Our MLA examples and recommended links follow the MLA Handbook, 9th edition, published in 2021, which is the most recent version. You can find a print copy of the handbook in the library building.
A citation is a phrase that refers to another book or article, saying where your information came from. In many research papers that you write in college, you are required to cite the sources where you got your information.
A citation is made up of 2 parts: an in-text citation and a full citation.
An in-text citation, also called a parenthetical citation, appears in the body of your research paper.
It is very short, including only the author's last name and page number. Note that there is no comma!
Example:
Students are better able to remember information when reviewing it at regular spaced intervals (Williams 104).
But when you refer to the author in the body of your paper, then you only need the page number in parentheses. Example:
Williams argued that students are better able to remember information when reviewing it at regular spaced intervals (104).
More detailed information:
This is only a quick guide. How you cite your source depends on many factors, such as the number of authors, whether it is a translation of another work, or whether you found it in print or online. Please see the more information links that follow the example!
Basic format:
AuthorLastName, AuthorFirstName. Title of Book. City of Publication [if published before 1900], Publisher, Publication Date.
Example:
Johnson, Andre. Young Entrepreneurs. Penguin, 2019.
More information:
(You cite a book chapter when each chapter has its own author, while the overall book has an editor.)
Basic format:
AuthorLastName, A. A.(Year). Chapter title. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. pages of chapter). Publisher.
Example:
Jones, C. A. (2020). Improving Reach of Facebook Posts. In E. L. Draper (Ed.), Social Media Marketing (pp. 25-41). Yale University Press.
More information:
Basic format:
AuthorLastName, AuthorFirstName. "Article Title." Journal Title, volume number, issue number, year, pages. Name of Online Database, DOI. Date Accessed.
Example:
Smith, Jennifer. "Effectiveness of Different Studying Schedules." The Journal of College Achievement, vol. 23, no. 5, 22 Mar. 2014, pp. 317-325. EBSCOhost, doi:12.1234/1234567. Accessed 10 January 2020.
More information:
Basic format:
AuthorLastName, AuthorFirstName. "Title of Webpage." Title of the Entire Site, URL. Date of access.
Example:
Myers, Joshua. "Top 10 Studying Techniques." College Study Tips, https://www.collegestudytips.com/topten.html. Accessed 10 December 2021.
More information:
Visit the MLA Frequently Asked Questions page to learn about citing many other types of sources, how to cite a source with incomplete information, and what to do in specific use cases. You can search the list of questions, or browse by topic.
Examples:
