without their own values interfering with their judgment (Keat and Urry 196).

3. CORPORATE AUTHOR

Children of Central and Eastern Europe have not escaped the nutritional ramifications of iron deficiency, a worldwide problem (UNICEF 44).

4. NO AUTHOR

Marketers of health services and products will find the National Center for Health Statistics' site useful, particularly its statistics on mortality rates. Discovering a population's leading causes of death "tells the researcher a lot about its underlying health problems" ("Information to Die For" 40).

5. WORK IN AN ANTHOLOGY

Cite the author of the essay or story and not the editor of the anthology unless they are the same.

Although some critics disliked Mel Brook's 1993 parody of Robin Hood, it is actually "in the mainstream of the Robin Hood tradition" (Knight 461).

6. INDIRECT QUOTATION

Chief Joseph concluded his surrender by stating eloquently: "[.. .] I will fight no more forever" (qtd. in Safire 108).

7. ONLINE RESOURCE

If the work is not paginated, include the name of the author or editor within the context of your sentence (for example, from a discussion list).

Posting on the VICTORIA listserv, Karen O'Connell mentioned a relevant novel by Wilkie Collins that deals with the 19th-century use of arsenic as a complexion improver.

If the work is paginated, cite it as you would a print resource.

Imagine that the sentences above could somehow be synthesized and used in a single paper. The works cited page would look like this:

WORKS CITED

Erasmus, Desiderius. The Praise of Folly. Trans. Clarence H. Miller. New Haven:

        Yale University Press, 1979. Print.

"Information to Die For."   Marketing Health Services 22.1 (2002): 40-42.  ABI/Inform.

        Web.  14 Aug. 2009.

Keat, Russell, and John Urry.   Social Theory as Science.   2nd ed.  London: Routledge

        and K. Paul, 1982.  Print.

Knight, Stephen.  "Robin Hood: Men in Tights: Fitting the Tradition Snugly."

        Robin Hood: An Anthology of Scholarship and Criticism.   Ed. Stephen

        Knight.  Woodbridge: D. S. Brewer, 1999.  461-467.  Print.

O'Connell, Karen.  "Re: Poisoning."  VICTORIA.  Indiana U.  3 Nov. 2000.  Web.

        14 Aug. 2009.

Safire, William.   Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History. New York: W. W.

         Norton and Company, 1992. Print.

UNICEF.   Generation in Jeopardy: Children in Central and Eastern Europe and the

         Former Soviet Union. Ed. Alexander Zouev. Armonk: M. E. Sharpe, 1999.

         Print.

PREPARING THE LIST OF WORKS CITED

As demonstrated above, a works cited page consists of an alphabetical listing of the books, articles and other sources that you parenthetically noted in your paper. The works cited page occurs at the end of your paper; however, it is useful to create a draft of it before you begin writing. Following are typical examples of the types of references you will use in your research.

Include some or all of the following elements in your book citation:

  • Author or editor
  • Title (italicized)
  • Translator or compiler
  • Volume(s) used
  • Name of series
  • Place of publication, publisher, and date of publication
  • Page numbers
  • Name of vendor, database, or provider (italicized)
  • Medium of publication consulted (e.g., Print)
  • Date of access (Web only; day, month, year)
  • Supplementary information and annotation

1. ONE AUTHOR OR EDITOR

Cather, Willa.   The Professor's House.   New York: A. A. Knopf, 1925.  Print.

UNICEF.   Generation in Jeopardy: Children in Central and Eastern Europe

         and the Former Soviet Union.   Ed. Alexander Zouev.  Armonk: M. E.

         Sharpe, 1999.  Print.

Hudson, Valerie N., ed.   Culture and Foreign Policy.   Boulder: L. Rienner

         Publishers, 1997.  Print.

2. TWO OR MORE AUTHORS OR EDITORS

    Names should be given in the order in which they appear on the title page.

Keat, Russell, and John Urry. Social Theory as Science. 2nd ed. London: Routledge

         and K. Paul, 1982. Print.

Kennedy, Mary, Kathy Lubelska, and Val Walsh, eds. Making Connections: Women's

         Studies, Women's Movements, Women's Lives. London: Taylor and Francis,

        1993. Print.

3. ELECTRONIC BOOK

    Include the vendor, database, or provider's name (italicized) and date of access (day, month, year) .

Turam, Berna. Between Islam and the State: The Politics of Engagement. Stanford,

         CA: Stanford UP, 2007. NetLibrary. Web. 14 Aug. 2009.

     If the book is accessed from a SCHOLARLY PROJECT , also include the project     name, place of publication, and the date of the electronic publication if available.

Child, Lydia Maria. An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans.

        Boston: Allen and Ticknor, 1833. Women Writers Online. Brown U. Web. 14

        Aug. 2009.

4. ANTHOLOGY

Knight, Stephen.  "Robin Hood: Men in Tights: Fitting the Tradition Snugly."          

        Robin Hood: An Anthology of Scholarship and Criticism.   Ed. Stephen

Barrick, Richard, John Sullivan, and Alexander White.  "The American Bloody Register."

       Pillars of Salt: An Anthology of Early American Criminal Narratives.   Comp. 

       Daniel E. Williams.  Madison: Madison House, 1993.  233-258.  Print.

5. INTRODUCTION, PREFACE, FOREWORD, OR AFTERWORD

Ritterson, Michael.  Introduction.   The Odin Field: A Story. By Wilhem Raabe.

      Trans. Michael Ritterson.  Studies in German Literature, Linguistics, and Culture.

      Rochester: Camden House, 2001.  xi-xxvii.  Print.

6. MULTIVOLUME WORK

Tomkins, Silvan S.   Affect, Imagery, Consciousness.   4 vols.  New York: Springer,

         1962-1992. Print.

Anthony, Robert N., and James S. Reece.   Accounting Principles.   7th ed.  Chicago:

        Irwin, 1995.  Print.

8. TRANSLATION

Erasmus, Desiderius.   The Praise of Folly.   Trans.  Clarence H. Miller.  New Haven:

        Yale, 1979. Print.

9. ARTICLE IN A REFERENCE BOOK

"Audubon, John James."   The New Encyclopaedia Britannica: Micropaedia.   15th

        ed.  2002.  Print.

"Audubon, John James."   Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.   Encyclopaedia

        Britannica, 2009.  Web.  14 Aug. 2009.

Ebeling, Richard, ed.   Global Free Trade: Rhetoric or Reality?  Hillsdale, MI: Hillsdale

        College Press, 1993.  Print.  Champions of Freedom 20.

B. Articles in Periodicals

Include some or all of the following in your article citation:

  • Article title (usually in quotation marks)
  • Periodical title (italicized)
  • Series/Issue number or name
  • Volume number
  • Issue number (if available)
  • Publication date (year for scholarly journals; day, month, year for others, as available)
  • Medium of publication
  • Name of database (italicized and placed before medium of publication) (Web only)
  • Date of access (day, month, year) (Web only)

1. SCHOLARLY JOURNAL

Freedman, L.  "The Changing Forms of Military Conflict."   Survival 40.4 (1998): 39-56.

        Print.

Kirby, John T.  "Aristotle on Metaphor."   American Journal of Philology 118.4

        (1997): 517-554.  Print.

Online Journal -- Use n. pag. to indicate the absence of inclusive page numbers.

Ketabgian, Tamara.  Rev. of The Body Economic: Life, Death, and Sensation in

        Political Economy and the Victorian Novel, by Catherine Gallagher.  Bryn Mawr

        Review of Comparative Literature 6.2 (2007): n. pag.  Web.  19 Aug. 2009.

Chan, Winnie.  "Curry on the Divide in Rudyard Kipling's Kim and Gurinder Chadha's

        Bend it Like Beckham."  ARIEL: A Review of International English

        Literature 36.3-4 (2005): 1-23. Web.  14. Aug. 2009.

      Full text of an article from a Database -- Include the name of the      database, the name of the database provider and the date of access.      Use n. pag. to indicate the absence of inclusive page numbers.   

Freedman, Lawrence. "The Changing Forms of Military Conflict." Survival 40.4 (1998):

        39-56. ProQuest Research Library.  Web.  14 Aug. 2009.

  Kirby, John T.  "Aristotle on Metaphor."   American Journal of Philology 118.4 (1997):

       517-554.  JSTOR.  Web.  14 Aug. 2009.

2. MAGAZINE

     Monthly or Bimonthly

Goldberger, Paul. "Machines for Living: Architectonic Allure of the Automobile."

        Architectural Digest Oct. 1996: 82.

     Weekly

Levy, Steven, and Brad Stone.  "Silicon Valley Reboots."   Newsweek 25 Mar.

        2002: 42-50.  Print.

        2002: 42-50.  Academic Search Premier.  Web.  14 Aug. 2009.

3. ANONYMOUS ARTICLE

"Information to Die For."   Marketing Health Services 22.1 (2002): 40-42.  Print.

"Information to Die For."   Marketing Health Services 22.1 (2002): 40-42.   ABI/Inform.        14 Aug. 2009.

4. NEWSPAPER

Pianin, Eric.  "Use of Arsenic in Wood Products to End."   The Washington Post 13

       Feb. 2002, final ed.: A2.  Print.

Pianin, Eric.  "Use of Arsenic in Wood Products to End."   The Washington Post 13 Feb.

       2002, final ed.: A2.  LexisNexis Academic.   Web.  14 Aug. 2009.

Nash, Alanna.  "Hit 'em with a lizard!"  Rev. of   Basket Case, by Carl Hiaasen.  New

        York Times 3 Feb. 2002, late ed., sec. 7: 24.  Print.

        York Times 3 Feb.  2002, late ed., sec. 7: 24.  LexisNexis Academic.  Web.  14

C. Web Sites

Following are elements to include when citing entire Web sites. Keep in mind that

if you cannot find all of the elements, you should include whatever is available on the site . The URL is no longer required unless locating the site requires it or your professor requires it.

  • Title of Web site (italicized)
  • Site publisher/sponsor
  • Date of site's publication (if none, use n.d. )
  • Date of access (day, month, year)

1. SCHOLARLY PROJECT

Crane, Gregory, ed.  Perseus Digital Library.  Dept. of the Classics, Tufts U.

      n.d.  Web.  14 Aug. 2009.

2. PROFESSIONAL SITE

Financial Accounting Standards Board .  Feb. 2002.  Web.  14 Aug. 2009.

3. PERSONAL SITE

Lewis, Paul.  The Wilkie Collins Pages.   n.d.  Web. 14 Aug. 2009. 

       <http://www.paullewis.co.uk/>.

See also Electronic Book and Periodicals above.

D. Online Postings

To cite a posting from a discussion list, include the following elements if available:

  • Author of posting
  • Title of posting (from subject line of posting, in quotes)
  • Name of discussion list
  • Date of posting
  • 5. Medium of publication
  • Date of access

O'Connell, Karen.  "Re: Poisoning." VICTORIA. Indiana U.  3 Nov. 2000. Web.

A BRIEF NOTE ON FOOTNOTES AND ENDNOTES

Long explanatory footnotes or endnotes can distract the reader. Nevertheless, you may occasionally need to clarify a citation with a bibliographic note . Or you may wish to incorporate information that might interest your reader but which would seem tangential if included within the text of your paper. In this case, you would use a content note. Notes are indicated with consecutive superscript numbers within the text of your paper. The actual note is indented and can occur either as a footnote at the bottom of the page or as an endnote at the end of the paper.

1. BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE

Nineteenth-century critics of cheap, mass-produced fiction feared that the gory subject matter of stories like Sweeney Todd would lead a generation of youth into depravity. 1

          1 For a selection of penny fiction as well as 19th-century criticism of it, see

Haining's The Penny Dreadful .

2. CONTENT NOTE

Charles Knight did not rely solely on the cheaply printed word in publications like the Penny Magazine to educate people; he also mass-produced images to diffuse knowledge visually. 2

2 Patricia Anderson's The Printed Image and the Transformation of Popular Culture, 1790-1860 provides examples of Penny Magazine images, such as depictions of flamingos, reproduced portraits of people like Benjamin Franklin, and engravings of famous artworks like "The Dying Gladiator" and "Laocoon" (50-83).

FOR MORE HELP

Following are links to sites that have additional information and further examples:

  • RefWorks : Once you have created an account, go to Tools/Preview Output Style to see examples of MLA style.
  • Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL) : Excellent source for research, writing and citation tips.
  • Citing Sources : Duke University's guide to citing sources. The site offers comparison citation tables with examples from APA , Chicago , MLA and Turabian for both print and electronic works.
  • Citing Electronic Primary Sources : From the Library of Congress. Provides MLA and Turabian examples of citing formats such as films, photographs, maps and recorded sound that are accessed electronically.

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MLA Style (9th Edition) Citation Guide: Introduction to MLA Style

  • Introduction to MLA Style
  • Journal Articles
  • Magazine/Newspaper Articles
  • Books & Ebooks
  • Government & Legal Documents
  • Biblical Sources
  • Secondary Sources
  • Videos/DVDs/TV Shows
  • How to Cite: Other
  • 9th Edition Updates
  • Additional Help

Who should use MLA Style?

MLA style is used to cite sources within English, international languages, theater, cultural studies, and other humanities. 

What is MLA Style?

MLA style was created by the Modern Language Association of America. It is a set of rules for publications, including research papers.

In MLA style, you must cite sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places:

  • In the body of your paper where you add a brief in-text citation .
  • In the Works Cited list at the end of your paper where you give more complete information for the source.
  • Sample Student Papers (MLA Handbook Plus)
  • MLA Style Sample Paper (Purdue OWL)
  • Formatting Your MLA Paper (including paper template)

MLA Core Elements

When deciding how to cite your source, start by consulting the list of core elements. These are the general pieces of information that MLA suggests including in each Works Cited entry. In your citation, the elements should be listed in the following order:

  • Title of source.
  • Title of container,
  • Other contributors,
  • Publication date,

Each element should be followed by the punctuation mark shown here. Earlier editions of the handbook included the place of publication and required different punctuation (such as journal editions in parentheses and colons after issue numbers). In the current version, punctuation is simpler (only commas and periods separate the elements), and information about the source is kept to the basics.

Note: According to p. 42 of the MLA Handbook, publisher information may be omitted for:

  • periodicals (journals, magazines, newspapers)
  • works published by an author or editor
  • web sites whose title is the same as the name of the publisher
  • a web site not involved in producing the work it makes (e.g. user-generated content sites like YouTube)

Commonly Used Terms

Access Date:  The date you first look at a source. The access date is added to the end of citations for all websites except library databases.

Citation: Details about one cited source.

Citing: The process of acknowledging the sources of your information and ideas.

In-Text Citation: A brief note at the point where information is used from a source to indicate where the information came from. An in-text citation should always match more detailed information that is available in the Works Cited List.

Paraphrasing: Taking information that you have read and putting it into your own words.

Plagiarism: Taking, using, and passing off as your own, the ideas or words of another.

Quoting: The copying of words of text originally published elsewhere. Direct quotations generally appear in quotation marks and end with a citation.

Works Cited List: Contains details on ALL the sources cited in a text or essay, and supports your research and/or premise.

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MLA Citation Guide (MLA 9th Edition): MLA 9 Intro

  • Understanding Core Elements
  • Formatting Appendices and Works Cited List
  • Writing an Annotated Bibliography
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  • In-Text Citation
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Writers, including students, must reference sources that are paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used in research papers and other assignments. MLA style is a set of guidelines for documenting sources which is an important and required part of the research and writing process. There are two key things to know:

  • Make in-text citations in the body of your paper.   An in-text citation points your readers to the corresponding full citation in the work-cited list. The in-text citation is a concise note directly after the idea or quote you are citing. See the In Text Citation tab for details and examples.
  • Create a works-cited list that includes complete bibliographic information about each referenced source.  The works-cited list, located at the end of your paper, includes all of the sources you reference in your paper. Templates and examples of common citations are included below and through the How Do I Cite tab.

Please contact us  with any questions.

Contact a librarian for a specialized help session about MLA citation. We are here to help!

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MLA Handbook

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The MLA Handbook ninth edition was published in April 2021. The main differences between the eighth and ninth editions include:

  • New chapters about inclusive language, formatting a research paper, and using notes
  • An expanded description of the core elements, more descriptive explanations of in-text citations and guidelines for avoiding plagiarism
  • New suggestions about citing works contained in apps and databases
  • Hundred of examples about how to cite and list sources

Hard copies of the  MLA Handbook  are available at the Research Help Desk on the 2nd floor of the Knowledge Center.

Additional Resources

Do you want more citation help? Choose one of the links below or contact a librarian for a  specialized help session  about MLA citation.

  • Quick-How-Tos of MLA Citation  - Short and accessible explanation and examples of basic citation.
  • MLA Tricky Citations  - The University's Writing Center shows examples of citing less common sources.
  • Purdue's MLA Guide (Online Writing Lab - OWL)   - A thorough collection of MLA 8 citation and style examples.
  • MLA Style Guide FAQs  - The official website of the Modern Language Association.

Common Citations

Below are a handful of the most common citations. You will see the source type (for example, article, book, website) followed by the formatting guideline and examples for both the full citation for the works-cited list and the short in-text citation that appears in the body of the paper.

Works Cited List:  Author Last Name, First Name.  Title . Publisher, Year.

In-text: (Author Last Name Page Number)

Works Cited List:  Olsen, Dale A. Music of El Dorado: the Ethnomusicology of Ancient South American Cultures . UP of Florida, 2002.

In-text: (Olsen 25)

Author's Last Name, First Name.  Title.  Edition if given and is not first edition, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication.  Name of Library Database,  Permalink URL.

McClean, Shilo T.  Digital Storytelling: The Narrative Power of Visual Effects in Film . MIT Press, 2007.  eBook Comprehensive Academic Collection (EBSCOhost) , search.ebscohost.com.

Journal Article from Database

Works Cited List: Author Last Name, First Name. "Title."  Journal/Magazine/Newspaper Title , Publication Information [volume, issue/number, year, pages]. Name of Database , DOI, Permalink or shortened URL for article in the database. 

Works Cited List : Latartara, John. "The Timbre of Thai Classical Singing." Asian Music , vol. 43, no. 2, 2012, pp. 88-114. Project MUSE , https://doi.org/10.1353/amu.2012.0013

In-text: (Latartara 97-8)

Works Cited List : Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Page or Article."  Title of Site , Sponsor or Publisher [include only if different from website title or author], Date of Publication or Update Date, URL. Accessed Date [optional; include date you accessed source if it is likely to help readers].

In-text : (Author Last Name or page title)

Works Cited List : Andaya, Barbara. "Introduction to Southeast Asia."  Center for Global Education,  Asia Society, 2017, asiasociety.org/education/introduction-southeast-asia . Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.

In-text citation: (Andaya)

Note: If an author is not listed, begin the citation with the title of the page. For example if the author was not evident on the citation above, the works cited entry would be:

"Vietnam: a Historical Introduction." Center for Global Education,  Asia Society, 2017, asiasociety.org/education/vietnam. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.

Works Cited in another Source

Sometimes an author will mention work by another author by using a quotation or paraphrased idea. For example, the Kirkey article you are reading includes a quotation by Smith. The basic rule is that in both the works-cited list and in-text citation, cite Kirkey. Use the words “qtd. in” for the in-text citation.  

Works Cited List:  Kirkey, Susan. "Euthanasia."  The Montreal Gazette , 9 Feb. 2013, p. A.10.  Canadian Newsstand Major Dailies.

In-text citation:  According to a study by Smith (qtd. in Kirkey), 42% of doctors would refuse to perform legal euthanasia.

Smith (qtd. in Kirkey) states that “even if euthanasia was legal, 42% of doctors would be against this method of assisted dying” (A.10).

Additional Examples

  • Choose sources from the How Do I Cite tab  drop down menu for more formatting guidelines and examples.
  • You can also visit our Quick How To for MLA Citation .

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Citing Sources

Mla handbook, 9th edition, works cited, paper format, in-text citations.

  • Research Posters
  • Essay Template
  • Sample Essays

MLA style, or Modern Language Association , refers to a set of citation and paper formatting standards first established in 1951. Disciplines using MLA include literature, language, and cultural studies.

Important Notes

  • The Works Cited page is the final section of your paper or project.
  • Works Cited page requires the same last name, page number header as the rest of your paper, each line is double spaced with the second (and any following) trailing lines of a reference entry indented.
  • Title the page Works Cited and center the title.
  • The page contains the citations for the sources of information you used in your paper. Every source in your paper should appear on the Works Cited page and correspond to an in-text citation in the body of your paper.

General Formatting

MLA style uses a core-container approach to citations. Core elements are author and title. Container refers to "when the source being documented forms part of a larger whole, the larger whole can be thought of as a container that holds the source. For example, a short story may be contained in an anthology. The short story is the source, and the anthology is the container" ( MLA Style ).

For Works Cited, include as much of the following information as possible with the appropriate punctuation. Not every element will apply to your sources.

Author. Title. Title of container, other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, location.

Author Last Name, First Name Middle Initial. "Title."  , Other contributors (translators or editors), Version (edition), Number (vol. and/or no.), Publisher, Publication Date, Location (pages, paragraphs and/or URL, DOI or permalink).   container’s title, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location, Date of Access (if applicable).

*electronic sources that do not have prescribed page numbers should not be assigned page numbers for MLA formatting. Do not use the print preview function to create page numbers for electronic sources if they are not already provided.

(Author Last Name Page Number) According to Author Last Name, ... (Page Number).
Silva, Paul J.  E-book, American Psychological Association, 2007. (Silva 103)

 

Silva argues "direct quote" (117).

Collins, Ross. "Writing and Desire: Synthesizing Rhetorical Theories of Genre and

Lacanian Theories of the Unconscious."  , vol. 33, spring 2016,

compositionforum.com/issue/33/writing-desire.php.

(Collins)

*note that this article does not contain page numbers, therefore none are referenced in in-text citation 

**note that the link does not contain https:// or www. MLA omits these.

According to Collins, ...

Lundman, Susan. “How to Make Vegetarian Chili.”  ,

www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html. Accessed 6 July 2015.

(Lundman) As Lundman instructs...

Creator of the image. . Date of composition, Location of the image (URL if online)

Bearden, Romare.  . 1975.  ,

www.moma.org/collection/works/65232?locale=en.

(Bearden) In Romare Bearden's work , ...

Sennett, Richard, and Jonathan Cobb.  . Vintage

Books, 1973.

(Sennett and Cobb 58) According to Sennett and Cobb, "direct quote" (32).

Other Sources and Questions

  • MLA Style Citations by Format
  • Excelsior Writing Lab
  • Referencing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers
  • Margins: 1-inch
  • Font: use a clear font between 11 and 13 points. One example is Times New Roman font.
  • Running header: Add a running head in the upper right-hand corner with your last name, a space, and then a page number. Pages should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
  • Line spacing: double-space all of the text of your paper (including entries within Works Cited). 
  • First page: list your name, your instructor’s name, the course, and the date double-spaced in the upper left-hand corner of the first page. This is your header. There is no cover page.
  • Title: center the title on the next double-spaced line after the header.
  • Sample student papers 
  • MLA Style checklist

MLA requires in-text or parenthetical citations in author-page format. In-text citations are required for all direct quotations and paraphrases. Page numbers should be copied exactly as they are in the source (for instance, 422, D32, xxxii). If source contains no page numbers, or is only one page, do no include page numbers.

Remember, your in-text citation should match that of the corresponding bibliographic entry. A reader should be able to move from your in-text citation to the Works Cited entry.

  • At the end of the day Wilbur made “in excess of half a million dollars” (Marx 43).
  • According to Marx, Wilbur made “in excess of half a million dollars” (43).

For less common sources (no known author, work in anthology, work with multiple authors, etc.), see Purdue OWL  or Excelsior OWL . 

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How to Cite Your Sources

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MLA (9th ed.)

The mla style comes from the modern language association and is primarily used in the humanities and arts., mla handbook plus is available online through the library to help you cite every source..

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  • Works Cited List
  • Works Cited: Books & Articles

Works Cited: Online Sources

  • Works Cited: MLA Core Elements Template

In-Text Citations

Works cited.

Your Works Cited page includes every item you have cited in text and provides as much bibliographic information as you're able to find so your readers can locate the sources themselves.

Page Format

  • Title: Works Cited
  • Page title is center-justified on the page, entries are left-justified with a hanging indent (second and subsequent lines indented) of a half-inch.
  • Entries listed alphabetically by author, or title of source if no author name.

Reference Format

The core elements of a journal/periodical article citation:, author. “article title.” journal title , vol. n , no. n , [year], pp. n-n . [location]..

Note that if the article is from the publisher website (which is considered self-contained) the URL falls within the punctuation following the page number(s).

Common Questions

  • If you're citing an online source, note that including the date you accessed the website is encouraged only when there's no publication date and you can't guarantee the website will still be there in the future. (See Supplemental Elements .)
  • A platform such as Canvas is only the container if the item has been published through it: a Library database publishes the full text of an article, but Canvas is only the means through which you might read it. However, a lecture posted to Canvas would be considered published through Canvas and you'd then include the platform as the "container" in your citation. (See Journal/Source Title .)
  • PDFs are not considered a separate source type in MLA as instead they're the medium through which you're reading the source itself, such as a book chapter or journal article. In general, the Location field will direct your reader to the primary version of the document through URL or DOI. But if there are multiple versions of the document, include "PDF download" at the end of your citation in the Supplemental Element field to tell your reader which version you are citing.

More info about...

Author | document title | journal/source title (container) | contributor | version | number | publisher | publication date | location | supplemental elements.

Find more about these topics at the MLA Handbook sections mentioned throughout.

More info: MLA Handbook 5.3-22

  • Smith, Max.
  • Smith, Max, and Sam Jones.
  • Smith, Max, et al.
  • Matsuo, Bashō.
  • Ngũgĩ wa Thiongʼo.
  • Online handles: add in square brackets after author name, unless author name and handle are similar.
  • U.S. Department of Education.

DOCUMENT TITLE

More info: MLA Handbook 5.23-30

  • “Tapping the Youth Vote.”
  • No title? Write a “concise but informative description of the work” (MLA Handbook)
  • Subtitle? Sometimes not obvious, so check the copyright page if available.

JOURNAL/SOURCE TITLE (which MLA calls the Container of the document)

More info: MLA Handbook 5.31-37

  • Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.
  • 1 container : article read in print journal, tv show aired on tv, short story read in an anthology
  • 2 containers : journal article in database, tv show on platform, chapter in edited anthology read on a website
  • Works considered self-contained : book read in print, manuscript read in person, movie watched in a theater
  • What is not a container - things that didn’t publish the thing you’re reading. That is to say, Canvas is not a container of a link to article but it IS the container for a lecture video published in the course shell.

CONTRIBUTOR if applicable

More info: MLA Handbook 5.38-47

  • Translators, editors

VERSION if applicable

More info: MLA Handbook 5.48-50

  • Edition, if an e-book

NUMBER if part of a sequence

More info: MLA Handbook 5.51-53

  • vol. 12, no. 1,
  • season 3, episode 4,

More info: MLA Handbook 5.54-67

  • Website platform
  • It's ongoing - you don't need to list a publisher for a journal because it's an ongoing periodical
  • The website and publisher names are the same
  • It's a platform others use to put their stuff up (such as YouTube)

PUBLICATION DATE

More info: MLA Handbook 5.68-83

  • 4 Aug. 2022.

LOCATION if applicable

More info: MLA Handbook 5.84-99

Location makes reference to the container(s) of the work:

  • Journal articles from a publisher website have one container - the journal, made available by the publisher, and the location is the DOI or permalink.
  • Journal articles from a Library database have two containers - the journal and the database.

Formatting notes:

  • No further location information needed if in print.
  • PDF or found online? Add DOI/permalink/URL.
  • But if you can't find the DOI or one doesn't exist, use the article permalink : https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.abo3420
  • Online sources considered SELF-CONTAINED (such as from the publisher's website) : As the DOI/URL/permalink is the location of the self-contained work, it falls within the punctuation following the page number(s).
  • MLA Handbook . 9th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2021.
  • E-books you read through a database or platform will use the database or platform and URL as the location.

SUPPLEMENTAL ELEMENTS if applicable

More info: MLA Handbook 5.105-119

  • Contributor, original publication date, section of a work
  • Date of access for online item but only if there's no given publication date or if the website/item might disappear
  • More details about the document type (publication status, whether it's a thesis or dissertation, etc.)
  • PDF : "[I]f you view a file type, such as a PDF, other than the one presented as the default version of the work on a page where other versions of the work are available, include PDF download, supplementary material , or a similar description in the supplemental element." ( MLA Handbook, 5.112 )

Works Cited: Books and Articles

These are some commonly used source types and how they're formatted. Remember that your Works Cited references will require a hanging indent (second and subsequent lines indented) of a half-inch.

Source type: Print book | E-book | Scholarly article | Newspaper article | Magazine article

Newspaper article from the website; one author.

Astor, Maggie. “What’s on the Minds of 12 Young Voters.” The New York Times , 19 Oct. 2022. NYTimes.com , https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/19/us/politics/young-voters.html.

E-book from a database; one author

Cahill, Cathleen D. Recasting the Vote : How Women of Color Transformed the Suffrage Movement . E-book. The University of North Carolina Press, 2020. EBSCOhost , https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=2432685&site=ehost-live.  

Newspaper article from a database; one author

Gross, Neil. “Does College Make You Vote?” Chronicle of Higher Education , vol. 59, 24 Nov. 2012, p. B2. EBSCOhost , https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=83623976&site=ehost-live.  

Scholarly article from a database; multiple authors

Larson, Lincoln R., et al. “The Future of Wildlife Conservation Funding: What Options Do U.S. College Students Support?” Conservation Science & Practice , vol. 3, no. 10, Oct. 2021, pp. 1–12. EBSCOhost , https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.505.  

Magazine article from a database; one author

Padilla, Dynahlee. “Tapping the Youth Vote.” Diverse: Issues in Higher Education , vol. 37, no. 18, Oct. 2020, pp. 20–21. EBSCOhost , https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=146573844&site=ehost-live.  

Print book ; two authors

Shea, Daniel M., and John Clifford Green. Fountain of Youth: Strategies and Tactics for Mobilizing America's Young Voters . Rowman & Littlefield, 2007.  

Scholarly article from a database; two authors

Spagnuolo, Natalie, and Fady Shanouda. “Who Counts and Who Is Counted? Conversations around Voting, Access, and Divisions in the Disability Community.” Disability & Society , vol. 32, no. 5, June 2017, pp. 701–19. EBSCOhost , https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2017.1324765.  

Wolfe, Rob. “America’s Best Colleges for Student Voting.” Washington Monthly , vol. 54, no. 9/10, Sept. 2022, pp. 60–63. EBSCOhost , https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=158554880&site=ehost-live.

These are some commonly used online source types and how they're formatted. Remember that your Works Cited references will require a hanging indent (second and subsequent lines indented) of a half-inch.

  • Access date : If you're citing an online source, note that including the date you accessed the website is encouraged only when there's no publication date and you can't guarantee the website will still be there in the future.
  • Containers : For online sources, the MLA handbook states "A website is a container only when it serves as the platform of publication of the particular version of the work you consult" ( MLA Handbook 5.34 ; emphasis added). In that case, you will include the URL/DOI/permalink within the punctuation of the original container (such as a newspaper or website).

Section of a website

“New Jersey.” Ballotpedia , https://ballotpedia.org/New_Jersey. Accessed 18 Oct. 2022.  

Entire website

Ballotpedia , https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page. Accessed 18 Oct. 2022.  

Government info from a government website

“Electoral College History.” National Archives , 18 Nov. 2019, https://www.archives.gov/electoral-college/history.  

Newspaper article from the newspaper website

Astor, Maggie. “What’s on the Minds of 12 Young Voters.” The New York Times , 19 Oct. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/19/us/politics/young-voters.html.

MLA Core Elements

MLA formats each work cited using a set of core elements that are included in the citation if applicable and punctuated appropriately.

Find more details about the core elements in the MLA Handbook Plus or use the fill-in template below.

  • MLA Interactive Practice Template (MLA 9) "The template is a tool for teaching and learning MLA style, not a citation generator. To verify that your entry is correct, consult the MLA Handbook."

In-text citations are a brief parenthetical reference within the text of your paper that includes the author name and page number so your reader knows where to find the source of your information.

The author name points your reader to the source citation on the works cited list, and the page number shows where in the source you found the quotation or text you used.

More info on in-text citations: MLA Handbook 6.31-77

Example article used throughout : Niemi, Richard G., and Michael J. Hanmer. “Voter Turnout Among College Students: New Data and a Rethinking of Traditional Theories.” Social Science Quarterly , vol. 91, no. 2, June 2010, pp. 301–23. EBSCOhost , https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2010.00694.x.

Quoting or paraphrasing the source

Parentheses are placed within the sentence punctuation and include author's last name and the page number where the relevant text is found..

  • Quote: “ Traditional theories about voter turnout do not always fit well with the unique characteristics of college students" (Niemi and Hanmer 303).
  • Paraphrase: The voting habits of college students sometimes conflict with more general ideas about voters (Niemi and Hanmer 303).

Articles with more than 3+ authors are referred to in the parenthetical with the first author surname and et al. : (Larson et al. 2).

Attributing the author in text

Parentheses are placed within the sentence punctuation and include only the page number as the author is mentioned in text through use of a signal phrase ..

In the case of 3+ authors , "you may list all the names or provide the name of the first collaborator followed by 'and others' or 'and colleagues.'" ( MLA Handbook Plus 6.5 )

In 2010, Niemi and Hanmer noted that college students are not studied as often as older voters (303).

  • Signal and Lead-in Phrases (Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)) A handy list of words and phrases from the Purdue OWL you can use to signal to your reader that you're about to cite a source.

Long quotations (more than 4 lines of prose or 3+ lines of verse)

Indent quotation half an inch from left margin. if the author name is used in text, put just the page number in parentheses following sentence punctuation. if the author name is not used in text, include in parentheses following sentence punctuation..

Niemi and Hanmer observe that

[w]ith the age of college students almost invariant and the meaning and measurement of their education and mobility questionable, several key variables used in models of voter turnout may well not account for varying rates of turnout among college students. Though there is considerable variation among students in hours worked, most student jobs do not mirror the careers they will ultimately obtain, so labor force participation may also be of limited explanatory power. (304)

Writing Help from the WCC

  • Using Quotations (Stevens WCC) How to incorporate quotations into your paper from the Stevens Writing & Communication Center. (Note: intranet site; must be logged into myStevens for access.)
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MLA Works Cited Page: Basic Format

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According to MLA style, you must have a Works Cited page at the end of your research paper. All entries in the Works Cited page must correspond to the works cited in your main text.

Basic rules

  • Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your research paper. It should have the same one-inch margins and last name, page number header as the rest of your paper.
  • Only the title should be centered. The citation entries themselves should be aligned with the left margin.
  • Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries.
  • Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inches to create a hanging indent.
  • List page numbers of sources efficiently, when needed. If you refer to a journal article that appeared on pages 225 through 250, list the page numbers on your Works Cited page as pp. 225-50 (Note: MLA style dictates that you should omit the first sets of repeated digits. In our example, the digit in the hundreds place is repeated between 2 25 and 2 50, so you omit the 2 from 250 in the citation: pp. 225-50). If the excerpt spans multiple pages, use “pp.”   Note that MLA style uses a hyphen in a span of pages.
  • If only one page of a print source is used, mark it with the abbreviation “p.” before the page number (e.g., p. 157). If a span of pages is used, mark it with the abbreviation “pp.” before the page number (e.g., pp. 157-68).
  • If you're citing an article or a publication that was originally issued in print form but that you retrieved from an online database, you should type the online database name in italics. You do not need to provide subscription information in addition to the database name.
  • For online sources, you should include a location to show readers where you found the source. Many scholarly databases use a DOI (digital object identifier). Use a DOI in your citation if you can; otherwise use a URL. Delete “http://” from URLs. The DOI or URL is usually the last element in a citation and should be followed by a period.
  • All works cited entries end with a period.

Additional basic rules new to MLA 2021

New to MLA 2021:

  • Apps and databases should be cited only when they are containers of the particular works you are citing, such as when they are the platforms of publication of the works in their entirety, and not an intermediary that redirects your access to a source published somewhere else, such as another platform. For example, the Philosophy Books app should be cited as a container when you use one of its many works, since the app contains them in their entirety. However, a PDF article saved to the Dropbox app is published somewhere else, and so the app should not be cited as a container.
  • If it is important that your readers know an author’s/person’s pseudonym, stage-name, or various other names,  then you should generally cite the better-known form of author’s/person’s name. For example, since the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is better-known by his pseudonym, cite Lewis Carroll opposed to Charles Dodgson (real name).
  • For annotated bibliographies , annotations should be appended at the end of a source/entry with one-inch indentations from where the entry begins. Annotations may be written as concise phrases or complete sentences, generally not exceeding one paragraph in length.

Capitalization and punctuation

  • Capitalize each word in the titles of articles, books, etc, but do not capitalize articles (the, an), prepositions, or conjunctions unless one is the first word of the title or subtitle: Gone with the Wind, The Art of War, There Is Nothing Left to Lose .
  • Use italics (instead of underlining) for titles of larger works (books, magazines) and quotation marks for titles of shorter works (poems, articles)

Listing author names

Entries are listed alphabetically by the author's last name (or, for entire edited collections, editor names). Author names are written with the last name first, then the first name, and then the middle name or middle initial when needed:

Do not  list titles (Dr., Sir, Saint, etc.) or degrees (PhD, MA, DDS, etc.) with names. A book listing an author named "John Bigbrain, PhD" appears simply as "Bigbrain, John." Do, however, include suffixes like "Jr." or "II." Putting it all together, a work by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be cited as "King, Martin Luther, Jr." Here the suffix following the first or middle name and a comma.

More than one work by an author

If you have cited more than one work by a particular author, order the entries alphabetically by title, and use three hyphens in place of the author's name for every entry after the first:

Burke, Kenneth. A Grammar of Motives . [...]

---. A Rhetoric of Motives . [...]

When an author or collection editor appears both as the sole author of a text and as the first author of a group, list solo-author entries first:

Heller, Steven, ed. The Education of an E-Designer .

Heller, Steven, and Karen Pomeroy. Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design.

Work with no known author

Alphabetize works with no known author by their title; use a shortened version of the title in the parenthetical citations in your paper. In this case, Boring Postcards USA has no known author:

Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulations.  [...]

Boring Postcards USA  [...]

Burke, Kenneth. A Rhetoric of Motives . [...] 

Work by an author using a pseudonym or stage-name

New to MLA 9th edition, there are now steps to take for citing works by an author or authors using a pseudonym, stage-name, or different name. 

If the person you wish to cite is well-known, cite the better-known form of the name of the author. For example, since Lewis Carroll is  not only a pseudonym of Charles Dodgson , but also the better-known form of the author’s name, cite the former name opposed to the latter. 

If the real name of the author is less well-known than their pseudonym, cite the author’s pseudonym in square brackets following the citation of their real name: “Christie, Agatha [Mary Westmacott].”

Authors who published various works under many names may be cited under a single form of the author’s name. When the form of the name you wish to cite differs from that which appears on the author’s work, include the latter in square brackets following an italicized published as : “Irving, Washington [ published as Knickerbocker, Diedrich].”.

Another acceptable option, in cases where there are only two forms of the author’s name, is to cite both forms of the author’s names as separate entries along with cross-references in square brackets: “Eliot, George [ see also Evans, Mary Anne].”.

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😕 What is an MLA Citation Generator?

An MLA citation generator is a software tool designed to automatically create academic citations in the Modern Language Association (MLA) citation format. The generator will take information such as document titles, author, and URLs as in input, and output fully formatted citations that can be inserted into the Works Cited page of an MLA-compliant academic paper.

The citations on a Works Cited page show the external sources that were used to write the main body of the academic paper, either directly as references and quotes, or indirectly as ideas.

👩‍🎓 Who uses an MLA Citation Generator?

MLA style is most often used by middle school and high school students in preparation for transition to college and further education. Ironically, MLA style is not actually used all that often beyond middle and high school, with APA (American Psychological Association) style being the favored style at colleges across the country.

It is also important at this level to learn why it's critical to cite sources, not just how to cite them.

🙌 Why should I use a Citation Generator?

Writing citations manually is time consuming and error prone. Automating this process with a citation generator is easy, straightforward, and gives accurate results. It's also easier to keep citations organized and in the correct order.

The Works Cited page contributes to the overall grade of a paper, so it is important to produce accurately formatted citations that follow the guidelines in the official MLA Handbook .

⚙️ How do I use MyBib's MLA Citation Generator?

It's super easy to create MLA style citations with our MLA Citation Generator. Scroll back up to the generator at the top of the page and select the type of source you're citing. Books, journal articles, and webpages are all examples of the types of sources our generator can cite automatically. Then either search for the source, or enter the details manually in the citation form.

The generator will produce a formatted MLA citation that can be copied and pasted directly into your document, or saved to MyBib as part of your overall Works Cited page (which can be downloaded fully later!).

MyBib supports the following for MLA style:

⚙️ StylesMLA 8 & MLA 9
📚 SourcesWebsites, books, journals, newspapers
🔎 AutociteYes
📥 Download toMicrosoft Word, Google Docs

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Daniel is a qualified librarian, former teacher, and citation expert. He has been contributing to MyBib since 2018.

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How to Cite a Website in MLA | Format & Examples

Published on July 17, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on March 5, 2024.

An MLA website citation includes the author’s name , the title of the page (in quotation marks), the name of the website (in italics), the publication date , and the URL (without “https://”).

If the author is unknown, start with the title of the page instead. If the publication date is unknown, or if the content is likely to change over time, add an access date at the end instead.

Websites don’t usually have page numbers, so the in-text citation is just the author name in parentheses. If you already named the author in your sentence, you don’t need to add a parenthetical citation.

You can also use our free MLA Citation Generator to effortlessly create website citations.

Generate accurate MLA citations with Scribbr

The format differs for other types of online content, such as YouTube videos , TED Talks , and podcasts .

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Table of contents

Citing online articles, citing web pages with no author or date, citing an entire website, publishers in mla website citations, frequently asked questions about mla style.

The format for citing an article from an online newspaper , magazine, or blog is the same as a general web page citation. If the article is a PDF of a print article, the format differs slightly .

Write the article title in title case (all major words capitalized). Use the most recent publication date on the page, including the day, month, and year if available.

MLA online article citation
MLA format Author last name, First name. “Title of Article.” , Day Month Year, URL.
Smith, Helena. “The Women Who Brought Down Greece’s Golden Dawn.” , 22 Oct. 2020, www.theguardian.com/­world/­2020/­oct/­22/­the-­women-­who-­brought-­down-­greeces-­golden-­dawn.
(Smith)

Note, however, that a different format is used when citing online articles from academic journals.

Learn how to cite journal articles in MLA

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If no author is credited, leave out this element, and start with the title of the page or article instead.

Use a shortened version of the title in your in-text citation. The shortened title must match the first words of your Works Cited entry.

MLA website citation with no author
MLA format Title of Article.” , Day Month Year, URL.
“US Election 2020: A Guide to the Final Presidential Debate.” , 21 Oct. 2020, www.bbc.com/­news/­election-­us-­2020-­54620868.
(“US Election 2020”)

If no publication date is available, leave out this element, and include the date on which you accessed the page at the end.

MLA website citation with no author or date
MLA format Title of Article.” , URL. Accessed Day Month Year.
“Citing Sources and Referencing.” , www.scribbr.com/­category/­citing-­sources. Accessed 16 July 2019.
(“Citing Sources”)

Note that a specific format exists for citing online dictionary entries .

If you cite a whole website, there is usually no named author, so the Works Cited entry begins with the name of the website in italics.

If the website has a publication or copyright date (usually found in the footer), include this; if not, add the date when you accessed the website at the end of the citation.

MLA whole website citation
MLA format Day Month Year, URL.
. www.scribbr.com. Accessed 11 July 2019.
( )

When should you cite a whole website?

Most of the time, you should cite the specific page or article where you found the information. However, you might have to cite the entire website if you are giving a general overview of its content, referring only to the homepage, or quoting text that appears on many different pages across the site (such as a company’s slogan).

If you cite multiple pages or articles from the same website, you should include a separate Works Cited entry for each one.

Website publisher in an MLA website citation

If the publisher is the same as the name of the website, you leave it out of the citation to avoid repetition.

Website with different publisher Website the same as publisher
. Modern Language Association of America, 2019, style.mla.org. . www.scribbr.com. Accessed 10 June 2019.
“Antibiotic Resistance and Food Safety.” , U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 5 Sept. 2018, www.cdc.gov/­foodsafety/­challenges/­antibiotic-­resistance.html. “CEU Expresses Solidarity with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.” , 3 July 2019, www.ceu.edu/­article/­2019-­07-­03/­ceu-­expresses-­solidarity-­hungarian-­academy-­sciences.

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If a source has no author, start the MLA Works Cited entry with the source title . Use a shortened version of the title in your MLA in-text citation .

If a source has no page numbers, you can use an alternative locator (e.g. a chapter number, or a timestamp for a video or audio source) to identify the relevant passage in your in-text citation. If the source has no numbered divisions, cite only the author’s name (or the title).

If you already named the author or title in your sentence, and there is no locator available, you don’t need a parenthetical citation:

  • Rajaram  argues that representations of migration are shaped by “cultural, political, and ideological interests.”
  • The homepage of The Correspondent describes it as “a movement for radically different news.”

If a source has two authors, name both authors in your MLA in-text citation and Works Cited entry. If there are three or more authors, name only the first author, followed by et al.

Number of authors In-text citation Works Cited entry
1 author (Moore 37) Moore, Jason W.
2 authors (Moore and Patel 37) Moore, Jason W., and Raj Patel.
3+ authors (Moore et al. 37) Moore, Jason W., et al.

Yes. MLA style uses title case, which means that all principal words (nouns, pronouns , verbs, adjectives , adverbs , and some conjunctions ) are capitalized.

This applies to titles of sources as well as the title of, and subheadings in, your paper. Use MLA capitalization style even when the original source title uses different capitalization .

The title of an article is not italicized in MLA style , but placed in quotation marks. This applies to articles from journals , newspapers , websites , or any other publication. Use italics for the title of the source where the article was published. For example:

Use the same formatting in the Works Cited entry and when referring to the article in the text itself.

The fastest and most accurate way to create MLA citations is by using Scribbr’s MLA Citation Generator .

Search by book title, page URL, or journal DOI to automatically generate flawless citations, or cite manually using the simple citation forms.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2024, March 05). How to Cite a Website in MLA | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved July 2, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/mla/website-citation/

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IMAGES

  1. How to Cite MLA in Your Paper: a Complete Guide from Flowcie

    how to cite sources in research paper mla

  2. How to Cite a Research Paper: APA, MLA, and Chicago Formats

    how to cite sources in research paper mla

  3. MLA Paper Format

    how to cite sources in research paper mla

  4. Works Cited Mla In Text Citation Example

    how to cite sources in research paper mla

  5. How to Cite Sources in MLA Format (with Pictures)

    how to cite sources in research paper mla

  6. MLA 8th Edition

    how to cite sources in research paper mla

VIDEO

  1. How to cite the source of research materials when writing final year Project

  2. MLA Style Works Cited List: How to Cite Graphic Novels

  3. MLA Style Works Cited List: Citing eBooks

  4. How to Cite a Recorder's Transcript : Citing Tips for Writers

  5. MLA Format Essay Tutorial

  6. How to Cite Sources Inside the Text in MLA Style

COMMENTS

  1. MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics

    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 (9th ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.

  2. Student's Guide to MLA Style (2021)

    The nine core elements of MLA citations. 1. Author. Begin each source entry with the name of the author (s) or creator (s). The name of the first author is always inverted (Last name, First name). When a source has two authors, the second author's name is shown in the normal order (First name Last name).

  3. MLA Formatting and Style Guide

    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 (9th ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.

  4. MLA In-text Citations

    Revised on March 5, 2024. An MLA in-text citation provides the author's last name and a page number in parentheses. If a source has two authors, name both. If a source has more than two authors, name only the first author, followed by " et al. ". If the part you're citing spans multiple pages, include the full page range.

  5. MLA Guide (7th edition)

    Provides MLA and Turabian examples of citing formats such as films, photographs, maps and recorded sound that are accessed electronically. The examples provided in this guide are meant to introduce you to the basics of citing sources using the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (seventh edition). For types of resources not included in ...

  6. MLA Format

    Works Cited page. The Works Cited list is included on a separate page at the end of your paper. You list all the sources you referenced in your paper in alphabetical order. Don't include sources that weren't cited in the paper, except potentially in an MLA annotated bibliography assignment.. Place the title "Works Cited" in the center at the top of the page.

  7. Citations by Format

    Citations by Format. Entries in the works-cited list are created using the MLA template of core elements—facts common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date. To use the template, evaluate the work you're citing to see which elements apply to the source. Then, list each element relevant to your source in the order given on ...

  8. In-Text Citations: An Overview

    In-Text Citations: An Overview. In-text citations are brief, unobtrusive references that direct readers to the works-cited-list entries for the sources you consulted and, where relevant, to the location in the source being cited. An in-text citation begins with the shortest piece of information that di­rects your reader to the entry in the ...

  9. MLA Style (9th Edition) Citation Guide: Introduction to MLA Style

    MLA style was created by the Modern Language Association of America. It is a set of rules for publications, including research papers. In MLA style, you must cite sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places: In the body of your paper where you add a brief in-text ...

  10. Library Guides: MLA Citation Guide (MLA 9th Edition): MLA 9 Intro

    An in-text citation points your readers to the corresponding full citation in the work-cited list. The in-text citation is a concise note directly after the idea or quote you are citing. See the In Text Citation tab for details and examples. Create a works-cited list that includes complete bibliographic information about each referenced source.

  11. MLA: Citing Within Your Paper

    An in-text citation can be included in one of two ways as shown below: 1. Put all the citation information at the end of the sentence: 2. Include author name as part of the sentence (if author name unavailable, include title of work): Each source cited in-text must also be listed on your Works Cited page. RefWorks includes a citation builder ...

  12. MLA

    The page contains the citations for the sources of information you used in your paper. Every source in your paper should appear on the Works Cited page and correspond to an in-text citation in the body of your paper. General Formatting. MLA style uses a core-container approach to citations. Core elements are author and title.

  13. MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications)

    Note: The MLA considers the term "e-book" to refer to publications formatted specifically for reading with an e-book reader device (e.g., a Kindle) or a corresponding web application.These e-books will not have URLs or DOIs. If you are citing book content from an ordinary webpage with a URL, use the "A Page on a Web Site" format above.

  14. How to Cite Sources

    The Chicago/Turabian style of citing sources is generally used when citing sources for humanities papers, and is best known for its requirement that writers place bibliographic citations at the bottom of a page (in Chicago-format footnotes) or at the end of a paper (endnotes). The Turabian and Chicago citation styles are almost identical, but ...

  15. Using MLA Format

    Get started with MLA style. Learn how to document sources, set up your paper, and improve your teaching and writing. Document Sources Works Cited Quick Guide Learn how to use the MLA format template. Digital Citation Tool Build citations with our interactive template. In-Text Citations Get help with in-text citations. Endnotes and Footnotes Read our …

  16. Research Guides: How to Cite Your Sources: MLA (9th ed.)

    MLA Handbook Plus is available online through the Library to help you cite every source. Log into Okta if prompted. The go-to resource for writers of research papers and anyone citing sources is now available online through institutional subscriptions. MLA Handbook Plus includes the full text of the ninth edition of the handbook.

  17. How To Cite a Research Paper: MLA, APA, and Chicago Style

    The paper's title follows, then the title of the journal in italics. You also include the journal volume, issue number, and page numbers. As with MLA citations, include a DOI if you found the research paper online. Here is an example of a published research paper cited in APA format: Writer, M. (2020).

  18. How to Cite a Journal Article in MLA

    MLA in-text citation. (Eve and Street 84) If an article has three or more authors, include only the first author's name, followed by " et al. ". MLA journal citation: 3+ authors. MLA format. Author last name, First name, et al. " Article Title .". Journal Name, vol. Volume, no. Issue, Month Year, Page range. DOI or URL.

  19. How to Cite Your Resources: MLA style

    MLA Purdue OWL 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 ...

  20. Using Citations in a Paper

    In-text citations are placed inside your paper where you actually use the information from the source. Whether you use a direct quote or summarize the information in your own words, you need to include an in-text citation. Find examples of in-text citations on the "Authors" page in this LibGuide.

  21. MLA Works Cited

    Source and container titles. The titles of sources and containers are always written in title case (all major words capitalized).. Sources that are part of a larger work (e.g. a chapter in a book, an article in a periodical, a page on a website) are enclosed in quotation marks. The titles of self-contained sources (e.g. a book, a movie, a periodical, a website) are instead italicized.

  22. MLA Works Cited Page: Basic Format

    Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your research paper. It should have the same one-inch margins and last name, page number header as the rest of your paper. Label the page Works Cited (do not italicize the words Works Cited or put them in quotation marks) and center the words Works Cited at the top of the page.

  23. Free MLA Citation Generator [Updated for 2024]

    Scroll back up to the generator at the top of the page and select the type of source you're citing. Books, journal articles, and webpages are all examples of the types of sources our generator can cite automatically. Then either search for the source, or enter the details manually in the citation form. The generator will produce a formatted MLA ...

  24. A Guide to In-Text Citation

    An in-text citation gives the reader information about a source. This is done for three reasons: It enables the reader to do further research using the information in the in-text citation to find the original source and read more of that text. It gives credit to the original source, effectively avoiding accidental plagiarism.

  25. How to Cite a Website in MLA

    If a source has no author, start the MLA Works Cited entry with the source title.Use a shortened version of the title in your MLA in-text citation.. If a source has no page numbers, you can use an alternative locator (e.g. a chapter number, or a timestamp for a video or audio source) to identify the relevant passage in your in-text citation. If the source has no numbered divisions, cite only ...