MLA Citation and Referencing Guide (9th Edition)

MLA referencing style overview

This guide follows the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook. MLA uses brief author-page citations in your text and a Works Cited list.

Use the MLA reference generator

1. Books and chapters
2. Articles
3. Online sources
4. Films, videos and images
5. Other source types
6. Modern sources and AI guidance

MLA in-text citation examples

Use the author's surname and the relevant page: (Green 27). There is no comma between them. If you name Green in your sentence, write only (27). For a source without page numbers, omit the page; do not invent one.

The citation must lead to the corresponding Works Cited entry. Use a short title if the source has no named author, or to distinguish several works by the same author: (Green, Reading Together 27). MLA does not distinguish these works by adding letters to their publication years.

MLA Works Cited format

Arrange Works Cited entries alphabetically by their first element, usually the author's surname. Double-space the list and use a hanging indent. Preserve names as published. Reverse only the first author's name; give a second author in normal order. For three or more authors, use the first author followed by “et al.”

Example Works Cited list

See the MLA's in-text citation guidance and Works Cited quick guide.

1. Books

One author

Add an edition after the title when it is not the first: 3rd ed. Modern book entries normally need the publisher and year, without a city or a “Print” label.

Two authors

Three or more authors

A chapter in an edited book

Begin with the chapter author and quoted chapter title. The book is the container: give its title in italics, its editor, publisher, year and the chapter's page range.

For a whole edited collection, place the editor in the author position and add “editor” or “editors”. For an ebook, include the online container and DOI or URL where applicable. Cite the version you actually used.

Reference a book · Reference a chapter

2. Articles

Journal articles

Use the full journal title, volume, issue, publication date and pages. The article title is in quotation marks; the journal title is italicised.

For an online article, add its DOI, preferably as a https://doi.org/ link. Use a permalink or URL if there is no DOI. Page numbers may accompany the link when useful. A database can form a second container. Do not add the obsolete “Web” label. See the MLA's guidance on pages and DOIs.

Newspaper and magazine articles

Use the article title, publication name and full publication date rather than a journal-style volume and issue. Include pages for a print article, or its URL for an online article.

Reference a journal article

3. Online sources

Websites and webpages

Identify the author where one is credited. Otherwise start with the page title. Include the site as an italicised container, any distinct publisher, the publication date and URL. An organisation that is both author and publisher is normally given only as publisher. An access date is useful for undated or changeable material.

Reference a webpage · Official examples for online works

Emails and social media

A private message needs its sender, a description of the communication and its date. Do not invent a public URL. For a public social post, identify the account, the post, the platform, its date and its direct URL. Use the MLA core-elements template for the particular item, and keep any username needed to identify its creator.

4. Films, videos and images

Films and DVDs

A general film entry can begin with its italicised title, followed by the director, production company or distributor and year. Name the edition or version where it matters. When your discussion centres on a particular contributor, that person may appear first.

YouTube and other online videos

Apply the container template: quoted video title, italicised platform, uploader when relevant, upload date and URL. Credit the creator when known; do not assume the uploading account created the work.

Photographs and artworks

For a work viewed in person, identify the artist, italicised title, creation date and collection or location. For an image viewed online or reproduced in a book, include that source's container details. Citing an image and obtaining permission to reproduce it are separate matters.

The MLA's examples by format cover films, songs and photographs.

5. Other source types

Dissertations and theses

Give the author, italicised title, year, awarding institution and the type of thesis. Add the database or repository and location for a version accessed online. See the MLA dissertation guidance.

Reports and government publications

Use the credited author or responsible organisation, title, publisher and date, then the report number or online location where relevant. Do not automatically credit every government document to “UK Government”; use the agency shown on the document.

Presentations, lectures and interviews

Identify the speaker or interviewee and the work or event you used. Include its date, location and any publication container. Cite the presentation itself, rather than treating your own notes as its author. The MLA lecture examples show how the event or recording supplies the container details.

Music

An album title is italicised. A song title goes in quotation marks, with the album as its italicised container. Include the performer, label and date; add a streaming container and URL when relevant to the version used.

Dictionaries

Reference the entry you used: its author if credited, quoted entry title, dictionary title and edition or online-container details. A changing online entry may benefit from an access date. Do not supply an invented publication year for an undated entry.

MLA citations for online media and AI

Short videos on YouTube or Vimeo

MLA can credit the primary creator separately from the uploader. Copy the title shown on the site and identify the hosting site, upload date and URL. A complete film has additional publication details. Use the MLA video citation generator. See MLA’s current YouTube guidance.

Podcasts and public social posts

Apply the MLA ninth-edition core-elements template. A podcast episode has a host, an episode title and a series containing it; include season, episode number, publisher and date when available. For a social post, use its author or account, the post text, platform, date and URL. A description can replace a missing title. Reference a podcast episode or a public social post.

Citing ChatGPT and other generative AI

Under MLA’s August 2025 guidance, describe the generated material or prompt first. Do not list the AI as an author. Add the tool, known model, company and generation date. Prefer a stable sharing link over the tool homepage. Keep your own record and explain substantial AI use separately. Create an MLA AI citation.

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