MLA 9th edition citation pairs a brief in-text citation, usually the author's surname and a page number, with a full entry in the Works Cited list. Every entry is built from the same set of core elements, in the same order, whatever the source type.
This guide explains the core elements and the idea of containers, then gives correct MLA 9 examples for the sources you are most likely to use. The free Bibloq citation generator builds single MLA 9 entries if you want a quick start.
How an MLA 9 Citation Works
In the text: (Morrison 112), or name the author in your sentence and put only the page in brackets: Morrison describes... (112).
In Works Cited: Morrison, Toni. Beloved. Alfred A. Knopf, 1987. Entries are alphabetical by author surname, double-spaced, with a hanging indent.
The Core Elements and Containers
MLA 9 builds every entry from up to nine core elements, in this order. Leave out any element that does not apply, and end the entry with a full stop.
| Order | Element | Punctuation after it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Author | Full stop |
| 2 | Title of source | Full stop |
| 3 | Title of container | Comma |
| 4 | Contributor (editor, translator) | Comma |
| 5 | Version (edition) | Comma |
| 6 | Number (volume, issue) | Comma |
| 7 | Publisher | Comma |
| 8 | Publication date | Comma |
| 9 | Location (pages, DOI, URL) | Full stop |
A container is the larger whole that holds your source: a journal holds an article, a website holds a page, an anthology holds a poem. Some sources sit in two containers, such as a journal article found in a database. In that case, add the second container's details after the first.
In-Text Citations
| Situation | Example |
|---|---|
| One author | (Morrison 112) |
| Two authors | (Gilbert and Gubar 45) |
| Three or more authors | (Okafor et al. 78) |
| No author, article or webpage | ("Climate Fiction" 3) |
| No author, book | (Beowulf 22) |
| Two works by the same author | (Morrison, Beloved 112) |
| Page range | (Morrison 112–15) |
| No page numbers | (Hughes) |
There is no comma between author and page and no "p." or "pp.". For sources with numbered paragraphs or sections, use "par." or "sec.", with a comma after the author: (Hughes, par. 4).
Long Quotations
Prose quotations of more than four lines become block quotations: start on a new line, indent the whole block 0.5 inch, leave out quotation marks, and put the citation after the final punctuation.
Poems, Plays and Indirect Sources
Literature essays often cite verse, drama and classic texts that exist in many editions. MLA has specific rules for these so readers can find the passage in any copy.
Poems
For verse, cite line numbers instead of pages. Use the word "line" or "lines" in the first citation, then numbers alone: (lines 5–8), then (12–14). Show line breaks in short quotations with a slash: "I wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high".
Plays
For verse drama, cite act, scene and line numbers separated by full stops: (Hamlet 3.1.56–58). For prose plays, give the page, and you may add act and scene after a semicolon.
Indirect Sources
If you quote someone whose words you found in another author's work, cite the work you read with "qtd. in": (qtd. in Nwosu 45). Only Nwosu appears in Works Cited. Use the original source when you can access it.
Several Sources in One Citation
Separate them with a semicolon: (Morrison 112; Nwosu 45). Keep combined citations short so the sentence stays readable.
Works Cited Formatting
- Start on a new page titled "Works Cited", centered, not bold.
- Arrange entries alphabetically by the first element, usually the author's surname.
- Double-space throughout, with a 0.5-inch hanging indent.
- Give the first author as Surname, First Name; later authors in normal order.
- Use title case for titles. Italicize books, journals and websites; put articles, chapters, poems and webpages in quotation marks.
- Abbreviate months longer than four letters: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.
Citing Books
One author: Morrison, Toni. Beloved. Alfred A. Knopf, 1987.
Two authors: Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic. Yale UP, 1979.
Three or more authors: Okafor, Grace, et al. Reading the Postcolonial Novel. Routledge, 2021.
Edited book: Achebe, Chinua, editor. African Short Stories. Heinemann, 1985.
Translated book: Tolstoy, Leo. Anna Karenina. Translated by Rosamund Bartlett, Oxford UP, 2014.
Chapter or work in an anthology: Bello, Amina. "The Long Rains." New Voices in African Fiction, edited by Peter Osei, Heinemann, 2016, pp. 31–48.
Shorten "University Press" to "UP" in publisher names, and leave out business words such as "Inc." and "Company". Ebooks follow the same pattern; add the format only if it matters, for example "e-book ed." as the version.
Citing Journal Articles
Format: Author. "Title of Article." Journal Name, vol. x, no. x, Year, pp. xx–xx. DOI or URL.
Example: Nwosu, Ada. "Memory and Silence in Contemporary Nigerian Fiction." Journal of Postcolonial Studies, vol. 52, no. 1, 2021, pp. 40–58, https://doi.org/10.1234/jps.2021.0003.
From a database without a DOI: Author. "Title." Journal, vol. x, no. x, Year, pp. xx–xx. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/xxxxx.
MLA 9 recommends a DOI when one exists, written with the "https://doi.org/" prefix. The DOI in the example above is illustrative.
Citing Websites and Online Sources
Webpage: Hughes, Martin. "How Poets Use the Line Break." Poetry Notes, 4 Mar. 2023, www.example.org/line-break.
No author: "Climate Fiction." Literary Terms Online, 12 Jan. 2022, www.example.org/cli-fi.
No date, with access date: Hughes, Martin. "About the Archive." Poetry Notes, www.example.org/about. Accessed 10 Feb. 2024.
MLA lets you leave out "https://" from URLs, except in DOIs. An access date is optional but recommended when a page has no publication date.
Films, Videos and Other Sources
Film: Black Panther. Directed by Ryan Coogler, Marvel Studios, 2018.
YouTube video: "Title of Video." YouTube, uploaded by Channel Name, Day Month Year, URL.
Poem in an anthology: Author. "Title of Poem." Title of Anthology, edited by First Last, Publisher, Year, p. x.
If your paper focuses on a particular contributor, such as the director, you can begin the film entry with that person's name and role instead of the title.
MLA Paper Layout Basics
- No separate title page unless your instructor asks for one.
- A heading at the top left of page one: your name, instructor, course and date (Day Month Year).
- The title centered, in title case, not bold or underlined.
- A header at the top right of every page with your surname and the page number.
- One-inch margins and double spacing throughout.
Common MLA 9 Mistakes
| Mistake | Correct MLA 9 practice |
|---|---|
| (Morrison, p. 112) | (Morrison 112), no comma and no "p." |
| Publisher city included | Leave it out |
| "Works Cited" in bold | Centered, plain text |
| Listing all authors when there are three or more | First author followed by "et al." |
| Sentence case for titles | Title case for all titles |
| Full month names | Abbreviate months longer than four letters |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Author surname and page number in brackets, with no comma: (Morrison 112). If you name the author in your sentence, give only the page: (112).
Give the first author followed by et al., both in the text, (Okafor et al. 78), and in Works Cited: Okafor, Grace, et al.
No. MLA 9 leaves out the place of publication for most sources.
Yes, for online sources, and a DOI when one exists. You may leave out "https://" from URLs but keep it in DOIs.
Yes, with a 0.5-inch hanging indent and entries in alphabetical order.
The larger work that holds your source, such as a journal for an article, a website for a webpage, or an anthology for a poem.
Give the author alone, (Hughes), or a paragraph or section number if the source numbers them: (Hughes, par. 4).
The core elements stayed the same. MLA 9 added more guidance and examples, including inclusive language, notes and a wider range of source types.
Cite line numbers instead of pages, using "lines" in the first citation and numbers alone after that. In Works Cited, put the poem's title in quotation marks and the collection or anthology in italics.
Give act, scene and line numbers separated by full stops, such as (Hamlet 3.1.56–58), with the play title in italics. List the edition you used in Works Cited.