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Session Bibliography — Works Cited
0 sourcesNo sources yet. Generate a citation above and click “Add to Session Bibliography” to collect it here. Entries re-format automatically when you switch between APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago 17.
MLA 9th Edition Citation Guidelines
MLA 9th edition, published by the Modern Language Association, is the default citation system for literature, languages, cultural studies, and many humanities courses. MLA organizes sources around “containers”—the larger works that hold an article, chapter, or episode—so a single template can describe books, journals, websites, and digital media. Use the MLA generator above together with the rules below to build accurate Works Cited entries and in-text citations.
Core MLA formatting rules
Works Cited entries use hanging indents and alphabetical order. Titles of short works (articles, web pages, songs) appear in title case inside quotation marks. Titles of longer works and containers (books, journals, websites, films) are italicized in title case. MLA abbreviates months longer than four letters (Sept., Oct.). URLs omit https:// in some classroom stylesheets, but many instructors now accept the full URL—follow your rubric. DOIs are preferred when available and may be written as https://doi.org/… links.
| Source | Works Cited pattern (simplified) | In-text |
|---|---|---|
| Journal | Author. “Article.” Journal, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. xx-xx. DOI/URL. | (Author page) |
| Book | Author. Title. Publisher, Year. | (Author page) |
| Webpage | Author. “Page.” Site, Date, URL. | (Author) |
| Video | Author. “Title.” Platform, Date, URL. | (Author) |
Step-by-step: citing common sources in MLA
- Books:List the author's name in inverted order, italicize the book title, then add the publisher and year. Include editors, translators, or edition statements when they are relevant to your use of the source.
- Journal articles: Place the article title in quotation marks, italicize the journal name, and supply volume, issue (no.), publication date, and page range. Finish with a DOI or stable URL.
- Websites: Identify the author if named; otherwise begin with the page title. Add the website name as a container, a publication or update date when known, and the location (URL). Access dates are optional in MLA 9 unless the source is likely to change or your instructor requires them.
- Digital media: Cite the creator or uploader, title of the video or episode in quotation marks, platform as container, upload date, and URL. Describe the format only when clarity requires it.
MLA FAQs
In-text citations vs. Works Cited entries
MLA in-text citations usually include the author's surname and a page number with no comma: (García 112). If you name the author in a signal phrase, put only the page number in parentheses. Sources without page numbers—many websites and videos—use the author name alone or a shortened title if no author exists. Every parenthetical pointer must match the first element of a Works Cited entry so readers can find the full record quickly.
DOI formatting
When a scholarly article provides a DOI, cite that DOI instead of a database permalink. MLA allows the https://doi.org/ format. Avoid adding a trailing period that could break the link. If no DOI exists, use a stable URL or the journal homepage guidance from your instructor.
Author conventions
Invert the first author's name (Surname, Given Name). Additional authors appear in conventional order. For three or more authors, MLA commonly lists the first author followed by et al. in both the Works Cited list and in-text citations. Corporate authors are written in full; shorten long organization names in-text only when the Works Cited entry remains unambiguous.
Using the CiteLite MLA generator
Choose MLA 9 in the generator, pick the source type that matches your material, and complete each field carefully—especially container titles and page ranges. Build a session Works Cited list, then export or copy with italics preserved for Word or Google Docs. Compare your output with the MLA Handbook or Purdue OWL examples before submission. CiteLite speeds formatting; it does not replace your judgment about containers, optional elements, or instructor preferences.