2.6: The Basics of MLA Citation Style

The current edition of MLA Style is the 9th edition, which was published in 2021 with the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook. This handbook governs the formatting requirements and citation methods for academic writing that uses the MLA Style.

When writing full citations in MLA Style, the elements (or necessary pieces of information) are usually listed in the following order:

1. Author
2. Title of the source
3. Title of the container
4. Other contributors (such as an editor)
5. Version of the container (if relevant)
6. Number of the container (if relevant)
7. Publisher
8. Publication date
9. Location (if relevant)

However, you will find that each type of source (website, journal article, video, interview, etc.), has different requirements for how to format their citations and what information needs to be included.

Most citations begin with the author's last name. The author (or authors) is the person/persons who created the source of information. The title of the source generally follows the author's name and is the title listed at the top of the source. This can sometimes get confusing with websites. When referencing an article on a website, you will normally use the title of that specific page as the source title, rather than the title of the website. The title of the website is the 'container title', because it contains the individual pages. This is just like an academic journal. An individual issue of an academic journal contains many individual articles!

"Other contributors" can include editors and translators. Publisher refers to whomever produces or distributes the information source. This is often an organization that produces (or puts together) the source and shares it.

Formatting a Paper in MLA 9th Edition

MLA has specific requirements for formatting a paper or essay. An MLA paper does not require a title page, but your course instructor might require one. If no other instructions are given, your first page should include a Header with your last name and a page number in the top-right. All text on the page should be double-spaced and left-aligned. It should begin with Your Name, Your Instructor's Name, Course Number or Name, and the Date you wrote the paper. You would then enter the Title of Your Paper with centered alignment. The actual writing of your paper should be left-aligned, with the first line of each paragraph indented over once.

• Example MLA Paper

Overview of Basic Formatting Requirements:

• Double-space your text and use a legible font such as Calibri, Aptos, or Times New Roman. The font size should be 12 pt.
• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks.
• Set the margins of your document at 1 inch on all sides (the default on Microsoft Word and Google Docs).
• Create a header that numbers all pages in the upper right-hand corner.
• Use italics throughout your paper to indicate the titles of longer works.
• If your essay needs section headings, MLA recommends numbering them in the following fashion:
  1. First Section Title
     1. 1 First Section Sub-Title
  2. Second Section Title
  3. Third Section Title

Formatting a Works Cited Page

A Works Cited page comes at the end of your paper and lists every source you cited within your writing. It should begin on a separate page from the rest of your paper. The Works Cited page should include Works Cited centered at the top of the page. Only the title will be centered. You should follow these practices to format a Works Cited page:

• Double space all citations
• Organize the citations in alphabetical order
• Each citation should include a hanging indent that indents each line after the first.

How to Create a Hanging Indent in Word

In-Text Citations

To write a basic in-text citation, you include two pieces of information in parenthesis at the end of the information you referenced in your writing. For most sources, you will include the author's last name and the page number of the information you are citing.

Example \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Basic In-Text Citation Example

Students have been shown to have improved success in courses that employ active learning techniques (Carter 21).

However, you can also use the author's name to introduce the source. If you do this, you only need to include the page number in parenthesis.

Example \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Narrative In-Text Citation Example

According to Carter, students have been shown to have improved success in courses that employ active learning techniques (21).

If your source does not have a known author, you simply replace the author's name with the first several words of the source title. If it is a short work (such as an article) you place the title in quotation marks. If it is a longer work such as a book, you would italicize the title.

Example \(\PageIndex{1}\)

No Known Author In-Text Citation Example

Students have been shown to have improved success in courses that employ active learning techniques ("Active Learning Techniques in the College Classroom" 21).

The last common consideration is what to do if you have a source with multiple authors. If there are two authors, you would list each of their last names. For example: (Thompson and Carter 21). For a work with three or more authors, list the last name of the first author then et al. For example: (Carter et al. 21). The 'et al' means "and others".

What if You're Referencing Information from Multiple Pages?

In the in-text citation, you just include the full page number range. For example: (Carter 16-21). If you are using information from more than one discontiguous pages (pages that are not next to each other), you include a comma between them. For example: (Carter 16, 21).

 

Creating Full Citations

In your Works Cited page, you will create full citations of sources used in your work. These will include far more information than the in-text citations. Here are some basic practices to keep in mind when writing citations:

• Capitalize each word in source titles but do not capitalize articles (a, and, the), prepositions (at, in, for, after, about, against, by, etc.), or conjunctions (for, or, yet, so, both, etc.).
• Use italics for titles of larger works (such as books) and quotation marks around titles of shorter works (such as articles).
• Authors' names are written last name first, then the first name, with a middle name or initial when needed.
  • Do not include titles or degrees with their names (Dr., PhD, etc.).

What if There is No Known Author?

If you do not know the author of a work, start the citation with the source's title. Alphabetize the citation in order using that title.

 

What if There is No Publication Date?

In MLA, if there is no publication date, then you just skip that information. Don't include anything for it and move to the next piece of information.

 

What if there are Multiple Authors?

If there are two authors, list both of them with and in-between their names. List the second author with their first name first and last name last. If there are three or more, list the first author's name followed by a comma and then et al.

Example \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Two Author Example

Carter, Luiz, and Donald Trimm. "Active Learning Techniques in the College Classroom." Journal of Education, vol. 101, no. 2, pp. 5-24, JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1515/rep201.103.1.1

Example \(\PageIndex{1}\)

3+ Author Example

Carter, Luiz, et al. "Active Learning Techniques in the College Classroom." Journal of Education, vol. 101, no. 2, pp. 5-24, JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1515/rep201.103.1.1

What About Annotated Bibliographies?

An annotated bibliography is basically a Works Cited page with a summary of each source after the citation. It should be titled Annotated Bibliography instead of Works Cited and each entry should include a one-paragraph summary. The entirety of that summary should be indented one inch from the left (from where the citation begins).

 

Identifying a Website Article vs a Journal Article vs a Newspaper Article

Because these works are all cited differently, it's important to be able to identify between a website article, journal article, and newspaper article.

Website Articles:

• Generally found on popular websites, blogs, and similar locations. This can include educational (.edu) and government (.gov) websites.
• Often written for a broad audience.
• Often lack a formal author, academic credentials for any author that is listed, and a specific publication date.

Journal Articles:

• Published in academic journals often found through libraries, database collections, or through websites like Google Scholar. These are periodicals (publications put out at a regular schedule).
• Written by experts or researchers. Often include credentials about the authors such as their degrees or places of work.
• Written in a very formal, organized fashion. These often include sub-sections, abstracts, and references.
• Journals often have a volume and/or issue number and are not usually published more often than monthly. May only include the month and year for publication.
• Typically provide lengthy articles that can be over ten pages in length.

Newspaper Articles:

• Published in newspapers or on news websites. However, these can often also be found in library collections!
• Are normally published quite frequently, perhaps even daily. Newspapers usually have an exact date of publication including the month and day.
• Usually report on current events with articles written by journalists rather than subject experts.
• Typically provide short articles.