MLA Formatting and Style Guide - Purdue OWL

The following overview should help you better understand how to cite sources using MLA 9th edition, including how to format the Works Cited page and in-text citations. Please use the example at the bottom of this page to cite the Purdue OWL in MLA. See also our MLA vidcast series on the Purdue OWL YouTube Channel.

Creating a Works Cited list using the ninth edition MLA is a style of documentation that may be applied to many different types of writing. Since texts have become increasingly digital, and the same document may often be found in several different sources, following a set of rigid rules no longer suffices. Thus, the current system is based on a few guiding principles, rather than an extensive list of specific rules.

Overview of the Process

When deciding how to cite your source, start by consulting the list of core elements. These are the general pieces of information that MLA suggests including in each Works Cited entry. In your citation, the elements should be listed in the following order:

• Author
• Title of source
• Title of container, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location

Each element should be followed by the corresponding punctuation mark shown above.

Core Elements

Author

Begin the entry with the author's last name, followed by a comma and the rest of the name, as presented in the work. End this element with a period.

Quotations

If you are using a quotation from a source, be sure to include the page number(s) on which the quotation can be found.

In-Text Citations

In-text citations are used to indicate where you got the information you are presenting. These citations should include the author's last name and the page number(s) of the source, separated by a space. For example: (Smith 24).

Works Cited Page

The Works Cited page is the final section of your paper, and it includes a list of all the sources you have cited in your paper. The sources should be listed in alphabetical order by author's last name.

Format of the Works Cited Page

• Each entry should have a hanging indent.
• The author's last name and first name should be listed, followed by the title of the source in title case.
• The title of the container (such as a book or journal) should be listed in italics.
• The date of publication should be listed in the format year of publication.

Optional Elements

Some sources may have optional elements that can be included in the citation. These elements include:

• URL
• DOI (digital object identifier)
• Last accessed date

Examples

Here are some examples of how to cite different types of sources in MLA 9th edition:

• Book: Lastname, Firstname. Title. City of publication: Publisher, year of publication. Print.
• Journal article: Lastname, Firstname. "Title." Title of journal volume, issue number, year of publication, pp. page numbers. Print.
• Web page: Lastname, Firstname. "Title." Title of website, version, date of publication, URL. Accessed date of access.
• Newspaper article: Lastname, Firstname. "Title." Title of newspaper publication date, section, pp. page numbers. Print.

Additional Resources

For more information on MLA 9th edition, please see the following resources:

• [MLA Handbook, 9th edition](https://