How to Cite in MLA Format
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is the citation format most commonly required in English and humanities classes. This guide covers the two most common source types — websites and books — with the exact punctuation MLA 9th edition expects.
Citing a website
Format: Author Last, First. "Page Title." Site Name, Publication Year, URL.
Example. Author: Smith, Jane. Title: How Browser Tools Work. Site: Everyday Tools Blog. Year: 2024.
Result: Smith, Jane. "How Browser Tools Work." Everyday Tools Blog, 2024, https://everydaytoolz.com/example.
Citing a book
Format: Author Last, First. Book Title. Publisher, Year.
Example. Author: Orwell, George. Title: Nineteen Eighty-Four. Publisher: Secker & Warburg. Year: 1949.
Result: Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. Secker & Warburg, 1949.
Three rules worth remembering
- Author stays Last, First. Even though you'd write someone's name "Jane Smith" in a sentence, the works-cited entry always leads with the last name.
- Titles of standalone works (books, whole websites) are italicized. Titles of a page or article within a larger site go in quotation marks instead.
- Periods end the big sections, commas separate the small details inside them. That's why the site name, year, and URL are comma-separated, but the citation as a whole ends in a period.
Generate your own citation
The citation generator builds MLA, APA, and Chicago entries side by side from the same details, for either a website or a book.
Frequently asked questions
Does the author name go Last, First or First Last in MLA?
Last, First — for example "Smith, Jane." This applies to the first author listed in a works-cited entry; it is one of the most common mistakes in student citations.
What punctuation separates the parts of an MLA citation?
Periods separate the main elements (author, title, container), while commas separate the smaller details within the container, such as the publisher, date, and location.
Do I need the URL for a website citation?
MLA 9th edition recommends including the URL (without "https://" is also acceptable in many style guides, but including the full address is safest unless your instructor says otherwise). Leave off a trailing slash if the page doesn't need one.
What if there is no listed author?
Start the citation with the title instead, and alphabetize it by title in your works-cited list. This generator currently expects an author, so you may need to adjust the output by hand for author-less sources.