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MLA Citation Guide (9th edition) : Works Cited and Sample Papers

• Getting Started
• How do I Cite?
• In-Text Citations
• Works Cited and Sample Papers
• Additional Resources

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Quick Rules for an MLA Works Cited List

Your research paper ends with a list of all the sources cited in your paper. Here are some quick rules for this Works Cited list:

• Begin the works cited list on a new page after the text.
• Name it "Works Cited," and center the section label in bold at the top of the page.
• Order the reference list alphabetically by author's last name.
• Double-space the entire list (both within and between entries).
• Apply a hanging indent of 0.5 in. to each entry. This means that the first line of the reference is flush left and subsequent lines are indented 0.5 in. from the left margin.

Sample Paper with Works Cited List

The Modern Language Association (MLA) has compiled  several sample papers  that include explanations of the elements and formatting in MLA 9th edition. 

MLA Title Pages

MLA Title Page: Format and Template   This resource discusses the correct format for title pages in MLA style and includes examples.

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In MLA style, two citations are used to cite a source: a short citation used in the text (called the in-text citation) and a full citation (called the works-cited-list entry) in the works-cited list, which appears at the end of a paper.

What is an MLA works cited?

Every source cited using an in-text citation also has a corresponding works-cited entry in the list. The works-cited entry provides additional information about the cited source, enough information so the reader can find the source if needed. This usually includes additional information like the publication date, who published the source, and the location of the source (e.g., URL, DOI number, etc.).

Basic formatting

The works-cited list appears at the end of the paper after any endnotes, if they are present.

Page margins

All margins (top, bottom, left, and right) should be set at 1 inch.

Running head

Write the running head in the top right of the page at 0.5 inch from the top. Use the running head “Surname Page #.”

The font should be clear enough to read. Use Times New Roman font sized at 12 points.

Formatting entries

Entries should be double-spaced. If any entry runs over more than a line, indent the subsequent lines 0.5 inch from the left margin.

Formatting the title

The title should be “Works Cited.” It should be aligned to the center of the page. Do not bold, italicize, or underline the title. If you cite only one source in the list, the title should be “Work Cited.”

Formatting works cited

Works-cited-list entries are arranged alphabetically. Entries should be double-spaced. If any entry runs over more than a line, indent the subsequent lines 0.5 inch from the left margin.

Examples of works-cited-list entries

Below are a few examples of different types of works-cited-list entries along with their templates. The examples given are for one author.

The title of the book is given in italics and title case.

Surname, First name Middle initial. Title of the Book . Publisher, Publication Date. Page range.

Fienup-Riordan, Ann. Boundaries and Passages: Rule and Ritual in Yup’ik Eskimo Oral Tradition . UP of Oklahoma, 1995.

Journal article                                      

The title of the article is in title case and given inside the quotation marks. The journal title is in italics. Include “vol.” before the volume number and “no.” before the issue number. Use “pp.’’ before the page range.

Surname, First name. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title , Volume, Issue, Publication Date, Page range.

MacDonald, Shauna M. “Performance as Critical Posthuman Pedagogy.” Text and Performance Quarterly , vol. 34, no. 2, 2014, pp. 164–81.

Webpage of a website

The webpage title is in plain text, while the website name is given in italics. Follow the format given in the template and example for writing the date, month, year, and URL.

Author or Organization Name. “Title of the Webpage.” Website Name . Publication Date, URL.

Carbert, Michelle. “Canada Will Not Move Embassy to Jerusalem, Federal Government Says.” The Globe and Mail . 7 Sept. 2017, www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-will-not-move-embassy-to-jerusalem-federal-government-says/article37219576/ .

YouTube video

The video title is given in title case and inside quotation marks. This is followed by the word “YouTube.” Then the uploader’s name is given in the first name-surname format followed by the uploaded date. Finally, the URL is given.

“Title of the Video.” YouTube , uploaded by Uploader’s Name, Day Month Year, URL.

“Covid: Leaks, Lies and Incompetence.” YouTube , uploaded by Russel. Brand, 29 May 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dArz2OPsGSU .

Works cited entries for different numbers of authors

The number of authors in the source decides how the author name(s) will be added to the works-cited list. Here, you will see many journal references with different numbers of authors.

List the author name in surname-first name order.

MacGill, Belinda. “Craft, Relational Aesthetics, and Ethics of Care.” Art/Research International: A Transdisciplinary Journal , vol. 4, no. 1, 2019, pp. 426–29.

Two authors

The first author’s name is styled in surname-first name order, whereas the second author’s name is styled in first name-surname order. The authors’ names are separated by “and.”

Author Surname, First name. Middle initial., and First name Surname. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title , Volume, Issue, Publication Date, Page range.

Gingrich-Philbrook, Craig, and Jake Simmons. “Reprogramming the Stage: A Heuristic for Posthuman Performance.” Text and Performance Quarterly , vol. 35, no. 4, 2015, pp.  323–44.

More than two authors

List only the first author’s name in the surname-first name order followed by a comma. Then, use “et al.”

Author Surname, First name, et al. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title , Volume, Issue, Publication Date, Page range.

Meints, Samanta M., et al. “Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Experience and Treatment of Noncancer Pain.” Pain Management , vol. 9, no. 3, 2019, pp. 317–34.

Arranging works-cited list

Follow the below guidelines for arranging the entries in the works-cited list.

Entries are arranged in alphabetical order according to the surname of the first author.

If there is no author, then the title is considered for alphabetical arrangement.

For entries beginning with a title, only the main words are considered for alphabetical arrangement (e.g., exclude “A,” “An,” and “The”).

Accented characters are considered normal characters (e.g., “á” should be considered as “a”). However, “ä” should be considered “ae”)

Space between words is ignored while arranging the entries alphabetically.

Works by different numbers of authors

Works by one author

If there are two or more works by the same author, add the author’s name only for the first entry. Use three em dashes followed by a period in subsequent entries.

Dumond, Don E. “The Artic Small Tool Tradition in Southern Alaska.” Alaskan Journal of Anthropology , vol. 3, no. 2, 2005, pp. 67–78.

———. “A Reexamination of Eskimo-Aleut Prehistory.” American Anthropologist , vol. 89, 1987, pp. 32–56.

Works by two authors

If there are two or more works by the same first author but different second authors, arrange the entry according to the surname of the second author.

Fienup-Riordan, Ann, and Melia Knecht. “Irr’inarqellriit /Amazing Things: Quinhagak Elders Reflect on Their Past.” Alaskan Journal of Anthropology , vol. 13, no. 2, 2015, pp. 36–39.

Fienup-Riordan, Ann, and Alice Rearden. Ellavut, Our Yup’ik World & Weather: Continuity and Change on the Bering Sea Coast. Washington UP, 2012.

If there are two or more works by the same two authors, add the names only for the first entry. Use three em dashes followed by a period in subsequent entries.

Works by a single author and the same author with a coauthor

If there are multiple works, a few by a single author and others by the same first author with other coauthors, arrange the single author works first using three em dashes in place of the author’s name. Then arrange entries with the same first author and other coauthors according to the surname of the second author. Do not use three em dashes here, as the author is not exactly the same. The below examples will help you arrange your works-cited list entries alphabetically.

Fienup-Riordan, Ann. Hunting Tradition in a Changing World: Yup’ik Lives in Alaska Today . Rutgers UP, 2000.

———. Yup’ik Elders at the Ethnologisches Museum Berlin: Fieldwork Turned on Its Head . Washington UP, 2005.

Fienup-Riordan, Ann, and Alice Rearden. Ellavut, Our Yup’ik World & Weather: Continuity and Change on the Bering Sea Coast . Washington UP, 2012.

———. Wise Words of the Yup’ik People: We Talk to You Because We Love You . Washington UP, 2018.

Fienup-Riordan, Ann, et al. Yup’ik words of wisdom=Yupiit qanruyutait . Washington UP, 2018.

Works by titles

Arrange entries by title only when

There is no author name

There are more works by the same single author

There are more works by the same first author and same coauthor

There are more works by the same first author followed by et al.

Example works cited

“Covid: Leaks, Lies and Incompetence.” YouTube , uploaded by Russell. Brand, 29 May 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dArz2OPsGSU .

Resource Types

For additional information on MLA format, select from one of the resource types below. For help creating MLA citations, check out the BibMe MLA citation generator .

• How to cite a Book in MLA
• How to cite a Magazine in MLA
• How to cite a Newspaper in MLA
• How to cite a Website in MLA
• How to cite a Journal Article in MLA
• How to cite a Movie in MLA
• How to cite an Interview in MLA
• How to cite a Lecture in MLA
• How to cite a TV Show / Radio Broadcast in MLA
• How to cite an Encyclopedia in MLA
• How to cite a Photograph in MLA

MLA Format:

• In-Text Citation Basics
• Works Cited Page

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ENGL001: English Composition I

Formatting the works cited page (mla).

Read this article on the correct way to format your Works Cited pages using MLA citation.

Whenever you incorporate outside sources into your own writing, you must provide both in-text citations (within the body of the paper) and full citations (in the works cited page). The in-text citations point your reader toward the full citations in the works cited page.

That's why the first bit of information in your in-text citation (generally, the author's name; if no name is provided, the title of the article/book/webpage) should directly match up with the beginning of your works cited entry for that source.

For example, let's say I have a quote from Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities in my research paper. Within the body of the paper, following the quote, I include the following in-text citation: (Anderson 56). This information points to the book's entry in my works cited page:

Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism . London: Verso, 2006. Print.

When your reader sees the in-text citation in your essay, they may decide that the source might be valuable for their own research. When they look at the works cited page, they can easily locate the source (because the works cited page is alphabetized and because they have the in-text citation as their reference) and then can use the full citation to retrieve a copy of the source for their own research. But aside from providing the reader with resources for their own research, the works cited page serves another function: it establishes the writer's credibility.

If a writer fails to include in-text citations and/or a works cited page, that writer has plagiarized because he or she has neglected to provide the publication information of the source. In addition, when a reader locates undocumented information in an essay, she will likely think that the information was made up by the writer or that the information was stolen from a source, or plagiarized.

And when a reader peruses a writer's works cited page, they can see the types of sources used by the writer, assessing those sources in terms of their credibility. For instance, if a reader reads my works cited page and sees I cite sources from university presses such as Oxford UP and Cambridge UP, they will know that I have incorporated credible sources into my research paper. Thus, including both in-text citations and a works cited page in a research paper provides the writer with ethos , or credibility.

Now let's take a look at how to properly format a works cited page according to MLA guidelines:

According to MLA style guidelines, the works cited page should appear after the body of your paper and any accompanying endnotes. It should begin on a new page, and the pagination should continue from the body of the paper. In the above example, the works cited page begins on page 38, which means that the essay concluded on page 37.

General Format

The works cited page should be double-spaced throughout. The first line of each entry should be flush with the left margin; if the entry extends more than one line, ensuing lines should be indented 1/2 inch from the left margin. The first page of the works cited list should have the title "Works Cited", not "Bibliography". The works cited title should appear in the same manner as the paper's title: capitalized and centered – not bolded, within quotation marks, italicized, underlined, or in a larger font.

The entries should be alphabetized based on the author's last name. According to MLA guidelines, author names come first in an entry, then titles, then the publication information (city of publication, publisher, and date of publication), and then the type of media – the details for different types of sources vary, but this is the general structure followed. Note that if the city is not "well-known" and there is more than one city with that name, unlike New York and London, then the state or territory should be included after the city, e.g., "Roswell, GA: 2006".

If no name is provided for a given source, the title of the work/webpage will take the place of the author's last name and should still be placed in its proper alphabetical location. Also note that "university" and "press" are always abbreviated "U" and "P" in works cited entries.

Here are some guidelines for commonly used sources:

Single-Authored Book

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book . Place of Publication: Publisher, Date of Publication. Type of media.

Bratlinger, Patrick. Rule of Darkness: British Literature and Imperialism, 1830–1914 . Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1988. Print.

Book with Multiple Authors

Last Name, First Name (of first author listed), and First Name Last Name (of second author, etc.). Title  of Book . Place of Publication: Publisher, Date of Publication. Type of media.

Sabherhagen, Fred, and James V. Hart. Bram Stoker's Dracula: A Francis Ford Coppola Film . New York: Signet, 1992. Print.

Article or Chapter in an Edited Collection (or Textbook)

Last Name, First Name. "Article Title." Title of Book . Ed. First Name Last Name (of Editor). Place of Publication: Publisher, Date of Publication. Page Range of Article. Type of Media.

 Vieregge, Quentin. "Writing as Process." Negotiating Writing Spaces . Ed. Jennifer Yirinec and Lauren Cutlip. Plymouth, MI: Hayden-McNeil, 2011. 57–59. Print.

Article in a Print Journal

Last Name, First Name. "Article Title." Title of Journal . Volume #. Issue # (Date of publication): Page Range of Article. Print.

Rogers, Pat. "Crusoe's Home." Essays in Criticism 24.4 (Oct. 1974): 375–90. Print.

Journal Article Accessed Using an Electronic Database

Last Name, First Name. "Article Title." Journal Name Volume #. Issue # (Date of publication): Page Range of Article. Database . Web. Date of Access.

Lamont, Rose C. "Coma versus Comma: John Donne's Holy Sonnets in Edson's WIT ." The Massachusetts Review 40.4 (Winter 1999–2000): 569–75. JSTOR . Web. 30 April 2012.

Article Accessed from an Online Journal

Last Name, First Name. "Article Title." Journal Name Volume #. Issue # (Date of publication): n.pag. Web. Date of Access.

Haynsworth, Leslie. "All the Detective's Men: Binary Coding of Masculine Identity in the Sherlock Holmes Stories." Victorians Institute Journal 38 (2010): n.pag. Web. 16 May 2012.

Article from a Webpage

Last Name, First Name (if given). "Title of Webpage." Website Title . Publisher of website (often found at the bottom of the page), date of last update . Web. Date of Access. See (URL is only necessary if you think your reader won't easily be able to locate the webpage).

"Opening Night: Wit Starring Cynthia Nixon." Broadway.com . Broadway.com, Inc., 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2012.

Entire Website

Website Title. Publisher of website, date of last update. Date of Access. See (URL is only necessary if you think your reader won't easily be able to locate the webpage).

Broadway.com . Broadway.com, Inc., 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2012.

For information about how to format the works cited entries for different sources, consult The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition).

Chapter 12: Documentation Styles: MLA and APA

12.4 MLA Citation: Works Cited Example

Emilie Zickel and John Brentar

Below is a model MLA Works Cited with correct spacing and formatting.

Note that an MLA Works Cited

• begins on its own new page
• at the top of the Works Cited page, the words Work (or Works) Cited should be centered, without bolding, italics, quotations marks, or all-caps
• Works Cited entries should be in the same font and double spacing as the rest of the paper
• Unlike the paragraphs within an essay, Works Cited entries do not begin with an indentation. Rather, they use hanging (also known as reverse) indentation, in which the first line of an entry is not indented, but all successive lines are indented, by .5”.
• If you have a source with no author, then that source will be alphabetized according to the first letter of its title
• The entries will not be numbered or presented as a series of bulleted points.

A Guide to Rhetoric, Genre, and Success in First-Year Writing by Emilie Zickel and John Brentar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Table of Contents

Ai, ethics & human agency, collaboration, information literacy, writing process, formatting the works cited page (mla).

• CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 by Jennifer Janechek - IBM Quantum

Whenever you incorporate outside sources into your own writing, you must provide both in-text citations (within the body of the paper) and full citations (in the Works Cited page). The in-text citations point your reader toward the full citations in the Works Cited page.

That’s why the first bit of information in your in-text citation (generally, the author’s name; if no name is provided, the title of the article/book/webpage) should directly match up with the beginning of your Works Cited entry for that source. For further information about in-text citations, please read “ Formatting In-Text Citations .”

For example, let’s say I have a quote from Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities in my research paper. Within the body of the paper, following the quote, I include the following in-text citation: (Anderson 56). This information points to the book’s entry in my Works Cited page:

Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism . London: Verso, 2006. Print.

When your reader sees the in-text citation in your essay, they may decide that the source might be valuable for their own research. When they look at the Works Cited page, they can easily locate the source (because the Works Cited page is alphabetized and because they have the in-text citation as their referent) and then can use the full citation to retrieve a copy of the source for their own research. But aside from providing the reader with resources for their own research, the Works Cited page serves another function: it establishes the writer’s credibility. If a writer fails to include in-text citations and/or a Works Cited page, that writer has plagiarized because he or she has neglected to provide the publication information of the source. In addition, when a reader locates undocumented information in an essay, they will likely think that the information was made up by the writer or that the information was stolen from a source, or plagiarized. And when a reader peruses a writer’s Works Cited page, they can see the types of sources used by the writer, assessing those sources in terms of their credibility. For instance, if a reader reads my Works Cited page and sees I cite sources from university presses such as Oxford UP and Cambridge UP, they will know that I’ve incorporated credible sources into my research paper. Thus, including both in-text citations and a Works Cited page in a research paper provides the writer with ethos, or credibility.

Now let’s take a look at how to properly format a Works Cited page according to MLA guidelines:

According to MLA style guidelines, the Works Cited page should appear after the body of your paper and any accompanying endnotes. It should begin on a new page, and the pagination should continue from the body of the paper. In the above example, the Works Cited page begins on page 38, which means that the essay concluded on page 37.

General format

The Works Cited page should be double-spaced throughout. The first line of each entry should be flush with the left margin; if the entry extends more than one line, ensuing lines should be indented 1/2 inch from the left margin. The first page of the Works Cited list should have the title “Works Cited,” not “Bibliography.” The Works Cited title should appear in the same manner as the paper’s title: capitalized and centered—not bolded, within quotation marks, italicized, underlined, or in a larger font.

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Citations - MLA: Formatting - Essay, Works Cited, Appendix, & Sample Paper

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On This Page

• Word Document  Formatting

Sample Paper

Works cited.

• Diane Hacker MLA Sample Paper

If you are adding an appendix to your paper there are a few rules to follow that comply with MLA guidelines:

• The Appendix appears  before  the Works Cited list
• If you have more than one appendix you would name the first appendix Appendix A, the second Appendix B, etc.
• The appendices should appear in the order that the information is mentioned in your essay
• Each appendix begins on a new page
• MLA Sample Paper - with Appendix (Purdue OWL example) Note that while this example shows the correct way to format your Appendix, the individual MLA citations are incorrect as they are formatted according to the 7th (not 8th) edition of MLA.

Word Document

• Type using a  word processing  program such as  Microsoft Word
• Double-space
• 8.5" x 11" paper
• 1" margins on all sides
• ​12 pt. Times New Roman font
• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise instructed by your instructor).
• Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin, use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar.
• Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow your instructor's guidelines.)
• Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, providing emphasis.
• If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited page. Entitle the section Notes (centered, unformatted).

M LA Works Cited Page: Basic Format ​

• Begin your Works Cited page on a  separate page at the end of your research paper.  It should have the same one-inch margins and last name, page number header as the rest of your paper.
• Label the page Works Cited (do not italicize the words Works Cited or put them in quotation marks) and center the words Works Cited at the top of the page.
• Double space  all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries.
• All entries on your Works Cited page must be listed alphabetically by the first component.
• Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inches to create a  hanging indent .
• If you refer to a journal article that appeared on pages 225 through 250, list them as  225-50.  
• The  URL  should be used by  deleting http:// or https:// .
• Accessed date is optional.

Abbreviations Commonly Used

Placeholders for unknown information like n.d. (“no date”) are no longer used. If facts missing from a work are available in a reliable external resource, they are cited in square brackets (2.6.1). Otherwise, they are simply omitted.

Visit the MLA Style Center for more information:  MLA Style Center

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MLA Help: Works Cited Page Examples

• In-Text Citations
• Works Cited Page Examples
• Works Cited Page Visually
• Videos and Tutorials
• MLA Citation Generators

Works Cited page basics

The first thing you want to figure out when you are creating a Works Cited page entry is what type of material you are referencing. Depending on what your item is, the entry will look slightly different. Some different types of material you might be citing include a book, a journal article, a webpage on a website, a chapter in a book, an entry in a dictionary or encyclopedia, or a video. Of course, there are many more.

Once you've identified what type of source you have, take a look at this page to see a layout of how an entry for that type of source should look, and an example of a real citation of that type. If you need help figuring out what information should go where, check out the "Works Cited Visually" tab.

Some things to remember for your Works Cited Page:

• Your Works Cited page will start on a new page at the end of your paper.
• The words Works Cited should be at the top of the page centered and in the same font and size as the rest of the page. 
• The citations should be in alphabetical order based on the first word of the citation. 
• The page should be double spaced with no extra spaces between the entries.
• The citations will have hanging indentation . Hanging indentation means that the first line of the citation is all the way to the left, and the rest of the lines of the citation are indented. You can think of this as opposite the way normal text is, where the first line of the paragraph is indented, and the rest of the text is flush to the left.
• For indicating pages p. is used if it is an item with just one page and pp. is used if there is a page range. 

Book examples

Citing an entire book

Authorlastname, Firstname. Italicized Title: Subtitle if There is One . Publisher, Publication Date.

Damour, Lisa.  Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls . Ballantine Books, 2019. 

Citing a work in an anthology, reference or collection

Authorlastname, Firstname. "Title of Essay." Italicized Title of Collection,  edited by Editor's Name(s), Publisher, Year, pp. Page Range of Entry.

Klein, Ellen. "Space Exploration is a Moral Imperative." The Future of Space Exploration,  edited by Avery Elizabeth Hurt, Greenhaven Publishing, 2019, pp. 93-102.

Citing a book with an organizational author (if the author and the publisher are the same, list the title first and just list it as the publisher.)

Organization Name.  Italicized Title: Subtitle if There is One . Publisher, Publication Date. 

Calgary Educational Partnership Foundation.  Employability Skills: Creating My Future.  Nelson, 1996.

Citing an eBook from a library database

Authorlastname, Firstname.  Title of Book: Subtitle if Any.  Edition if Given and is Not First Edition, Publisher, Publication Date.  Name of Library Database,  DOI or URL.

Waldau, Paul.  Animal Rights: What Everyone Needs To Know.  Oxford University Press, 2010.  eBook Collection (EBSCOhost),  https://ezproxy.wctc.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=348353&site=eds-live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_v.

Article examples

Citing a journal article (can include a more specific date if available, like Jan. 2019 or Spring 2021).

Authorlastname, Firstname. "Title of Article."  Title of Journal , vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Year, pp. Page Numbers. DOI (if available).

Hang, Weiqiang, and Timothy Banks. “Machine Learning Applied to Pack Classification.”  International Journal of Market Research , vol. 61, no. 6, 2019, pp. 601–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470785319841217.

Hickox, Stacy. “It’s Time to Rein in Employer Drug Testing.”  Harvard Law & Policy Review , vol. 11, no. 2, 2017, pp. 419–62. 

Citing a journal article from a database

Authorlastname, Firstname. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title  of Journal , vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Year, pp. Page Numbers.  Name of Database,  DOI (if available). 

Häggström, Margaretha. “Being in the Forest—A Matter of Cultural Connections with a Natural Environment.”  Plants, People, Planet , vol. 1, no. 3, 2019, pp. 221–32. Academic Search Complete , https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10056.

Video examples

Citing a film or movie

Title of Movie.  Contributor(s), Publisher/Production Company, Year of Release. 

The Menu . Directed by Mark Mylod, performances by Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, and Nicholas Hoult, Hyperobject Industries, 2022.

Website examples

Citing an entire website

Putting the date the website was accessed is not required but is encouraged, especially for websites that may change or if there isn't a date available. You can usually omit http:// or https:// from URLS. 

Authorlastname, Firstname.  Italicized Title of Website . Name of Site/Organization, Date of Copyright or Last Update, URL. Date Accessed. 

Felluga, Dino.  Guide to Literary and Critical Theory . Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003, www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/. Accessed 10 May 2006.

Citing a webpage

If the name of the publisher organization is the same as the title of the website then only include the title of the website. 

Authorlastname, Firstname. "Title of Page or Document."  Title of Website,  Name of Organization Affiliated with the Website, Date of Copyright or Date Last Modified/Updated, URL. Accessed Day Month Year Site Was Visited.

Peterson, Stacy M. "5 Ways to Bring Play Back into Your Life." Mayo Clinic,  Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 13 Mar. 2021, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/resilience-training/in-depth/5-ways-to-bring-play-back-into-your-life/art-20342117. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023. 

Citing a webpage with no author

If the site has no author, put the title of the webpage where the author would normally go.

"Title of Page or Document." Italicized T itle of Website,  Publisher Organization, Date of Copyright or Date Last Modified/Updated, URL. Accessed Day Month Year Site Was Visited.

"Birds: Living dinosaurs."   American Museum of Natural History , 15 Sept. 2017, www.amnh.org/exhibitions/fighting-dinos/birds-living-dinosaurs. Accessed 11 July 2018. 

Citing a webpage with no date

If the webpage you are using doesn't have a date, skip that section. It is recommended to add the date you accessed the item to the end of the citation.

"North American River Otters." National Wildlife Federation,  www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/north-american-river-otter. Accessed 18 July 2022. 

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / MLA Format / How to Cite an Essay in MLA

How to Cite an Essay in MLA

The guidelines for citing an essay in MLA format are similar to those for citing a chapter in a book. Include the author of the essay, the title of the essay, the name of the collection if the essay belongs to one, the editor of the collection or other contributors, the publication information, and the page number(s).

Citing an Essay

Mla essay citation structure.

Last, First M. “Essay Title.” Collection Title, edited by First M. Last, Publisher, year published, page numbers. Website Title , URL (if applicable).

MLA Essay Citation Example

Gupta, Sanjay. “Balancing and Checking.” Essays on Modern Democracy, edited by Bob Towsky, Brook Stone Publishers, 1996, pp. 36-48. Essay Database, www . databaseforessays.org/modern/modern-democracy.

MLA Essay In-text Citation Structure

(Last Name Page #)

MLA Essay In-text Citation Example

Click here to cite an essay via an EasyBib citation form.

MLA Formatting Guide

MLA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Sample Paper
• Works Cited
• MLA 8 Updates
• MLA 9 Updates
• View MLA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all MLA Examples

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To cite your sources in an essay in MLA style, you need to have basic information including the author’s name(s), chapter title, book title, editor(s), publication year, publisher, and page numbers. The templates for in-text citations and a works-cited-list entry for essay sources and some examples are given below:

In-text citation template and example:

For citations in prose, use the first name and surname of the author on the first occurrence. For subsequent citations, use only the surname(s). In parenthetical citations, always use only the surname of the author(s).

Citation in prose:

First mention: Annette Wheeler Cafarelli

Subsequent occurrences: Wheeler Cafarelli

Parenthetical:

….(Wheeler Cafarelli).

Works-cited-list entry template and example:

The title of the chapter is enclosed in double quotation marks and uses title case. The book or collection title is given in italics and uses title case.

Surname, First Name. “Title of the Chapter.” Title of the Book , edited by Editor(s) Name, Publisher, Publication Year, page range.

Cafarelli, Annette Wheeler. “Rousseau and British Romanticism: Women and British Romanticism.” Cultural Interactions in the Romantic Age: Critical Essays in Comparative Literature , edited by Gregory Maertz. State U of New York P, 1998, pp. 125–56.

To cite an essay in MLA style, you need to have basic information including the author(s), the essay title, the book title, editor(s), publication year, publisher, and page numbers. The templates for citations in prose, parenthetical citations, and works-cited-list entries for an essay by multiple authors, and some examples, are given below:

For citations in prose, use the first name and surname of the author (e.g., Mary Strine).

For sources with two authors, use both full author names in prose (e.g., Mary Strine and Beth Radick).

For sources with three or more authors, use the first name and surname of the first author followed by “and others” or “and colleagues” (e.g., Mary Strine and others). In subsequent citations, use only the surname of the first author followed by “and others” or “and colleagues” (e.g., Strine and others).

In parenthetical citations, use only the author’s surname. For sources with two authors, use two surnames (e.g., Strine and Radick). For sources with three or more author names, use the first author’s surname followed by “et al.”

First mention: Mary Strine…

Subsequent mention: Strine…

First mention: Mary Strine and Beth Radick…

Subsequent mention: Strine and Radick…

First mention: Mary Strine and colleagues …. or Mary Strine and others

Subsequent occurrences: Strine and colleagues …. or Strine and others

…. (Strine).

….(Strine and Radick).

….(Strine et al.).

The title of the essay is enclosed in double quotation marks and uses title case. The book or collection title is given in italics and uses title case.

Surname, First Name, et al. “Title of the Essay.” Title of the Book , edited by Editor(s) Name, Publisher, Publication Year, page range.

Strine, Mary M., et al. “Research in Interpretation and Performance Studies: Trends, Issues, Priorities.” Speech Communication: Essays to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Speech Communication Association , edited by Gerald M. Phillips and Julia T. Wood, Southern Illinois UP, 1990, pp. 181–204.

MLA Citation Examples

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Free MLA Citation Generator

Generate accurate citations in MLA format automatically, with MyBib!

😕 What is an MLA Citation Generator?

An MLA citation generator is a software tool designed to automatically create academic citations in the Modern Language Association (MLA) citation format. The generator will take information such as document titles, author, and URLs as in input, and output fully formatted citations that can be inserted into the Works Cited page of an MLA-compliant academic paper.

The citations on a Works Cited page show the external sources that were used to write the main body of the academic paper, either directly as references and quotes, or indirectly as ideas.

👩‍🎓 Who uses an MLA Citation Generator?

MLA style is most often used by middle school and high school students in preparation for transition to college and further education. Ironically, MLA style is not actually used all that often beyond middle and high school, with APA (American Psychological Association) style being the favored style at colleges across the country.

It is also important at this level to learn why it's critical to cite sources, not just how to cite them.

🙌 Why should I use a Citation Generator?

Writing citations manually is time consuming and error prone. Automating this process with a citation generator is easy, straightforward, and gives accurate results. It's also easier to keep citations organized and in the correct order.

The Works Cited page contributes to the overall grade of a paper, so it is important to produce accurately formatted citations that follow the guidelines in the official MLA Handbook .

⚙️ How do I use MyBib's MLA Citation Generator?

It's super easy to create MLA style citations with our MLA Citation Generator. Scroll back up to the generator at the top of the page and select the type of source you're citing. Books, journal articles, and webpages are all examples of the types of sources our generator can cite automatically. Then either search for the source, or enter the details manually in the citation form.

The generator will produce a formatted MLA citation that can be copied and pasted directly into your document, or saved to MyBib as part of your overall Works Cited page (which can be downloaded fully later!).

MyBib supports the following for MLA style:

Daniel is a qualified librarian, former teacher, and citation expert. He has been contributing to MyBib since 2018.

The Significance of Zombie Meme in American Culture

This essay about the “works cited meme” explores the intersection of academic citation formats and internet meme culture. The works cited meme humorously adopts the structure of scholarly citations to reference fictional or absurd sources, often highlighting the formalities and perceived arbitrariness of academic writing. Originating in online forums and social media, these memes serve as a playful critique of academic norms and the exclusivity of scholarly communication. Additionally, the essay discusses the implications of such memes on information literacy, emphasizing how they blur the lines between credible and fabricated content in the digital age. By subverting traditional academic practices, works cited memes encourage discussions on the accessibility and authority of information, making them a significant phenomenon for analysis in digital culture studies.

How it works

In recent years, the proliferation of digital media has transformed traditional academic and cultural landscapes, giving rise to new forms of expression and communication. One such phenomenon is the “works cited meme,” which humorously merges the format of academic citation with internet meme culture. This essay explores the genesis, significance, and implications of the works cited meme within both academic and popular contexts.

The works cited meme typically features an image or a piece of text that is humorously formatted to mimic the style of an academic citation, often referencing fictional or absurd sources.

For instance, a meme might depict a common cultural stereotype or a famous movie line, followed by a fictitious bibliographic entry suggesting the meme content was sourced from a scholarly work. This blending of formal academic structure with the irreverent, chaotic nature of meme culture creates a humorous juxtaposition that appeals to both academic and non-academic audiences.

The origin of works cited memes can be traced back to online forums and social media platforms where users began experimenting with the structure of digital communication to create new humorous content. Academics and students, familiar with the rigorous demands of scholarly citation, started using this format to comment on the sometimes arbitrary complexities of academic writing, or to poke fun at the esoteric nature of some research materials. This playful critique of academic norms reflects a broader trend in digital culture that favors remixing and repurposing existing formats in creative ways.

From an academic perspective, works cited memes can be seen as part of a larger discourse on the accessibility and formality of scholarly communication. They serve as a critique of the gatekeeping that often characterizes academic publishing and the inaccessibility of scholarly discourse to the layperson. By mimicking and subverting the traditional format of academic referencing, these memes highlight the perceived rigidity and exclusivity of academic knowledge production.

Moreover, works cited memes also raise questions about the nature of authority and credibility in the digital age. In a world where information—and misinformation—can spread rapidly online, the playful use of academic citations in memes can blur the lines between credible sources and fabricated content. This has important implications for information literacy, a crucial skill in navigating the digital landscape. Educators and information professionals may find the phenomenon a useful tool to engage students in discussions about evaluating sources and understanding the context of information they encounter online.

In conclusion, works cited memes exemplify how digital culture can influence and transform traditional formats in innovative ways. They not only provide comic relief but also provoke critical reflection on the practices of academic citation and the dissemination of knowledge in the digital era. As such, they represent a rich site of analysis for researchers interested in the intersections of internet culture, humor, and academic practice. While ostensibly humorous, works cited memes offer a window into the evolving relationship between authority, authorship, and authenticity in a rapidly changing cultural landscape.

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The Significance Of Zombie Meme In American Culture. (2024, Apr 22). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/the-significance-of-zombie-meme-in-american-culture/

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PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Significance Of Zombie Meme In American Culture . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-significance-of-zombie-meme-in-american-culture/ [Accessed: 23-Apr-2024]

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Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7 th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student  and  professional  papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication). These differences mostly extend to the title page and running head. Crucially, citation practices do not differ between the two styles of paper.

However, for your convenience, we have provided two versions of our APA 7 sample paper below: one in  student style and one in  professional  style.

Note: For accessibility purposes, we have used "Track Changes" to make comments along the margins of these samples. Those authored by [AF] denote explanations of formatting and [AWC] denote directions for writing and citing in APA 7. 

APA 7 Student Paper:

Apa 7 professional paper:.