MLA 9th Edition Cheat Sheet
Quick reference for the most common MLA citation formats.
General Rules
- Use hanging indentation
- Double-space all entries
- Alphabetize by author's last name
- Title the page "Works Cited"
- Italicize titles of containers (books, journals, websites)
In-Text Citations
| Situation | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 author | (Author Page) | (Smith 45) |
| 2 authors | (Author and Author Page) | (Smith and Jones 45) |
| 3+ authors | (First Author et al. Page) | (Smith et al. 45) |
| No author | ("Title" Page) | ("Study Results" 45) |
| No page number | (Author) | (Smith) |
Works Cited Examples
Book
Last, First. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.
Journal Article
Last, First. "Title of Article." Journal Title, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. #–#.
Website
Last, First. "Title of Page." Website Name, Day Month Year, URL.
Anthology/Edited Book
Last, First. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection, edited by First Last, Publisher, Year, pp. #–#.
MLA Core Elements (in order)
- Author.
- "Title of Source."
- Title of Container,
- Contributors,
- Version,
- Number,
- Publisher,
- Publication date,
- Location (pages, URL, DOI).
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