MLA 8 Citation Generator, Free & Instant

MLA 8 Citation Rules at a Glance

In-text citations use the author's last name and page number with no comma: (Smith 23).
MLA 8 introduced the same "container" model MLA 9 still uses: Author. "Title." Container, Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Date, Location.
URLs are recommended but optional; when included, they typically omit "https://".
The Works Cited page is alphabetical by author surname, with a hanging indent on each entry.

MLA 8 Citation Examples

Journal Article

Smith, John. "Sleep Deprivation and Executive Function." Journal of Cognitive Science, vol. 12, no. 3, 2020, pp. 45–67.

Book

Baker, Amy. The Structure of Scientific Reasoning. Academic Press, 2019.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use MLA 8 or MLA 9 for a new paper?

Use MLA 9 unless your instructor or institution specifically requires MLA 8. The two are very similar; MLA 9 simply refines and clarifies the same container system.

Want the complete rules with more examples and edge cases? Read the full MLA 8 citation guide.

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