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MLA Works Cited Page: Basic Format

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According to MLA style, you must have a Works Cited page at the end of your research paper. All entries in the Works Cited page must correspond to the works cited in your main text.

Basic rules

  • Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your research paper. It should have the same one-inch margins and last name, page number header as the rest of your paper.
  • Only the title should be centered. The citation entries themselves should be aligned with the left margin.
  • Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries.
  • Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inches to create a hanging indent.
  • List page numbers of sources efficiently, when needed. If you refer to a journal article that appeared on pages 225 through 250, list the page numbers on your Works Cited page as pp. 225-50 (Note: MLA style dictates that you should omit the first sets of repeated digits. In our example, the digit in the hundreds place is repeated between 2 25 and 2 50, so you omit the 2 from 250 in the citation: pp. 225-50). If the excerpt spans multiple pages, use “pp.”   Note that MLA style uses a hyphen in a span of pages.
  • If only one page of a print source is used, mark it with the abbreviation “p.” before the page number (e.g., p. 157). If a span of pages is used, mark it with the abbreviation “pp.” before the page number (e.g., pp. 157-68).
  • If you're citing an article or a publication that was originally issued in print form but that you retrieved from an online database, you should type the online database name in italics. You do not need to provide subscription information in addition to the database name.
  • For online sources, you should include a location to show readers where you found the source. Many scholarly databases use a DOI (digital object identifier). Use a DOI in your citation if you can; otherwise use a URL. Delete “http://” from URLs. The DOI or URL is usually the last element in a citation and should be followed by a period.
  • All works cited entries end with a period.

Additional basic rules new to MLA 2021

New to MLA 2021:

  • Apps and databases should be cited only when they are containers of the particular works you are citing, such as when they are the platforms of publication of the works in their entirety, and not an intermediary that redirects your access to a source published somewhere else, such as another platform. For example, the Philosophy Books app should be cited as a container when you use one of its many works, since the app contains them in their entirety. However, a PDF article saved to the Dropbox app is published somewhere else, and so the app should not be cited as a container.
  • If it is important that your readers know an author’s/person’s pseudonym, stage-name, or various other names,  then you should generally cite the better-known form of author’s/person’s name. For example, since the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is better-known by his pseudonym, cite Lewis Carroll opposed to Charles Dodgson (real name).
  • For annotated bibliographies , annotations should be appended at the end of a source/entry with one-inch indentations from where the entry begins. Annotations may be written as concise phrases or complete sentences, generally not exceeding one paragraph in length.

Capitalization and punctuation

  • Capitalize each word in the titles of articles, books, etc, but do not capitalize articles (the, an), prepositions, or conjunctions unless one is the first word of the title or subtitle: Gone with the Wind, The Art of War, There Is Nothing Left to Lose .
  • Use italics (instead of underlining) for titles of larger works (books, magazines) and quotation marks for titles of shorter works (poems, articles)

Listing author names

Entries are listed alphabetically by the author's last name (or, for entire edited collections, editor names). Author names are written with the last name first, then the first name, and then the middle name or middle initial when needed:

Do not  list titles (Dr., Sir, Saint, etc.) or degrees (PhD, MA, DDS, etc.) with names. A book listing an author named "John Bigbrain, PhD" appears simply as "Bigbrain, John." Do, however, include suffixes like "Jr." or "II." Putting it all together, a work by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be cited as "King, Martin Luther, Jr." Here the suffix following the first or middle name and a comma.

More than one work by an author

If you have cited more than one work by a particular author, order the entries alphabetically by title, and use three hyphens in place of the author's name for every entry after the first:

Burke, Kenneth. A Grammar of Motives . [...]

---. A Rhetoric of Motives . [...]

When an author or collection editor appears both as the sole author of a text and as the first author of a group, list solo-author entries first:

Heller, Steven, ed. The Education of an E-Designer .

Heller, Steven, and Karen Pomeroy. Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design.

Work with no known author

Alphabetize works with no known author by their title; use a shortened version of the title in the parenthetical citations in your paper. In this case, Boring Postcards USA has no known author:

Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulations.  [...]

Boring Postcards USA  [...]

Burke, Kenneth. A Rhetoric of Motives . [...] 

Work by an author using a pseudonym or stage-name

New to MLA 9th edition, there are now steps to take for citing works by an author or authors using a pseudonym, stage-name, or different name. 

If the person you wish to cite is well-known, cite the better-known form of the name of the author. For example, since Lewis Carroll is  not only a pseudonym of Charles Dodgson , but also the better-known form of the author’s name, cite the former name opposed to the latter. 

If the real name of the author is less well-known than their pseudonym, cite the author’s pseudonym in square brackets following the citation of their real name: “Christie, Agatha [Mary Westmacott].”

Authors who published various works under many names may be cited under a single form of the author’s name. When the form of the name you wish to cite differs from that which appears on the author’s work, include the latter in square brackets following an italicized published as : “Irving, Washington [ published as Knickerbocker, Diedrich].”.

Another acceptable option, in cases where there are only two forms of the author’s name, is to cite both forms of the author’s names as separate entries along with cross-references in square brackets: “Eliot, George [ see also Evans, Mary Anne].”.

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MLA works cited page

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In MLA style, two citations are used to cite a source: a short citation used in the text (called the in-text citation) and a full citation (called the works-cited-list entry) in the works-cited list, which appears at the end of a paper.

What is an MLA works cited?

Every source cited using an in-text citation also has a corresponding works-cited entry in the list. The works-cited entry provides additional information about the cited source, enough information so the reader can find the source if needed. This usually includes additional information like the publication date, who published the source, and the location of the source (e.g., URL, DOI number, etc.).

Basic formatting

The works-cited list appears at the end of the paper after any endnotes, if they are present.

Page margins

All margins (top, bottom, left, and right) should be set at 1 inch.

Running head

Write the running head in the top right of the page at 0.5 inch from the top. Use the running head “Surname Page #.”

The font should be clear enough to read. Use Times New Roman font sized at 12 points.

Formatting entries

Entries should be double-spaced. If any entry runs over more than a line, indent the subsequent lines 0.5 inch from the left margin.

Formatting the title

The title should be “Works Cited.” It should be aligned to the center of the page. Do not bold, italicize, or underline the title. If you cite only one source in the list, the title should be “Work Cited.”

Formatting works cited

Works-cited-list entries are arranged alphabetically. Entries should be double-spaced. If any entry runs over more than a line, indent the subsequent lines 0.5 inch from the left margin.

Examples of works-cited-list entries

Below are a few examples of different types of works-cited-list entries along with their templates. The examples given are for one author.

The title of the book is given in italics and title case.

Surname, First name Middle initial. Title of the Book . Publisher, Publication Date. Page range.

Fienup-Riordan, Ann. Boundaries and Passages: Rule and Ritual in Yup’ik Eskimo Oral Tradition . UP of Oklahoma, 1995.

Journal article                                      

The title of the article is in title case and given inside the quotation marks. The journal title is in italics. Include “vol.” before the volume number and “no.” before the issue number. Use “pp.’’ before the page range.

Surname, First name. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title , Volume, Issue, Publication Date, Page range.

MacDonald, Shauna M. “Performance as Critical Posthuman Pedagogy.” Text and Performance Quarterly , vol. 34, no. 2, 2014, pp. 164–81.

Webpage of a website

The webpage title is in plain text, while the website name is given in italics. Follow the format given in the template and example for writing the date, month, year, and URL.

Author or Organization Name. “Title of the Webpage.” Website Name . Publication Date, URL.

Carbert, Michelle. “Canada Will Not Move Embassy to Jerusalem, Federal Government Says.” The Globe and Mail . 7 Sept. 2017, www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-will-not-move-embassy-to-jerusalem-federal-government-says/article37219576/ .

YouTube video

The video title is given in title case and inside quotation marks. This is followed by the word “YouTube.” Then the uploader’s name is given in the first name-surname format followed by the uploaded date. Finally, the URL is given.

“Title of the Video.” YouTube , uploaded by Uploader’s Name, Day Month Year, URL.

“Covid: Leaks, Lies and Incompetence.” YouTube , uploaded by Russel. Brand, 29 May 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dArz2OPsGSU .

Works cited entries for different numbers of authors

The number of authors in the source decides how the author name(s) will be added to the works-cited list. Here, you will see many journal references with different numbers of authors.

List the author name in surname-first name order.

MacGill, Belinda. “Craft, Relational Aesthetics, and Ethics of Care.” Art/Research International: A Transdisciplinary Journal , vol. 4, no. 1, 2019, pp. 426–29.

Two authors

The first author’s name is styled in surname-first name order, whereas the second author’s name is styled in first name-surname order. The authors’ names are separated by “and.”

Author Surname, First name. Middle initial., and First name Surname. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title , Volume, Issue, Publication Date, Page range.

Gingrich-Philbrook, Craig, and Jake Simmons. “Reprogramming the Stage: A Heuristic for Posthuman Performance.” Text and Performance Quarterly , vol. 35, no. 4, 2015, pp.  323–44.

More than two authors

List only the first author’s name in the surname-first name order followed by a comma. Then, use “et al.”

Author Surname, First name, et al. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title , Volume, Issue, Publication Date, Page range.

Meints, Samanta M., et al. “Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Experience and Treatment of Noncancer Pain.” Pain Management , vol. 9, no. 3, 2019, pp. 317–34.

Arranging works-cited list

Follow the below guidelines for arranging the entries in the works-cited list.

Entries are arranged in alphabetical order according to the surname of the first author.

If there is no author, then the title is considered for alphabetical arrangement.

For entries beginning with a title, only the main words are considered for alphabetical arrangement (e.g., exclude “A,” “An,” and “The”).

Accented characters are considered normal characters (e.g., “á” should be considered as “a”). However, “ä” should be considered “ae”)

Space between words is ignored while arranging the entries alphabetically.

Works by different numbers of authors

Works by one author

If there are two or more works by the same author, add the author’s name only for the first entry. Use three em dashes followed by a period in subsequent entries.

Dumond, Don E. “The Artic Small Tool Tradition in Southern Alaska.” Alaskan Journal of Anthropology , vol. 3, no. 2, 2005, pp. 67–78.

———. “A Reexamination of Eskimo-Aleut Prehistory.” American Anthropologist , vol. 89, 1987, pp. 32–56.

Works by two authors

If there are two or more works by the same first author but different second authors, arrange the entry according to the surname of the second author.

Fienup-Riordan, Ann, and Melia Knecht. “Irr’inarqellriit /Amazing Things: Quinhagak Elders Reflect on Their Past.” Alaskan Journal of Anthropology , vol. 13, no. 2, 2015, pp. 36–39.

Fienup-Riordan, Ann, and Alice Rearden. Ellavut, Our Yup’ik World & Weather: Continuity and Change on the Bering Sea Coast. Washington UP, 2012.

If there are two or more works by the same two authors, add the names only for the first entry. Use three em dashes followed by a period in subsequent entries.

Works by a single author and the same author with a coauthor

If there are multiple works, a few by a single author and others by the same first author with other coauthors, arrange the single author works first using three em dashes in place of the author’s name. Then arrange entries with the same first author and other coauthors according to the surname of the second author. Do not use three em dashes here, as the author is not exactly the same. The below examples will help you arrange your works-cited list entries alphabetically.

Fienup-Riordan, Ann. Hunting Tradition in a Changing World: Yup’ik Lives in Alaska Today . Rutgers UP, 2000.

———. Yup’ik Elders at the Ethnologisches Museum Berlin: Fieldwork Turned on Its Head . Washington UP, 2005.

Fienup-Riordan, Ann, and Alice Rearden. Ellavut, Our Yup’ik World & Weather: Continuity and Change on the Bering Sea Coast . Washington UP, 2012.

———. Wise Words of the Yup’ik People: We Talk to You Because We Love You . Washington UP, 2018.

Fienup-Riordan, Ann, et al. Yup’ik words of wisdom=Yupiit qanruyutait . Washington UP, 2018.

Works by titles

Arrange entries by title only when

There is no author name

There are more works by the same single author

There are more works by the same first author and same coauthor

There are more works by the same first author followed by et al.

Example works cited

“Covid: Leaks, Lies and Incompetence.” YouTube , uploaded by Russell. Brand, 29 May 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dArz2OPsGSU .

Resource Types

For additional information on MLA format, select from one of the resource types below. For help creating MLA citations, check out the BibMe MLA citation generator .

  • How to cite a Book in MLA
  • How to cite a Magazine in MLA
  • How to cite a Newspaper in MLA
  • How to cite a Website in MLA
  • How to cite a Journal Article in MLA
  • How to cite a Movie in MLA
  • How to cite an Interview in MLA
  • How to cite a Lecture in MLA
  • How to cite a TV Show / Radio Broadcast in MLA
  • How to cite an Encyclopedia in MLA
  • How to cite a Photograph in MLA

MLA Format:

  • In-Text Citation Basics
  • Works Cited Page

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Works-Cited-List Entries

Citations by format.

Entries in the works-cited list are created using the MLA template of core elements —facts common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date. To use the template, evaluate the work you’re citing to see which elements apply to the source. Then, list each element relevant to your source in the order given on the template. 

The examples below show you how to cite five basic source types. Click on an entry to get more information, as well as links to posts with more examples. For hundreds of sample entries by format, check out the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook . 

Book by One Author

Mantel, Hilary. Wolf Hall . Picador, 2010.

Book by an Unknown Author

Beowulf . Translated by Alan Sullivan and Timothy Murphy, edited by Sarah Anderson, Pearson, 2004.

An Edited Book

Sánchez Prado, Ignacio M., editor. Mexican Literature in Theory . Bloomsbury, 2018.

Online Works

Article on a website.

Deresiewicz, William. “The Death of the Artist—and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur.” The Atlantic , 28 Dec. 2014, theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/01/ the-death-of-the-artist-and-the-birth-of-thecreative-entrepreneur/383497/.

Book on a website

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Masque of the Red Death.” The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe , edited by James A. Harrison, vol. 4, Thomas Y. Crowell, 1902, pp. 250-58. HathiTrust Digital Library , hdl.handle.net/2027/coo.31924079574368.

Journal Article in a Database

Goldman, Anne. “Questions of Transport: Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante.” The Georgia Review , vol. 64, no. 1, spring 2010, pp. 69-88. JSTOR , www.jstor.org/stable/41403188.

Songs, Recordings, and Performances

Song from an album.

Snail Mail. “Thinning.” Habit , Sister Polygon Records, 2016. Vinyl EP. 

Song on a website

Snail Mail. “Thinning.” Bandcamp , snailmailbaltimore.bandcamp.com.

Concert Attended in Person

Beyoncé. The “Formation” World Tour. 14 May 2016, Rose Bowl, Los Angeles.

Movies, Videos, and Television Shows

A movie viewed in person.

Opening Night. Directed by John Cassavetes, Faces Distribution, 1977. 

A Movie Viewed Online

Richardson, Tony, director. Sanctuary . Screenplay by James Poe, Twentieth Century Fox, 1961. YouTube , uploaded by LostCinemaChannel, 17 July 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMnzFM_Sq8s .

A Television Show Viewed on Physical Media

“Hush.” 1999. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Fourth Seaso n, created by Joss Whedon, episode 10, Mutant Enemy / Twentieth Century Fox, 2003, disc 3. DVD.

A Photograph Viewed in Person

Cameron, Julia Margaret. Alfred, Lord Tennyson . 1866, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.

A Painting Viewed Online

Bearden, Romare. The Train . 1975. MOMA , www.moma.org/collection/works/65232?locale=en.

An Untitled Image from a Print Magazine

Karasik, Paul. Cartoon. The New Yorker , 14 Apr. 2008, p. 49.

  • Free Tools for Students
  • Works Cited Generator

Free Works Cited Generator

Generate a Works Cited page in MLA format automatically, with MyBib!

MLA 8 guidebook cover

😕 What is a Works Cited Generator?

A works cited generator is a tool that automatically creates a works cited page in the Modern Language Association (MLA) citation format. The generator will take in information about the sources you have cited in your paper, such as document titles, authors, and URLs, and will output a fully formatted works cited page that can be added to the end of your paper (just as your teacher asked!).

The citations included in a Works Cited page show the sources that you used to construct your argument in the body of your school paper, either directly as references and quotes, or indirectly as ideas.

👩‍🎓 Who uses a Works Cited Generator?

Students in middle school and high school will usually be expected to produce a works cited page to accompany their academic papers. Therefore, they will generally be the users of a works cited generator.

Alongside generating a works cited page, at middle school and high school level it is also important to learn why it's critical to cite sources, not just how to cite them.

🙌 Why should I use a Works Cited Generator?

Formatting works cited pages manually is time consuming, and ensuring accuracy is mind-numbing.

Automating this process with a works cited generator is a quick and easy way to be sure you are doing it correctly (and according to the MLA format!). Our generator also provides a backed-up location to save your citations to as you write each part of your paper -- just keep the MyBib website open in a browser tab while you work and add to your works cited page as you go along!

⚙️ How do I use MyBib's Works Cited Generator?

Using our Works Cited Generator is so easy. Every time you cite a source in your paper, just come back to the generator at the top of this page and enter the source you are citing. Our generator can cite books, journal articles, and webpages automatically, and can cite over 30 other sources if you enter the source details manually.

Save each source to your bibliography, then when you have finished writing your paper just click the 'download' button and the generator will produce a formatted Works Cited page that can be copied and pasted directly to the end of your document.

Image of daniel-elias

Daniel is a qualified librarian, former teacher, and citation expert. He has been contributing to MyBib since 2018.

  • How to setup your software
  • Sample MLA Paper – normal paper
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  • Sample APA Paper
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  • APA Format Guidelines
  • MLA Format Works Cited

The list of Works Cited is an alphabetical list of sources that you used to gather information for your research paper. You place this works cited list at the end of your research paper.

Your Works Cited Page:

Formatting Your MLA Format Works Cited:
Use the heading “Works Cited” centered one inch below the top edge of a new page. Do not bold or underline this heading.
Begin the list on a new page and number each page, continuing the page numbers of the research paper. For example, if the text of your research paper ends on page 10, the works-cited list begins on page 11. The page number appears in the upper right-hand corner, half an inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
Do not indent the first line of each entry. If an entry runs more than one line, indent the subsequent line or lines 1/2 inch from the left margin.
Double-space the entire list, both between and within entries. Continue the list on as many pages as necessary.
Alphabetize entries in your list of works cited by the author’s last name, using the letter-by-letter system. In this system, the order of names is determined by the letters before the commas that separate last names and first names. Spaces and other punctuation marks are ignored. The letters following the commas are considered only when two or more last names are identical.  and are ignored.

MLA Works Cited Page Example:

example of works cited page for websites

MLA Works Cited Page Example

MLA Format Works Cited Templates/Formulas:

Here are the basic MLA format templates if you would like to create the Works Cited list yourself (instead of using the automatic generators).

Basic template in reference to Books
NOTE: Name of author inverted = author’s last name, author’s first name.

Name of author inverted. . Place of publication: Name of publisher, Year of publication. Print.

. . Princeton: Princeton UP, 2003. Print.

Author’s first name, last name, Author’s first name Author’s last name. . Place of publication: Name of publisher, Year of publication. Print.

. . Princeton: Princeton UP, 2000. Print.

Name of author inverted. . Ed. Editor’s first name Editor’s last name. Place: Pub, Year. Print.

. . Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square-Pocket, 1992. Print.

Other Templates:
Name of author inverted. “Title of work.” . Ed. Editor’s first and last name. Place: Pub, Year. Pages of work. Printed.

. “Toni Morrison: A Critical Look.” . Ed. Nancy Peterson. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1997. 221-76. Printed.

Name of author inverted. . . Ed. editor’s name. Place: Pub, Year. Pages. Printed.

. . . Fifth Course. Ed. Kathleen Daniel, et al. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2000. 829-887. Printed.

Name of author inverted. “Article title.” . Edition. Date. Printed.

. “Portugal.” . International ed. 1999. Printed.

. Ed. Editor’s last name, first name. Place: Pub, Year. Printed.

. Ed. Henry Wansbrough. New York: Doubleday, 1985. Printed.

In-text Citation example: (New Jerusalem Bible, Ezek. 1.5-10)

Name of author inverted. “Title of article.” (omit any introductory a, an, or the) Volume number or issue number (Date of publication): Page numbers for the entire article. Printed.

. “Historical Actuality and Bodily Experience.” 2.1 (1966): 15-28. Printed.

Where 2.1 means: volume 2, issue 1.

Basic template in reference to Electronic Sources
Name of author inverted. . Publisher, Publication date. Web. Access date.

. 17 Oct. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2012.

Name of author inverted. “ .” Name of Newspaper Year or date of publication: page numbers. Print.

. “ .” Wall Street Journal 27 Mar. 2002: B1+. Print.

Name of author inverted. “ .” Name of Newspaper Year or date of publication: page numbers. Web. Access date.

. “ .” Washington Post 5 May 2002. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.

Name of author inverted. “ .” Magazine Title. Date: Pages. Print.

. “ .” Health and Fitness 15 June 1995: 56-61. Print.

Name of author inverted. “ .” Magazine Title. Date: Pages. Web. Access date.

. “ .” Atlantic Online June 2007. Web. 22 Sept. 2005.

Name of author inverted. “ .” Title of Journal Volume (Year): Pages. Print.

. “ .” Mosaic 19 (1986): 133-49. Print.

Name of author inverted. “Article Title.”  Volume (Year): Pages. Web. Access date.

. “Opening Day at Shakespeare’s Globe.” Studies 3.1 (1997). Web. 27 May 2009.

. “Colors and Blood: Flag Passions of the Confederate South.” . 2 Mar. 2005: 64-6. . ProQuest. Trabuco Hills High School Library. Web. 3 Feb. 2004.

“Word searched.” . Created or updated date if available. Sponsoring organization of applicable. Web. Date of access written in MLA style.

. 2000. Web. 25 Sept. 2006.

Author or Government Agency. . Publication Information, date. Print.

United States Dept. of Health and Human Services.  Understanding and Improving Health. Washington: GPO, 2000. Print.

Author or Government Agency. . Publication Information, date. Web.

. Understanding and Improving Health. Washington: GPO, 2000. Web.

Class Notes, Lecture, etc…
Name of lecturer inverted. Class Notes. Course. Location. Date of lecture. Lecture.

Stewart, Ms. Class Notes. English 3 Honors/IB. Trabuco Hills High School, Mission Viejo. 26 Sept. 2003. Lecture.

Name of speaker inverted. “Title of Presentation.” Sponsoring Organization. Location. Date. Speech.

. “Writing Labs: A Short History.” 2003 Writing Center Conference. National Writing Centers Association. La Swank Hotel, Seattle. 28 Mar. 2003. Speech.

Interviewee last name, first name. Personal Interview. Date of interview.

. Personal Interview. 1 Dec. 2000.

. Dir. Director’s name. Perf. Performer’s name(s). Distributor, year of release. Film.

. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro. Polygram, 1995. Film.

Basic template in reference to Other Items
Sources come in many forms. As a general rule, arrange the information in your Works Cited in the following order:Author. . Place of publication. Publisher. Date and any information that could help with retrieval. Medium.

References:

  • MLA Handbook, 8th Edition
  • Style Guide for Research Papers, p. 4-5
  • The Longman Writer’s Bible, p. 127

If you find this website useful, please share with a friend:

Thank you now I can go back to school and claim my victory!

i hate it, all it does is stress me out and keep me AWAY from my freinds rather than spending more time with them while only giving me better grades becuase thts all my teacher willl accept

I need to site three books by the same author.

I finished MLA Works cited page on a website which my teacher gave me a 100 on.

This was very helpful thank you so very much…

This was super helpful!!

Hi Laquisha. Thanks for your input. I’m gonna have to agree to disagree.

How about the picture?

How Do I cite a photograph from an online magazine or publicity agency? What should the in-text citation look like?

Very helpful

How would one cite a video (on youtube) in MLA format? Would one just cite the website?

Does the Works Cited page take the place of the Bibliography, or in MLA are both needed?

Q: Does the Works Cited page take the place of the Bibliography in MLA?

Hello, is it considered plagiarism if i took excerpts from various pages and mix them together, so the work will be more complete, and put the sources in cited works? or do i have to put also my words into the sentences?

Yes, that is considered plagiarism. See citation examples here .

This is good but it’s not really specific enough, like where it says name of author inverted it should be last name, first name. And it says location of publication when it should say city.

How exactly do I use MLA format for a philosophy paper, the source I am using is from Stanford’s online encyclopedia, in which it’s a paper written by an author, but I don’t know exactly how to format it. My teacher had told our class to just put the author’s last name at the end of the sentence.

Hi Ralphael,

“My teacher had told our class to just put the author’s last name at the end of the sentence.”

That is called in-text citation, you can read some examples here . See under the section “Placement and Punctuation Rules”.

Generally, you would put the last name and page number but since the source you use is online and has no page number, you just use the last name, as advised by your teacher.

This article does not specify what goes first, second, third. e.g. author’s name, then title of source, then year, then page number, etc. So, if I direct a student here, he can get the correct format, but not the proper order of information.

Hi Laquisha,

Thank you for your input.

I would like to let you know that I have updated this page to include the information you suggested. The new information can be located under subtitle: “MLA Format Works Cited Templates”. Take care!

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How to cite in MLA format

MLA handbook 9th edition

MLA is one of the most common citation styles used by students and academics. This quick guide explains how to cite sources according to the 9th edition (the most recent) of the MLA Handbook . You can also use Scribbr’s free  citation generator to automatically generate references and in-text citations.

An MLA citation has two components:

  • In-text citation : Every time you quote or paraphrase a source, you cite the author and the page number in parentheses.
  • Works Cited : At the end of your paper, you give a full reference for every source you cited, alphabetized by the author’s last name.

MLA Works Cited list

The list of Works Cited (also known as the bibliography or reference page) gives full details of every source you cited in your text. Each entry is built from nine core elements:

Following this format, you can create a citation for any type of source—for example, a book , journal article , website , or movie . You only include information that’s relevant to the type of source you’re citing.

Missing information in MLA citations

Regardless of the source type, the most important elements of any MLA citation are the author , the source title , and the publication date. If any of these are missing from the source, the Works Cited entry will look slightly different.

What’s missing?What to doWorks Cited example
No authorStart with the source title instead. Alphabetize by the first word (ignoring ).“Australia fires: ‘Catastrophic’ alerts in South Australia and Victoria.” , 20 Nov. 2019, www.bbc.com/­news/­world-­australia-­50483410.
No titleGive a brief description of the source. Use sentence case and no italics or quotation marks.Mackintosh, Charles Rennie. Chair of stained oak. 1897–1900, Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
No dateLeave out the publication date. Add the date you accessed the source at the end of the citation.“Who are Scribbr Editors?” , www.scribbr.com/­about-­us/­editors/. Accessed 10 June 2019.

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MLA in-text citations

MLA in-text citations are brief references that direct your reader to the full source entry. You include them every time you quote , block quote , paraphrase or summarize a source.

The in-text citation must match the first word of the Works Cited entry—usually the author’s last name . It also includes a page number or range to help the reader locate the relevant passage.

AuthorWhat to doCitation example
1 authorGive the author’s last name.(Wallace 11–12)
2 authorsGive both author’s last names.(Wallace and Armstrong 11–12)
3+ authorsName the first author followed by “et al.”(Wallace et al. 11–12)
Corporate authorIf a source was created by an organization other than the publisher, use the organization name as author.(U.S. Global Change Research Program 22)
No authorIf the author is the same as the publisher, or if no author is credited, use the source title instead. Format the title the same as in the full Works Cited reference, and shorten if it is more than four words.(“Australia Fires”)
Multiple sources by the same authorInclude the title (or a shortened version) after the author’s name in each source citation.(Morrison, , 73)
(Morrison, , 45)

If you already named the author in your sentence, include only the page number in parentheses:

Sources with no page numbers

If the source has no page numbers, you either use an alternative locator, or leave the page number out of the citation:

Source typeWhat to doCitation example
Audiovisual source (e.g. a or )Give the time range of the relevant section.(Arnold 03:15–03:21).
Source with numbered sections (e.g. an )Give a paragraph, section, or chapter number.(Smith, par. 38)
(Rowling, ch. 6)
Source with no numbered sections (e.g. a )Leave out the page number.(Barker)

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  4. MLA Format: Examples and Simplified Style Guide

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  5. Works Cited Page ~ How to Do It Right

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  6. What Is A Works Cited Page?

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  3. Work Cited Page for Critique Essay

  4. What is the difference between a bibliography and a works cited page?

  5. Creating Your Works Cited Page

  6. Built-in Works Cited Page

COMMENTS

  1. How to Cite a Website in MLA

    Revised on March 5, 2024. An MLA website citation includes the author's name, the title of the page (in quotation marks), the name of the website (in italics), the publication date, and the URL (without "https://"). If the author is unknown, start with the title of the page instead. If the publication date is unknown, or if the content is ...

  2. MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications)

    MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications) The MLA Handbook highlights principles over prescriptive practices. Essentially, a writer will need to take note of primary elements in every source, such as author, title, etc. and then assort them in a general format. Thus, by using this methodology, a writer will be able to cite any ...

  3. MLA Sample Works Cited Page

    Cambridge UP, 2003. MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook (9th ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.

  4. How to Cite a Website

    Citing a website in MLA Style. An MLA Works Cited entry for a webpage lists the author's name, the title of the page (in quotation marks), the name of the site (in italics), the date of publication, and the URL. The in-text citation usually just lists the author's name. For a long page, you may specify a (shortened) section heading to ...

  5. How to Cite a Website in MLA

    To cite a website that has no page number in MLA, it is important that you know the name of the author, title of the webpage, website, and URL. The templates for an in-text citation and works-cited-list entry of a website that has no page number, along with examples, are given below: In-text citation template and example:

  6. MLA Works Cited

    Formatting the Works Cited page. The Works Cited appears at the end of your paper. The layout is similar to the rest of an MLA format paper: Title the page Works Cited, centered and in plain text (no italics, bold, or underline). Alphabetize the entries by the author's last name.

  7. How to Cite an Online Work

    How to Cite an Online Work. To create a basic works-cited-list entry for an online work, list the author, the title of the work, the title of the website as the title of the container, and the publication details. You may need to include other elements depending on the type of work (e.g., book, scholarly article, blog post) and how you accessed ...

  8. MLA Works Cited: Develop an MLA Works Cited Page!

    Here is an example of how a works cited page in MLA would be organized. Included is a source solely written by one of the coauthors (John Jory) and a source by John Jory with a different coauthor, Avery Monsen. Works Cited Example. Jory, John. The Bad Seed. HarperCollins, 2017. - - -. Giraffe Problems. Random House, 2018. Jory, John, and ...

  9. MLA Works Cited Page: Basic Format

    If you refer to a journal article that appeared on pages 225 through 250, list the page numbers on your Works Cited page as pp. 225-50 (Note: MLA style dictates that you should omit the first sets of repeated digits. In our example, the digit in the hundreds place is repeated between 2 25 and 2 50, so you omit the 2 from 250 in the citation: pp ...

  10. MLA works cited page

    Every source cited using an in-text citation also has a corresponding works-cited entry in the list. The works-cited entry provides additional information about the cited source, enough information so the reader can find the source if needed. This usually includes additional information like the publication date, who published the source, and ...

  11. Citations by Format

    Citations by Format. Entries in the works-cited list are created using the MLA template of core elements—facts common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date. To use the template, evaluate the work you're citing to see which elements apply to the source. Then, list each element relevant to your source in the order given on ...

  12. Works Cited Examples and Formatting Tips

    How to Do a Works Cited Page. A works cited page is the last page of your MLA style paper.It follows a specific format for citations set forth by the Modern Language Association using a unique nine core element system. The system used by the Modern Language Association is designed to make creating citations for websites and other commonly used humanities research sources simple.

  13. MLA Website Citation Examples

    MLA Citation Examples for Blog Posts. Blog posts can be useful sources for your MLA paper, too. Check with your instructor to make sure these sources are allowed for research purposes. Works Cited Format. Author's Last Name, First Name or Username. "Title of Blog Post.". Name of Blog, Blog Network/Publisher if given, Day Month Year, URL.

  14. Free MLA Citation Generator [Updated for 2024]

    An MLA citation generator is a software tool designed to automatically create academic citations in the Modern Language Association (MLA) citation format. The generator will take information such as document titles, author, and URLs as in input, and output fully formatted citations that can be inserted into the Works Cited page of an MLA ...

  15. Free Citing a Website in MLA

    Next, place the name of the website in italics, followed by a comma. If the name of the publisher matches the name of the author or the name of the title, do not include the publisher's information in the citation. The date the page or website was published comes next. End the citation with the URL or DOI. When including the URL, copy the URL ...

  16. Free Works Cited Generator [Updated for 2024]

    A works cited generator is a tool that automatically creates a works cited page in the Modern Language Association (MLA) citation format. The generator will take in information about the sources you have cited in your paper, such as document titles, authors, and URLs, and will output a fully formatted works cited page that can be added to the ...

  17. MLA Format Works Cited

    Formatting Your MLA Format Works Cited: Page Format: Use the heading "Works Cited" centered one inch below the top edge of a new page. Do not bold or underline this heading. Page Number: Begin the list on a new page and number each page, continuing the page numbers of the research paper. For example, if the text of your research paper ends ...

  18. How to Cite a Website in APA Style

    Revised on January 17, 2024. APA website citations usually include the author, the publication date, the title of the page or article, the website name, and the URL. If there is no author, start the citation with the title of the article. If the page is likely to change over time, add a retrieval date. If you are citing an online version of a ...

  19. Free MLA Citation Generator and Format|Citation Machine

    The "Works Cited" page has the final page number for the project. Name the page "Works Cited," unless your list only includes one citation. In that case, title it in MLA "Work Cited." The title of the page (either "Works Cited" or "Work Cited") is placed one inch from the top of the page, centered in the middle of the document.

  20. EasyBib®: Free Bibliography Generator

    This is the total package when it comes to MLA format. Our easy to read guides come complete with examples and step-by-step instructions to format your full and in-text citations, paper, and works cited in MLA style. There's even information on annotated bibliographies.

  21. Free MLA Citation Generator

    How to cite in MLA format. MLA is one of the most common citation styles used by students and academics. This quick guide explains how to cite sources according to the 9th edition (the most recent) of the MLA Handbook.You can also use Scribbr's free citation generator to automatically generate references and in-text citations.. An MLA citation has two components:

  22. Citation Machine®: Format & Generate

    Stay up to date! Get research tips and citation information or just enjoy some fun posts from our student blog. Citation Machine® helps students and professionals properly credit the information that they use. Cite sources in APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, and Harvard for free.