Citation Guide

The official MLA Style Center includes several (free!) chapters of the MLA Handbook::

• Running Head with Page Numbers
• Text Formatting & Font
• Title
• Works Cited Page

as well as 5 Sample Papers

The Excelsior Online Writing Lab also has MLA Sample Papers.

The phrase “annotated bibliography” can sound a little scary!

But it is really just an alphabetical list of citations to books, articles, and web documents (like a regular works cited page). Each citation is then typically followed by a descriptive and evaluative paragraph (the annotation). The purpose of the annotation paragraph is to give a brief description of the content of the source and to evaluate the source’s methods, conclusions, and usefulness to your research.

According to section 5.132 of the MLA Handbook (9th ed.), 

• Title the page Annotated Bibliography or Annotated List of Works Cited.
• Each annotation is a new paragraph below the works cited entry.  Indent the entire annotation an inch from the start of the entry, just like you would a block quote. This will "...distinguish it from the half-inch hanging indent..." (226).
• Your instructor will set these requirements:
  • Length of annotation (one or two paragraphs)
  • Use of phrases or complete sentences

From the MLA Handbook, Chapter 1.6: Placement of the List of Works Cite

MLA In-Text Citations Overview

In-text citations are brief references that direct readers to the works-cited-list entries for the sources you consulted and, where relevant, to the location in the source being cited.

When you quote or paraphrase from a source (book, article, or webpage) in your paper, you need to insert an in-text citation. This typically consists of author's last name and page numbers (if there are any) or "the title of article or web resource" and page numbers (if there are any). 

The author's name can appear in a sentence (referred to as citation in prose) or in parentheses at the end of a sentence (referred to as parenthetical citation). The page number always appears in parentheses at the end of the sentence.

According to librarian Julie Chapman, "it is important for everyone, not just librarians, to critically evaluate information" (4).

According to a local librarian, "it is important for everyone, not just librarians, to critically evaluate information" (Chapman 4).

What if there's more than one author, or no author?

Direct Quoting - When you are using someone else's exact words.

1. If you are using a quote that is less than 4 lines, enclose the quote in quotation marks and add the author’s name (unless it is already in the sentence) and page numbers in parentheses.  Place this reference where a pause would occur or at the end of the sentence.  Punctuation marks should be placed after the parenthetical citation. You also will need to add each work from which you cite to your Works Cited page. Here are two examples:

   • The article goes on to say that “People don't do derby just for exercise but usually because it becomes a part of who they are” (Fagundes 1098).

   • Fagundes believes that roller derby gives participants "a chance to feel like a superstar" (1098).

2. If you are using a quote that is more than 4 lines, do not use quotation marks. Instead, put the quote on a new line and indent the whole block approximately 1/2 inch from the left margin. Keep the quote double-spaced. Remember to add a parenthetical citation and put the work on your Works Cited page.  For example,

He asserts the following:

More importantly, though, the notion of competing under derby names was a perfect fit with the recent reimagination of the sport as a punk-rock spectacle that allowed, and encouraged, participants to develop outrageous public personas. The story of derby-name emergence probably has more to do with coincidence and path dependence than with conscious design. Derby pioneer Ivanna S. Pankin’s classic derby name pre-dated her founding of Arizona Roller Derby in 2003. Rather, it was a handle and email address she used as a musician in Phoenix’s punk rock scene. When she publicized her nascent league using the alias Ivanna S. Pankin, and the entire Austin scene was already using skate names, the leagues that popped up in their wake followed suit, and the practice of using colorful nicknames has been used by virtually all derby leagues and skaters since. (Fagundes 1093-1094)

Paraphrasing or Referring to Works - Acknowledging the sources you used in your research.

• If you mention the author’s name in the paragraph, then just put the page number in parentheses.: 

Fagundes believes it is hard to pin down when the practice of skating under a pseudonym began (1104).

• If you do not mention the author’s name in the paragraph, include the author’s name in parentheses before the page number.

It is hard to pin down when the practice of skating under a pseudonym began (Fagundes 1104).

This is a separate page at the end of your paper. Each citation in the text must be listed on the Works Cited page; each listing on the Works Cited page must appear in the text.

From the MLA Handbook, Chapter 1.6: Placement of the List of Works Cited

• Center the heading, Works Cited, an inch from the top of the page
• Double-space between the heading and the first entry.
• List the citations alphabetically by author. If no author is listed, start with the title of the article, book or web resource
• All text is double-spaced, just like the rest of the paper.
• Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inch to create a hanging indent.
  • To do this, highlight the citation and type CTRL-T

  OR

  • Go to the Paragraph ribbon in Word. Click the arrow in the bottom right hand corner. This opens a box: under “special”, click on “hanging”.  

     

Two authors

• List both authors' last names and page numbers (if there are any):
• (Morin and Chapman 25)
• (Huss and Rettler)

Three or more authors

• List only the first author’s last name, and replace the additional names with et al.
• (Mueller et al. 498)
• (Parish et al.)

No author

• If no author is listed, use a shortened title of the work. Put the title in quotation marks if it's a short work (such as an article) or italicize it if it's a longer work (books, entire Web sites) and include page numbers (if there are any).
• For example, if you had a Web site article with the title "Practical Oral Care for People with Intellectual Disability", the parenthetical citation would be
• ("Practical Oral").

Authors in Works Cited Page

Two authors

• The first name appears in last name, first name order; 2nd author name appear in first name last name format.
• Knowles-Carter, Beyonce, and Shawn Carter.

No author:

• Start the citation with the title of the article or book. Put the title in quotation marks if it's a short work (such as an article) or italicize it if it's a longer work (books, entire Web sites)
•  "Practical Oral Care for People with Intellectual Disability." 

Basic Book Format

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date.

Book with One Author

• Bradley, Heather. Design Funny: A Graphic Designer's Guide to Humor. 1st ed., HOW Books, 2015.
• In-text citation: According to Bradley, "this is a citation" (16). OR "This is a citation" (Bradley 16).

Book with Two Authors

• Grazer, Brian, and Charles Fishman. A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life. Simon & Schuster, 2015.
• In-text citation: According to Grazer and Fishman, "this is a citation" (16). OR "This is a citation" (Grazer and Fishman 16).

Book with Three or More Authors

• Shachter, Daniel L., et al. Introducing Psychology. Worth Publishers, 2013.
• In-text citation: According to Schacter et al., "this is a citation" (16). OR "This is a citation" (Schachter et al. 16).

Chapter in an Edited Book

This is an example of a book/e-book chapter for which the chapter's author(s) is different from the book's editor(s).

• Kang-Brown, Jason, et al. "Zero-Tolerance Policies Do Not Make Schools Safer." School Safety, edited by Noah Berlatsky, Greenhaven Press, 2016, pp. 50-52.
• In-text citation: According to Kang-Brown et al., "this is a citation" (16). OR "This is a citation" (Kang-Brown et al. 16).

E-Book from a Library Database (such as Ebook Central and O'Reilly's Online)

• Klausen, Jytte. The Cartoons That Shook the World. e-book ed., Yale University Press, 2009.
• In-text citation: According to Klausen, "this is a citation" (16). OR "This is a citation" (Klausen 16).

Article found in a library database

• Author(s). "Article Title: Subtitle of Article." Title of Journal, Magazine or Newspaper, volume/issue/number, date of publication, page numbers. Library Database Title, DOI with the https:// or the URL without the https://.

Article found elsewhere online

• Author(s). "Article Title: Subtitle of Article." Title of Journal, Magazine or Newspaper, volume/issue/number, date of publication, page numbers, DOI with the https:// or the URL without the https://.

In general, MLA recommends the following:

• Include the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) when available. Example: https://doi.org/10.1000/182. Include the https://
• If there is no DOI, include a short permanent URL or permalink. Remove the https://
• If there is no permanent URL given, use whatever URL is present. Remove the https://
  • Full URLs are recommended but optional.
  • You can shorten URLs to the general site if it is excessively long (3 or more lines).
  • Do not use shortening services such as bit.ly.

Abbreviate all months with five or more letters 

MLA does NOT require that you include a date of access for all online sources. It recommends including one if

• the source does not have a publication date.
• if you believe the source has been altered or deleted.
• your instructor asks you to include it.

Emanuel, Ekeziel J. "Big Pharma's Go-To Defense of Soaring Drug Prices Doesn't Add Up." The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2019, www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/03/drug-prices-high-cost-research-and-development/585253/. Accessed 1 Aug. 2019. 

Hallett, Vicky. "Prancercise, a Celebration of Self-Expression." The Washington Post, 18 Sept. 2013, p. 11. EbscoHost, ezproxy.nwtc.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgov&AN=edsgcl.343280158&site=eds-live&scope=site.

In-text citation:

According to Hallett, "this is a citation" (11).

OR

"This is a citation" (Hallett 11).

Begley, Sharon. "Could This Be the End of Cancer?" Newsweek, vol. 158, no. 25, 19 Dec. 2011, pp. 36-39. EbscoHost, ezproxy.nwtc.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tru e&db=f5h&AN=9707771&site=eds-live&scope=site.

In-text citation:

According to Begley, "this is a citation" (37).

OR

"This is a citation" (Begley 37).

Barlow, David H., and Katherine Ann Kennedy. "New Approaches to Diagnosis and Treatment in Anxiety and Related Emotional Disorders: A Focus on Temperament." Canadian Psychology, vol. 57, no. 1, 2016, pp. 8-20. ProQuest, https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cap0000039.

In-text citation:

According to Barlow and Kennedy, "this is a citation" (9).

OR

"This is a citation" (Barlow and Kennedy 9).

Curthoys, Ann. "The Magic of History: Harry Potter and Historical Consciousness." Agora, vol. 49, no. 4, 2014, pp. 23-31. EbscoHost, ezproxy.nwtc.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh &AN=102630773&site=eds-live&scope=site. 

In-text citation:

According to Curthoys, "this is a citation" (23).

OR

"This is a citation" (Curthoys 23).

Author. "Title of Specific Page." Title of Website, Publisher, date of publication, url.

DeSimone, Danielle. “A History of Military Service: Native Americans in the U.S. Military Yesterday and Today.” USO Stories, The USO, 2021, www.uso.org/stories/2914-a-history-of-military-service-native-americans-in-the-u-s-military-yesterday-and-today.

Torpey, Elka. “Earning Green by Working Green: Wages and Outlook in Careers Protecting the Planet.” Career Outlook, United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019, www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2019/article/careers-protecting-the-planet.htm.

According to the MLA Handbook, when a nongovernmental organization is both the author and the publisher, begin the entry with the title of the source (sec. 5.19).

Tuning Out: Americans on the Edge of Politics. Pew Research Center, 9 Jan. 2024, www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/01/09/tuning-out-americans-on-the-edge-of-politics/.

According to the MLA Handbook, when a government agency/department/entity is both the author and the publisher, and the writer [you!] is a non-specialist/student, you can start the citation with the name of the specific government entity (sec. 5.20).

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What Is Diabetes? 5 Sept. 2023, www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/diabetes.html.

Title of Web Site. Publisher, Publication date, URL [remove the https://].

American Nurses Association. American Nurses Association, 2016, nursingworld.org.

In-text citation:

According to the American Nurses Association, "this is a citation".

OR

"This is a citation" (American Nurses Association).

MLA does NOT require that you include a date of access; however, if your instructor asks you to include an access date, place the access date at the end of the entry:

• "Captain Marvel (2019)". IMDb, IMDb, 2019, www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664/. Accessed 10 Feb. 2019.

YouTube Videos

If the creator's name is clear, the basic MLA format is:

Author. "Title of Video." YouTube, Publication Date, URL.

sayerb123. "Husky Puppy Talking Saying 'I Love You'." YouTube, 13 Dec. 2009, youtu.be/N_Qqs0Q2w5CE.

In-text citation: In the video posted by sayerb123, “this is a citation”. OR  “This is a citation” (sayerb123).

If it is not clear who the primary creator of the video is, start the citation with the title of the video.

"Title of Video." YouTube, uploaded by Name, Publication Date, URL.

"Capybara Meme". YouTube, uploaded by pigeonpartytime, 4 Oct. 2021, youtu.be/OHtyWD2934Q.

TED Talks from the TED Website

Author. "Title of Video." TED, Publication Date, URL.

Allende, Isabel. “Tales of Passion.” TED, Mar. 2007, www.ted.com/talks/isabel_allende_tells_tales_of_passion.

See the Tables and Illustrations section of the MLA Handbook for more details on formatting an image in the text of the paper.

Basic Format

Image Creator. "Title of Photo/Image/Picture." Name of Collection/Archive/Webpage, Publisher of Website (if different from Name of Webpage), Date, URL.

• The image creator can be in the form of a first and last name, or a screen name. If you can't find a creator name, start the citation with the title of the image.
• If you can't find a date, do not put n.d. Just put a period after the the webpage/publisher name and then finish with the URL.

Examples

Notaro, Carlotta. "Overwork." Giphy, giphy.com/gifs/animation-work-job-pOZhmE42D1WrCWATLK.

Jose and Roxeanne. "Flowers." Flickr, 31 Dec. 2017, flic.kr/p/8bD3aP.

NOTE: If you find an image on Google images, visit the original site where the picture appears and cite that page, not Google.

Basic Format

"“Title of Document.” Name of Class, taught by Firstname Lastname. Canvas, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, 30. Apr. 2024, URL.

Example

"MLA Citation Handout." Introduction to Library Science, taught by Julie Chapman. Canvas, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, 30. Apr. 2024, nwtc.instructure.com/courses/111/modules/items/000000.

Author. "Title of Blog Post." Name of Blog, date, URL.  Accessed day month year.

Meinholz, Greg. "In Jordan Love We Trust." Packers Talk Blog, 12 May 2023, packerstalk.com/2023/05/12/in-jordan-love-we-trust/. Accessed 15 June 2023.

Guidance from the official MLA Style Center:

• How do I cite Twitter now that its name has changed to X? 
• Citing Material Posted on Social Media Platforms 

General rules for citing a Post (formerly known as a Tweet):

• For the author, use the name on the account.  If the author's online handle differs from the author's account name, you could add the handle in brackets after the name.
• For a post under 140 characters, use the full text of the post as the title. 
• Shorten posts longer than 140 characters by using an ellipsis ... at the end: "if you were to go vegan, what would you miss the most?..."

Example:

• Johnson, Dwayne [@TheRock]. "Here’s a peek at my new Iron Paradise I built out here in the country on my Virginia farm..." X, 20 July 2019, twitter.com/TheRock/status/1152650347963387904.

The MLA Style Center recently added examples of commonly-cited legal sources to Documenting Legal Works in MLA Style: 

• United States Supreme Court Decisions
• United States Supreme Court Dissenting Opinions
• Federal Statutes (United States Code)
• Public Laws
• Federal Appeals Court Decisions
• Federal Bills
• Hearings
• Executive Orders
• State Court of Appeals, Unpublished Decisions
• State Senate Bills
• Constitutions
• Treaties
• International Governing Bodies

Examples

Rodrigo, Olivia. Personal interview with the author. 10 Aug. 2020.

Rodrigo, Olivia. Zoom interview with the author. 2 May 2024.

Xiong, Jo. Email to the author. 5 Dec. 2023.

"Evil Clown." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Sept. 2017, 12:46 pm, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_clown. Accessed 28 Sept. 2017.

Last Name, First Name. Title of Dissertation. Publication Date. Name of University, PhD Dissertation. Name of Repository, url.

Last Name, First Name. Title of Dissertation. Publication Date. Name of University, EdD Dissertation. Name of Repository, url.

Last Name, First Name. Title of Thesis. Publication Date. Name of University, MA Thesis. Name of Repository, url.

Last Name, First Name. Title of Thesis. Publication Date. Name of University, MS Thesis. Name of Repository, url.

Last Name, First Name. Title of Thesis. Publication Date. Name of University, MFA Thesis. Name of Repository, url.

Examples

Rivera, Luis Eduardo. Dual Enrollment Participation in the United States: Findings from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009.  2017. U of Texas at El Paso, EdD Dissertation. UTEP ScholarWorks, scholarworks.utep.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1539&context=open_etd. 

Lindmark, Sarah Allison. "Watching Their Souls Speak": Interpreting the New Music Videos of Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. 2019. UC Irvine, MFA Thesis. University of California eScholarship, escholarship.org/content/qt5gw3v7bf/qt5gw3v7bf.pdf.

MLA style does not have an official format to acknowledge Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers as a reference; however, NorQuest College Librarian Lorisia MacLeod and NorQuest College Indigenous Student Centre staff have designed templates to meet this need. While not officially adopted into the MLA citation style guide, MacLeod’s templates are supported by many universities and colleges across North America. (source)

Format:

Last name, First name. Nation/Community. Treaty Territory if applicable. City/Community they live in if applicable. Topic/subject of communication if applicable. Date Month Year. 

Example:

Cardinal, Delores. Goodfish Lake Cree Nation. Treaty 6. Lives in Edmonton. Oral teaching. 4 April 2004. 

Template Source: NorQuest College's First Nations and Indigenous Studies Research Guide  (CC BY-NC 4.0)

MLA issued preliminary guidance on March 17, 2023:

How do I cite generative AI in MLA style?

The basics:

• cite a generative AI tool whenever you paraphrase, quote, or incorporate into your own work any content (whether text, image, data, or other) that was created by it
• acknowledge all functional uses of the tool (like editing your prose or translating words) in a note, your text, or another suitable location
• take care to vet the secondary sources it cites

Scroll down to find examples for in-text citations and works cited list entries for:

• paraphrased text
• cited text
• AI-generated images
• AI-generated creative text, such as poems
• secondary sources cited by a generative AI tool