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how to do mla citations

You do MLA citations by giving brief in-text citations in your essay and full details in a Works Cited list at the end.

Big picture: what “MLA citation” means

When people say “how to do MLA citations,” they usually mean two connected things:

  • In-text citations : short notes in parentheses right after a quote or paraphrase.
  • Works Cited page : a full list of sources at the end of your paper, in a specific order and format.

These two parts always match: every in-text citation must have a full entry on the Works Cited page.

In-text MLA citations (inside your paragraphs)

Use in-text citations whenever you quote, paraphrase, or summarize someone else’s ideas.

Standard pattern (author + page)

  • Format: (Author_Last_NamePage_Number)(Author\_Last\_Name Page\_Number)(Author_Last_NamePage_Number) – no comma. Example: (Smith163)(Smith163)(Smith163).
  • Put it at the end of the sentence, before the period.
  • If you mention the author in your sentence, only put the page number in parentheses:
    • Smith argues that reading improves empathy (163)(163)(163).

If there is no page number (like many websites)

  • Just use the author’s last name: (Smith)(Smith)(Smith).
  • If there is no author, use a shortened version of the title in quotation marks: (“ClimateChangeFacts”)(“ClimateChangeFacts”)(“ClimateChangeFacts”).

Multiple authors

  • Two authors: (SmithandLee52)(SmithandLee52)(SmithandLee52).
  • Three or more authors: (Smithetal.52)(Smithetal.52)(Smithetal.52).

Matching in-text to Works Cited

Whatever appears first in your Works Cited entry (usually the author’s last name) is what you use in the in-text citation, so your reader can find the full source easily.

Works Cited page (full list at the end)

The Works Cited page is a separate page at the end of your paper that lists all sources you cited.

Basic rules

  • Title the page Works Cited (no bold or italics) and center it at the top.
  • Double-space everything; no extra spaces between entries.
  • Use a hanging indent: first line of each entry is flush left, the rest of the lines are indented.
  • Alphabetize entries by the author’s last name (or by title if no author).

The “core elements” MLA expects

MLA 8th and 9th edition use a flexible set of core elements that appear in a standard order.

Common core elements (you include only what applies to your source):

  1. Author.
  2. Title of source.
  3. Title of container (e.g., website, journal, anthology).
  4. Other contributors (editors, translators), if important.
  5. Version (edition).
  6. Number (volume, issue).
  7. Publisher.
  8. Publication date.
  9. Location (page range, DOI, URL).

An MLA entry strings these elements together with periods and commas in a set pattern.

Common MLA citation formulas (with examples)

Below are the basic patterns many teachers expect.

Note: Replace the example details with your own source information. Formats are based on MLA’s core-elements system.

1. Book (print)

Format:
Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

Example pattern:
Patel, Mira. Learning Media Literacy. Academic Press, 2023.

In-text example: (Patel45)(Patel45)(Patel45).

2. Chapter or essay in an edited book

Format:
Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Chapter.” Title of Book , edited by Editor First Name Last Name, Publisher, Year, pp. page–page.

Example pattern:
Lopez, Carmen. “Gaming Communities and Belonging.” Digital Youth Culture , edited by Sean Rhodes, Media House, 2022, pp. 101–120.

In-text example: (Lopez110)(Lopez110)(Lopez110).

3. Journal article (online or print)

Format (general):
Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal , vol. number, no. number, Year, pp. page–page.

If online with a DOI or stable URL, add it at the end.

Example pattern:
Nguyen, Alex. “Attention Spans in the TikTok Era.” Journal of Media Studies , vol. 15, no. 2, 2024, pp. 33–58.

In-text example: (Nguyen40)(Nguyen40)(Nguyen40).

4. Web article / page

Modern MLA treats most web pages as sources inside a “website” container.

Format (simple version):
Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Web Page or Article.” Title of Website , Publisher (if different from website name), Date of publication, URL.

Example pattern:
Grant, Lena. “How to Beat Procrastination in College.” Campus Life Today , 12 May 2025, [www.campuslifetoday.org/study-hacks/procrastination- tips.[9](http://www.campuslifetoday.org/study-hacks/procrastination- tips.%5B9)]

  • If there is no author: start with the title:
    “How to Beat Procrastination in College.” Campus Life Today , 12 May 2025, URL.
  • You usually do not need an access date unless your instructor asks for it.

In-text examples:

  • (Grant)(Grant)(Grant) if author is given.
  • (“HowtoBeatProcrastination”)(“HowtoBeatProcrastination”)(“HowtoBeatProcrastination”) if no author and you use a shortened title.

5. YouTube or other online video

Format:
“Title of Video.” Website Name , uploaded by Account Name, Date of upload, URL.

Example pattern:
“How to Cite in MLA Style.” YouTube , uploaded by WLU Library, 12 June 2019, [www.youtube.com/watch?v=C09012lBfBY.1]

In-text example:
(“HowtoCiteinMLAStyle”)(“HowtoCiteinMLAStyle”)(“HowtoCiteinMLAStyle”).

Step-by-step: how to create MLA citations from scratch

You can think of doing MLA citations as a short repeatable process you use for any source.

1. Collect your source details immediately

For each source, note:

  • Author(s).
  • Full title of the piece (article, video, page).
  • Container title (site name, journal, book).
  • Publisher or sponsoring organization.
  • Date (year + month/day if available).
  • Pages, DOI, or URL.

This makes later citation work dramatically easier and helps avoid missing information.

2. Identify what type of source it is

Ask yourself: Is this a book, a chapter, a journal article, a web page, a video, or something else?

The type tells you which MLA pattern to follow.

3. Plug the details into the MLA order

  • Follow the core-elements order and punctuation for that source type.
  • Use italics for container titles (books, journals, websites as a whole).
  • Use quotation marks for shorter works (articles, pages, videos, stories).

4. Add the in-text version

  • Decide what will appear first in the Works Cited entry (usually author).
  • Use that in your in-text citation with page number if available.
  • Keep in-text citations as short and clear as possible.

Quick HTML table: MLA patterns for common sources

Here’s an HTML table you can copy into a blog or document that uses HTML:

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Source type</th>
      <th>Works Cited format (pattern)</th>
      <th>In-text pattern</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Book (print)</td>
      <td>Author Last, First. <i>Title of Book</i>. Publisher, Year.</td>
      <td>(Author Page)</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Chapter in edited book</td>
      <td>Author Last, First. "Title of Chapter." <i>Title of Book</i>, edited by Editor First Last, Publisher, Year, pp. xx–xx.</td>
      <td>(Author Page)</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Journal article</td>
      <td>Author Last, First. "Title of Article." <i>Title of Journal</i>, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. xx–xx.</td>
      <td>(Author Page)</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Web page / online article</td>
      <td>Author Last, First. "Title of Page or Article." <i>Website Name</i>, Publisher (if different), Day Month Year, URL.</td>
      <td>(Author) or ("Shortened Title")</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Online video (e.g., YouTube)</td>
      <td>"Title of Video." <i>Website Name</i>, uploaded by Account Name, Day Month Year, URL.</td>
      <td>("Shortened Title")</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Patterns in the table match MLA’s core-elements approach used in current library and citation guides.

Using citation generators (safely)

Free citation generators (like Scribbr, Citation Machine, or Cite This For Me) can quickly build MLA citations if you give them a URL, title, or DOI.

Helpful tips when using them:

  • Always double-check capitalization, italics, dates, and authors. Generators can miss or mis-read details.
  • Make sure the generator is set to MLA 9 (or whatever edition your instructor requires).
  • Still learn the patterns yourself so you can fix mistakes.

Tiny story example: from quote to MLA citation

Imagine you’re writing a paper on attention spans and find an online article by Alex Nguyen titled “Attention Spans in the TikTok Era” on a journal website.

  1. You take a sentence from the article and put it in your paper as a quote or paraphrase.
  2. You add an in-text citation: (Nguyen40)(Nguyen40)(Nguyen40) if there are page numbers, or (Nguyen)(Nguyen)(Nguyen) if there are not.
  1. On your Works Cited page, you build the full entry in MLA order:
    • Nguyen, Alex. “Attention Spans in the TikTok Era.” Journal of Media Studies , vol. 15, no. 2, 2024, pp. 33–58.

Now any reader can see whose idea you used, where in their work it came from, and how to find the full article.

Fast checklist: “Did I do MLA citations right?”

Use this as a quick self-check:

  • Every quote or paraphrase has an in-text citation.
  • In-text citations use author + page (or just author/short title if no pages).
  • Every in-text citation has a matching entry on the Works Cited page.
  • Works Cited is alphabetized by author last name and titled “Works Cited.”
  • Entries follow the MLA order of elements with correct punctuation and italics.
  • Formatting is double-spaced with a hanging indent.

If you tell me the exact type of source you’re working with (book, website, article, video) and the details you have, I can walk you through building the exact MLA citation step by step.