MLA Citation Tool
Free MLA Citation Generator
Create MLA 9 citations for websites, books, journal articles, videos, and more.
Works Cited Entry
In-Text Citation
How to Use the MLA Citation Generator
- Choose a source type. Select the type of source you're citing — website, book, journal article, YouTube video, and more.
- Enter source information. Fill in the fields that appear. Required fields are marked with a red asterisk. Leave fields blank if the information isn't available.
- Generate the citation. Click "Generate Citation" to create your Works Cited entry and in-text citation.
- Review the result. Check the generated citation for accuracy. You can click "Edit" to go back and change your inputs.
- Copy or add to Works Cited. Copy the citation to your clipboard, or add it to the Works Cited Generator to build a complete bibliography.
Always review automatically generated citations before submitting your paper. While this tool follows MLA 9 guidelines, it cannot verify factual details about your sources.
What Is an MLA Citation?
An MLA citation is a standardized reference entry that appears at the end of your paper on the Works Cited page. Its purpose is to give readers enough information to locate the exact source you used.
MLA citations are different from in-text citations. An in-text citation is a brief parenthetical reference in the body of your paper — for example, (Smith 42). A Works Cited entry is the full reference at the end.
Every in-text citation must correspond to a Works Cited entry, and every Works Cited entry must be cited somewhere in your paper.
MLA 9 Citation Format
MLA 9 uses a flexible structure based on containers. A source sits inside a container (like a website or journal), which may sit inside a larger container (like a database). The basic elements include:
- Author. Last name, first name. For two authors, use "and." For three or more, use the first author followed by "et al."
- Title of Source. The specific work — an article, chapter, or page. Longer works (books, journals) are italicized. Shorter works (articles, pages) are in quotation marks.
- Container. The larger work that holds the source — a website, journal, or book title. Italicized.
- Other contributors. Editors, translators, or directors, if relevant.
- Version. Edition or volume number.
- Publisher. The company or organization that published the work.
- Publication date. Day Month Year format (e.g., 15 Jan. 2024).
- Location. Page numbers, URL, or DOI.
Not every source uses all of these elements. Include what's available and skip what isn't.
Common MLA Citation Examples
Website
Doe, Jane. "How MLA Citations Work." Purdue OWL, Purdue U, 15 Mar. 2024, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_general_format.html.
Book
Smith, John. The Art of Writing. Oxford UP, 2023.
Journal Article
Garcia, Maria. "Modern Approaches to Research." Journal of Academic Writing, vol. 12, no. 3, 2023, pp. 45–67.
YouTube Video
Wright, John. "MLA Formatting in 10 Minutes." YouTube, uploaded by Academic Help, 5 June 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=example.
Newspaper Article
Chen, Lisa. "Climate Report Released." The New York Times, 20 Sept. 2024, p. A1.
Book Chapter
Williams, Robert. "Research Methods." Academic Writing Handbook, edited by Sarah Lee, Cambridge UP, 2023, pp. 102–130.
When Information Is Missing
Sometimes source information is unavailable. MLA allows you to omit missing elements rather than invent them. Never make up information to fill a citation.
- No author? Start with the title instead.
- No date? Leave the date out of the citation.
- No page numbers? Omit the page — don't guess.
- No publisher? Leave the publisher field blank.
- No URL? MLA 9 makes URLs optional. Include one if available, but don't worry if it isn't.
MLA format is designed to work with incomplete information. It's better to have an accurate citation with fewer details than a fabricated one.
Citation vs. Bibliography vs. Works Cited
These terms are often confused, but they mean different things in MLA:
- Citation — A brief in-text reference pointing to a Works Cited entry. Example: (Smith 42).
- Works Cited — The list of all sources cited in your paper, placed at the end. MLA uses "Works Cited," not "Bibliography."
- Bibliography — A list of all sources you consulted, not just those cited. MLA does not typically require a bibliography, though some instructors may ask for one.
Common Citation Mistakes
Always check that the generated citation matches your actual source. Tool-generated citations can have errors if input data is wrong.
MLA citations use periods to separate major elements and commas for container details. Missing punctuation makes citations harder to read.
List authors last name, first name. For multiple authors, use "and" between the last two authors.
MLA uses title case for the first word and all major words. Articles, prepositions, and conjunctions are lowercase unless they begin the title.
Every Works Cited entry after the first line should be indented 0.5 inches. This makes it easy to scan author names.
An in-text citation is a brief parenthetical. A Works Cited entry is a full reference. They serve different purposes.