Citation guides
MLA Referencing: The Complete Guide with Examples (2026)
MLA 9th edition: in-text citations by author and page, the Works Cited page, worked examples for common sources, and mistakes carried over from APA.
MLA style is the citation format published by the Modern Language Association, most commonly required in humanities courses (literature, languages, cultural and media studies) at universities in the US and Canada, and often chosen in International Baccalaureate schools (the IB itself does not require a particular style). Unlike Harvard or APA, which cite by author and year, MLA cites by author and page number, and lists sources on a Works Cited page rather than a "reference list".
This guide covers the 9th edition (2021), the current standard, for every source type you are likely to need: books, journal articles, websites, newspaper articles, videos and more. Use it alongside the MLA citation generator, which formats a Works Cited entry automatically from a URL, DOI or ISBN.
How MLA style works
Every MLA citation has two parts that must match each other:
- In-text citation: a short parenthetical marker pointing to the source: (Smith 42), giving the author's surname and the page number, with no comma and no "p." before the number.
- Works Cited entry: the full source details at the end of your paper, listed alphabetically by author surname.
Notice what is missing compared with Harvard or APA: no year in the in-text citation at all. MLA assumes the reader will find the publication date, if they need it, in the Works Cited entry. The in-text citation exists purely to point to the right page.
In-text citations
One author
Parenthetical
Narrative (author named in the sentence)
When you name the author in your own sentence, drop the name from the parentheses and keep just the page number.
Two authors
In-text
Use "and", written out, not an ampersand. MLA's ampersand rule is the reverse of APA's.
Three or more authors
In-text (3+ authors)
MLA switches to "et al." at three authors, as APA 7 does, and one earlier than Harvard (Cite Them Right), which names up to three authors before switching.
No page number (most webpages)
In-text, no pagination
If the source has no page numbers, simply omit the number rather than inventing one. Do not count paragraphs or use a PDF reader's page count. Those are not part of the source itself.
Corporate or organisational author
In-text, organisation as author
This applies when the organisation is the author but not also the publisher. When an organisation is both author and publisher, the Works Cited entry starts with the title and the in-text citation uses a short title instead (see the websites section below).
No author at all
In-text, title stands in for the author
Use a shortened version of the title. Quotation marks if the full title would be in quotation marks in the Works Cited entry (an article, a webpage); italics if the full title would be italicised (a book, a standalone report).
Two works by the same author
In-text, distinguishing two works
Add a short version of the title after the author's surname, separated by a comma, so the reader knows which Works Cited entry you mean.
Multiple sources in one citation
In-text, multiple sources
Separate sources with a semicolon inside one pair of parentheses.
The Works Cited page
Works Cited starts on a new page at the end of your paper, centred, unbolded, unitalicised. Entries are alphabetised by the first author's surname (or by title, ignoring "A", "An" and "The", when there is no author), and every entry uses a hanging indent: the first line flush left, every following line indented half an inch.
MLA 9 builds every entry from the same core elements, in this order, each followed by the punctuation shown: Author. "Title of Source." Title of Container, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location. Skip any element your source doesn't have (a webpage has no "version" or "number", for instance) without leaving a gap.
The example boxes on this page are plain text, so italics are not shown. In a real Works Cited list, italicise the title of the container (the book, journal, website or newspaper) as described above.
Books
Book: standard format
Works Cited
Example
Note what MLA 9 does not ask for: no place of publication. That detail, still required by most Harvard guides, was dropped from MLA in the 8th edition (2016).
Book with two authors
Works Cited
Only the first author is reversed to surname-first; the second is written in normal order.
Book with three or more authors
Works Cited
Edited book
Works Cited
Chapter in an edited book
Works Cited
The chapter title goes in quotation marks; the book, its container, is italicised.
Ebook
MLA treats "e-book" as a version, so it goes after any edition number and before the publisher.
Works Cited
Journal articles
Journal article: standard format
Works Cited
Example
Journal article with a DOI
Works Cited
MLA prefers the full DOI URL over a bare identifier, and prefers a DOI over a database or journal URL whenever one exists, because it is the most stable link a reader can follow.
Websites
Website: standard format
Works Cited
Named author
Organisation as author and publisher
When an organisation is both the author and the publisher, MLA skips the author, starts the entry with the title and lists the organisation as the publisher. The in-text citation then uses a short title: ("Physical Activity").
Drop "https://" from web addresses in the Works Cited entry. MLA only wants the address starting from "www." or the bare domain. DOI links are the exception and keep "https://doi.org/", and your instructor may ask for live links.
Website with no listed date
Undated page, access date recommended
MLA makes access dates optional, but recommends one when the page shows no publication date, or when it is a page (like a dictionary entry or a wiki) that could be edited after you cite it.
Newspaper and magazine articles
Online newspaper
YouTube and online videos
Works Cited
MLA treats the video title as the main entry and the channel as "uploaded by" rather than automatically as the author, unless the channel is who you are actually crediting with the ideas. See the full guide on citing YouTube videos.
Government and organisational reports
Institutional report
Quick reference: in-text citation formats
| Situation | In-text format |
|---|---|
| One author | (Smith 42) |
| Two authors | (Smith and Doe 42) |
| Three or more authors | (Smith et al. 42) |
| No page number | (Smith) |
| Author named in sentence | Smith argues that … (42) |
| Multiple sources | (Garcia 19; Lee 44) |
| Two works, same author | (Smith, "Short Title" 42) |
| Organisation as author | (World Health Organization 4) |
| No author | ("Short Title" 12) |
Common mistakes in MLA
- Using a comma between author and page number. MLA has none: (Smith 42), never (Smith, 42). That comma is the single most common giveaway of an APA or Harvard habit carried into MLA.
- Writing "p." before the page number in-text. Only the bare number: (Smith 42), not (Smith p. 42).
- Including a year in the in-text citation. MLA's in-text citation never carries a year at all. That information lives only in the Works Cited entry.
- Forgetting the hanging indent. Every Works Cited entry after the first line must be indented. This is a formatting requirement, not a style preference.
- Adding an access date to everything. MLA makes it optional and recommends it mainly when the source has no publication date or could change after you cite it. Adding it everywhere is unnecessary.
- Keeping "https://" in a Works Cited web address. Drop it and start the address at "www." or the bare domain. DOI links keep "https://doi.org/".
- Italicising an article title. Only containers (journals, websites, books) are italicised. The individual article, chapter or webpage title goes in quotation marks.
A tool can take over much of the formatting. Paste any URL, DOI or ISBN into the MLA citation generator and CitApp fetches the metadata and drafts a Works Cited entry in seconds. Check the result against your instructor's requirements.
Written by Ihsan Hossain
Founder of CitApp, a citation tool built to make source formatting effortless for students. Guides on this blog are checked against the style guides' own rules and university library guides. Last full check: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is MLA style, and who uses it?
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is used mainly in the humanities (literature, languages, cultural studies), most commonly at US and Canadian universities, and often chosen in International Baccalaureate schools (the IB itself does not require a style). It uses author-page in-text citations rather than the author-date system Harvard and APA use, and a Works Cited page rather than a reference list.
Which edition should I use? Is MLA 8 different from MLA 9?
Use MLA 9th edition (2021), the current standard. MLA 8 introduced the "container" system this guide uses; MLA 9 kept that system and added many more examples and guidance on formatting papers, inclusive language and notes. If your instructor asks for "MLA 8", the entries in this guide will still be correct, because the two editions are very close.
Do I need a page number for a website with no pagination?
No. If a source has no page numbers (most webpages, some ebooks), simply omit the number: (Smith). Do not invent a page number from your PDF reader or browser's print view; those are not stable across devices and are not part of MLA's format.
How many authors before I use "et al." in MLA?
From three authors onward. List both names for two authors, (Smith and Doe), and switch to "et al." only at three or more: (Smith et al.). APA 7 switches at three authors too; Harvard (Cite Them Right) names up to three and switches at four.
What is a "container" in MLA style?
The larger work a source sits inside. A journal article's container is the journal; a book chapter's container is the book; a webpage's container is the website; a YouTube video's container is YouTube. MLA 8 built its whole citation format around this idea, and MLA 9 kept it, because it works for source types that did not exist when older style guides were written: a tweet, a podcast episode, a database entry.
How do I cite a source with no listed author?
Move straight to the title. In-text, use a short version of the title in place of a surname: ("Short Title" 42) for an article-type title in quotation marks, or (Short Title 42) in italics for a book-type title. In the Works Cited entry, alphabetise by the title itself, ignoring "A", "An" and "The".
Do I need to include an access date?
MLA makes access dates optional. It recommends one when the source has no publication date, or is the kind of page that could change, such as a wiki, a social media profile or a continuously updated reference page. For a dated news article, journal article or book it is not needed and most instructors don't require it. When you do include one, put it last: Accessed 12 June 2026.