MLA Citation Format: Complete Guide to MLA 9th Edition

MLA (Modern Language Association) style is used in literature, humanities, and language arts. The 9th edition (2021) is the current version. This guide covers in-text citations, Works Cited formatting, and examples for common source types.

MLA in-text citations

MLA uses a parenthetical author-page format at the end of the sentence, before the period.

One author:

(Smith 42)

Two authors:

(Smith and Jones 42)

Three or more authors — use the first author’s name and “et al.”:

(Smith et al. 42)

No page number (websites, audiovisual):

(Smith)

No author — use a shortened title:

("Global Chip" 12)    ← for an article titled "Global Chip Shortage Explained"
(*Thinking* 42)       ← for a book (italicized)

Multiple works by same author — add a shortened title:

(Smith, *Fast* 42)
(Smith, "Neural" 12)

Narrative citation — author as part of the sentence:

Smith argues that "direct quotes need page numbers" (42).
As Smith notes, paraphrased ideas need the author name (43).

Works Cited basics

The Works Cited page goes at the end of your paper, titled Works Cited (centered, not bold). Rules:

• Alphabetical by author last name (or title if no author)
• Hanging indent: first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches
• Double-spaced throughout
• End each entry with a period

MLA 9 core template (the “container” model)

MLA 9 uses a universal template based on containers — the idea that a source exists inside a larger container (a journal, a website, a streaming platform):

Author. "Title of Source." Container Title, other contributors, version, number, publisher, date, location.

Not every element applies to every source — omit what doesn’t exist.

Books

One author:

Orwell, George. 1984. Signet Classics, 1961.

Two authors:

Eggers, Dave, and Valentino Achak Deng. What Is the What. Vintage, 2007.

Three or more authors:

Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media. Utah State UP, 2004.

Edited book:

Purdy, John L., editor. The American Indian Short Story. Pearson, 2001.

Chapter in edited book:

Burke, Kenneth. "The Rhetoric of Hitler's 'Battle.'" The Rhetorical Tradition, edited by Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg, Bedford, 1990, pp. 959–70.

Journal articles

Print article:

Bagchi, Alaknanda. "Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahasweta Devi's Bashai Tudu." Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature, vol. 15, no. 1, 1996, pp. 41–50.

Online journal article:

Hadjiyanni, Tasoulla, and Kimberly Zollinger. "Ethnicity as a Shaping Force." Journal of Interior Design, vol. 32, no. 2, 2007, pp. 1–19. Wiley Online Library, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1668.2007.tb00455.x.

Note the second container: the database (Wiley Online Library) is the second container for an online article.

Websites

With author:

Roberts, James. "How Neural Networks Learn." Towards Data Science, 12 Nov. 2025, towardsdatascience.com/how-neural-networks-learn.

No author:

"Global Chip Shortage Explained." BBC News, 3 Mar. 2026, bbc.com/news/technology-56252495.

No date — add access date:

Smith, Brian. "Introduction to SQL Indexing." Database Weekly, Accessed 25 Apr. 2026, dbweekly.com/sql-indexing.

Note: Omit https:// from URLs in MLA.

Films and videos

Film:

The Dark Knight. Directed by Christopher Nolan, Warner Bros., 2008.

YouTube video:

CGP Grey. "Rules for Rulers." YouTube, 24 Oct. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs.

Works Cited example

Works Cited

Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.

Orwell, George. 1984. Signet Classics, 1961.

Roberts, James. "How Neural Networks Learn." Towards Data Science, 12 Nov. 2025,
     towardsdatascience.com/how-neural-networks-learn.

MLA 9 key changes from MLA 8

MLA 8 introduced the container model that MLA 9 continues. Key changes in 9th edition:

• More guidance on including access dates (recommended for sources likely to change)
• Expanded guidance on citing social media (Twitter, Instagram, YouTube)
• Clearer rules for citing works in foreign languages
• Updated advice on URLs and DOIs

Generate MLA citations at citefast.io.