# MLA citation guide

Create MLA 9 citations and Works Cited entries for articles, books and websites. Understand containers, page locators, DOI links and missing information.

## How MLA citations work

MLA uses a short pointer in your sentence or parentheses to direct readers to a Works Cited entry. Usually that pointer is the author’s surname and a page number. The year normally belongs in the Works Cited entry, not the parenthetical citation. These examples follow the ninth edition.

When the author is already named in your sentence, include only the locator in parentheses. For a whole work or an unpaginated page, do not invent a page number. If your paper cites several works by the same author, add a short title where needed so the reader can find the right entry.

## Identify the source and its container

A container is the larger work holding the source you used, such as a journal holding an article or a website holding a page. Build the entry from the relevant core elements: author, source title, container, contributors, version, number, publisher, date and location. Include the elements that exist and are useful for that source. Some works have a second container, such as a database.

## Cite a journal article

Put the article title in quotation marks and italicize the journal title. Include the volume, issue, date and full article page range. Use a DOI link when available. In your paragraph, the locator points to the particular page you discuss, not automatically to the article’s entire page range.

An article in a journal

**In your text:** (Watson and Crick 737)

**Works Cited:** Watson, J. D., and F. H. C. Crick. “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.” *Nature*, vol. 171, no. 4356, Apr. 1953, pp. 737–38, https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0.

## Cite a book

For a whole book, include the author, italicized title, publisher and publication year. Add the edition or translator when relevant to the copy you used. Do not describe a later edition as the original one. The example below uses the first print edition; a citation to the whole book has no invented page locator.

A whole book

**In your text:** (Fitzgerald)

**Works Cited:** Fitzgerald, F. Scott. *The Great Gatsby*. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1925.

For a passage on page 3, use (Fitzgerald 3), or simply (3) when Fitzgerald is named in the sentence and the source is unambiguous.

## Cite a website page

Identify the author when credited, the page title, website, relevant publication date and URL. Treat the individual page as the source and the website as its container. Prefer a DOI when the work has one. An access date can help identify an undated or changing online source, or satisfy your instructor’s requirements.

A page on the MLA Style Center

**In your text:** (Modern Language Association)

**Works Cited:** Modern Language Association. “In-Text Citations: An Overview.” *MLA Style Center*, 1 Apr. 2021, https://style.mla.org/in-text-citations-overview/.

## Handle missing authors and dates

- No author: begin the entry with the title and use a shortened title in your writing or parentheses.
- No publication date: omit that element instead of inserting n.d. Consider adding the date you accessed an online source.
- No page numbers: omit page numbers. Use an existing locator such as a numbered section only when it fits the source; do not count arbitrary screenfuls as pages.
- An organization is responsible: check its role as author and publisher so the entry does not repeat the same organization unnecessarily.

## Check the Works Cited list

Use Works Cited as the heading, alphabetize by each entry’s first element, and apply double spacing and hanging indentation in the finished document. Use title case for English titles. Verify that names and shortened titles in your paragraphs lead to the correct entries. Keep quotations and paraphrases connected to the passages you actually read.

## Use MLA in Citation

1. Open a document and choose the required style in the document toolbar.
2. In Cite, look up a source by DOI, ISBN, URL or title, or add its details manually.
3. Review the source type, authors, date, title and publication details before saving. Keep proper names and acronyms when correcting title capitalization.
4. Place your cursor beside the relevant claim and insert the saved source. Review any page locator against the passage you used.
5. Review the References area, then copy the bibliography or export the document. Check the final layout against your assignment instructions.

- [Add and review sources](/docs/adding-sources)
- [Insert citations in a draft](/docs/inserting-citations)
- [Choose a citation style](/docs/citation-styles)
- [Export your work](/docs/exporting)
- [Explore sources beside your draft](/product#product-sources)

## Continue with the official guidance

- [MLA Works Cited quick guide](https://style.mla.org/works-cited/works-cited-a-quick-guide/)
- [MLA citations in your writing](https://style.mla.org/in-text-citations-overview/)
- [MLA missing dates and page numbers](https://style.mla.org/placeholders/)
- [Compare supported citation styles](/docs/citation-styles)