MLA 9th edition citation reference
The Modern Language Association (MLA) style, 9th edition, is the standard in the humanities, especially literature and languages. Rather than a fixed template per source type, MLA 9 builds every Works Cited entry from a flexible set of “core elements” arranged in containers. This tool gives a worked template and example for each common source type plus the in-text rules.
How it works — the container model
MLA 9 defines nine core elements in a fixed order, each ending in its own punctuation: Author.
Title of Source. Title of Container, Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher,
Publication Date, Location. You fill in only the elements that apply. A “container” is the
larger whole that holds the source — a journal that holds an article, or a database that holds
the journal — and an entry can nest containers (article in a journal in JSTOR). In text you cite
author and page with no comma between them, e.g. (Jacobs 27); if there is no author you use a
shortened title.
The key shift MLA 9 introduced over earlier editions is treating all source types the same set of elements rather than memorizing a separate template for books, articles, websites, and so on. Once you understand that the only question is “which core elements apply to this source?” the format becomes much more intuitive.
Common format examples
Book (print): Surname, Firstname. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.
Journal article (database): Surname, Firstname. “Article Title.” Journal Name, vol. X, no. Y, Year, pp. 1–20. Database Name, DOI or URL.
Web page: Surname, Firstname. “Page Title.” Website Name, Publisher (if different from site), Day Month Year, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.
Film or video: Title of Film. Directed by Firstname Surname, Production Company, Year.
Notice that the journal-article entry uses two containers: the journal, then the database where you found it. Each container is separated by a period and starts a new set of elements. The second container often only needs a title and a location (DOI or URL).
In-text citations
In-text references are short: author’s last name and page number(s) in parentheses, directly before the sentence-ending punctuation — (Morrison 43). If you name the author in the sentence, only the page goes in parentheses: Morrison argues that… (43). For no-author sources, shorten the title and italicize or quote it to match the Works Cited entry. For works without page numbers (websites, videos) cite the author name only or a numbered paragraph if the source has them.
Formatting the Works Cited list
- Every entry uses a hanging indent: the first line is flush left and all continuation lines are indented one half-inch.
- Entries are alphabetized by the first word (usually the author’s last name; ignore “A,” “An,” “The” when a title is first).
- Titles of self-contained works (books, films, whole websites) are italicized; titles of parts (articles, chapters, web pages) go in quotation marks.
- Abbreviate months over four letters (
Jan.,Feb.,Apr.) and write dates in day-month-year order. - Omit
http:///https://from URLs; add an “Accessed” note for undated or frequently changing online sources.
Practical checklist before submitting
- Does every in-text citation have a matching Works Cited entry (and vice versa)?
- Are all titles consistently italicized or quoted according to their type?
- Does your list use a hanging indent rather than a paragraph indent?
- Have you included an access date for any source that lacks a publication date?
- If you found an article through a library database, did you add the database as a second container?