Try Wonders for free
MLA format at a glance
In the text: author surname and page number. No comma, no year, no "p."
Parenthetical: Reading is "just half of literacy. The other half is writing" (Baron 194).
Narrative: According to Naomi Baron, reading is "just half of literacy. The other half is writing" (194).
Both sentences are the MLA Style Center's own examples, from its overview of in-text citations. The source is Baron, Naomi S. "Redefining Reading: The Impact of Digital Communication Media." PMLA, vol. 128, no. 1, Jan. 2013, pp. 193–200.
In Works Cited: the core elements, in order.
Mantel, Hilary. Wolf Hall. Picador, 2010.
| Source | MLA 9 Works Cited format |
|---|---|
| Book | Surname, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year. |
| Journal article | Surname, First Name. "Title of Article." Journal Title, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. ##–##. Database, DOI or URL. |
| Web page | Surname, First Name. "Title of Page." Title of Website, Day Month Year, URL. |
| Chapter in an edited book | Surname, First Name. "Title of Chapter." Title of Book, edited by First Name Surname, Publisher, Year, pp. ##–##. |
| Video | "Title of Video." YouTube, uploaded by Channel Name, Day Month Year, URL. |
| Number of authors | In-text citation | Works Cited |
|---|---|---|
| One | (Baron 194) | Baron, Naomi S. |
| Two | (Dewar and Ang) | Dewar, James A., and Peng Hwa Ang. |
| Three or more | (Burdick et al.) | Burdick, Anne, et al. |
| No author | ("Homily" 97) | Start with the title: "An Homily against Disobedience and Wylful Rebellion." |
Every work in this table is a real one that the MLA Style Center uses in its own examples; each post is linked where the example appears below or under Further Resources. Add a page number after the name when you quote or paraphrase a specific passage.
The Official Source
The MLA Handbook, 9th Edition (2021) is the only official guide for MLA style, published by the Modern Language Association. Available in paperback, hardcover, and spiral-bound formats at mla.org, with online access through MLA Handbook Plus.
The 9th edition expanded guidance on inclusive language, added hundreds of citation examples, and refined the core elements template introduced in the 8th edition.
Quick Overview
MLA uses a core elements system—a flexible template that works for any source type:
- In-text citations — author and page number in parentheses
- Works Cited — full source details at the end of your paper
In-Text Citations
MLA in-text citations include the author's last name and page number (no comma between them).
Basic Format
Reading is "just half of literacy. The other half is writing" (Baron 194).
According to Naomi Baron, reading is "just half of literacy. The other half is writing" (194).
Two Authors
Give both surnames, joined by "and." The MLA Style Center prints this chapter by two authors in the same post:
Dewar, James A., and Peng Hwa Ang. "The Cultural Consequences of Printing and the Internet." Agent of Change: Print Culture Studies after Elizabeth L. Eisenstein, edited by Sabrina Alcorn Baron et al., U of Massachusetts P / Center for the Book, Library of Congress, 2007, pp. 365-77.
In the text: (Dewar and Ang), plus the page number of the passage you cite
Three or More Authors
Use the first author's name followed by "et al."
Burdick, Anne, et al. Digital_Humanities. MIT P, 2012.
In the text: (Burdick et al.), plus the page number of the passage you cite
MLA prints this entry in its post on commas with et al., which is an eighth-edition post; the form of the entry is unchanged in MLA 9.
No Author
Use a shortened version of the title.
The homily argues that rebelling against the English monarch amounts to rebelling against God ("Homily" 97).
This is the MLA Style Center's example, from How do I cite a source that has no author?. The entry begins with the title: "An Homily against Disobedience and Wylful Rebellion." 1570. Divine Right and Democracy: An Anthology of Political Writing in Stuart England, edited by David Wootton, Penguin Books, 1986, pp. 94–98.
No Page Numbers
For online sources without page numbers, omit the page number entirely. You may include paragraph numbers if provided.
At least one researcher has broken new ground on the subject (Baron).
This is also the MLA Style Center's example; the same form, a name with no number, is what you use for a source that has no pages.
Works Cited Basics
Your Works Cited page appears at the end of your paper on a new page. Center the title "Works Cited" (not bold, not italicized). Use hanging indents for each entry.
The Core Elements Template
MLA 9th edition uses nine core elements in this order:
- Author.
- Title of source.
- Title of container,
- Contributors,
- Version,
- Number,
- Publisher,
- Publication date,
- Location.
Not every source has all elements—include only what's available and relevant.
Common Source Examples
Book
The examples in this section are the ones the MLA Style Center gives on its citations by format page, except the magazine story, which was checked against the magazine's own site.
Mantel, Hilary. Wolf Hall. Picador, 2010.
Magazine Article (Online)
Kincaid, Jamaica. "Girl." The New Yorker, 26 June 1978, www.newyorker.com/magazine/1978/06/26/girl.
Journal Article (Database)
Goldman, Anne. "Questions of Transport: Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante." The Georgia Review, vol. 64, no. 1, spring 2010, pp. 69-88. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41403188.
Article on a Website
Deresiewicz, William. "The Death of the Artist—and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur." The Atlantic, 28 Dec. 2014, theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/01/the-death-of-the-artist-and-the-birth-of-the-creative-entrepreneur/383497/.
Work in an Edited Collection
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Masque of the Red Death." The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe, edited by James A. Harrison, vol. 4, Thomas Y. Crowell, 1902, pp. 250-58. HathiTrust Digital Library, hdl.handle.net/2027/coo.31924079574368.
Film Watched on YouTube
Richardson, Tony, director. Sanctuary. Screenplay by James Poe, Twentieth Century Fox, 1961. YouTube, uploaded by LostCinemaChannel, 17 July 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMnzFM_Sq8s.
Key 9th Edition Updates
The MLA 9th edition (2021) refined several guidelines:
- Inclusive language — new chapter on writing with respect and avoiding bias
- URLs and DOIs — include a DOI (as https://doi.org/...) when there is one, otherwise a permalink or URL; http:// and https:// may be dropped from URLs
- Grammar guidance — expanded chapters on punctuation, spelling, and mechanics
- More examples — new appendix with hundreds of sample entries by format
- Annotated bibliographies — new guidance for creating annotations
Formatting Your Paper
MLA format requirements, as summarised in Purdue OWL's MLA general format page:
- Font: readable 12-point font (Times New Roman, Arial, or similar)
- Margins: 1 inch on all sides
- Spacing: double-spaced throughout
- Header: your last name and page number in the upper right corner
- Heading: your name, instructor, course, and date (left-aligned, double-spaced)
- Title: centered, not bold or italicized (unless it contains a title)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Title capitalization — use title case for all titles in Works Cited entries (capitalize major words)
- Punctuation between elements — most elements end with periods; container titles are followed by commas
- Author names — invert only the first author's name: "Dewar, James A., and Peng Hwa Ang"
- URLs — you may drop "https://" from URLs, but keep it on DOIs (https://doi.org/...); prefer a DOI when one exists
- Quotation marks vs. italics — italicize standalone works (books, films, albums); use quotation marks for works within containers (articles, chapters, songs)
Who Uses MLA Style?
MLA style is published by the Modern Language Association and is used mainly in the humanities, especially in literature and language studies and in writing courses. Your instructor or target journal decides which style applies.
Further Resources
- MLA Style Center: official answers, including citations by format, the overview of in-text citations, commas with et al., the interactive practice template and works-cited quick guide
- Purdue OWL MLA guide
- MLA Handbook Plus: subscription access to the full handbook
Accessed 21 September 2026.
