---
name: citation-style-mla
description: Use when asked to cite sources, format in-text citations, or build a reference list in MLA (Modern Language Association) citation style, 9th edition, used in literature, languages, the humanities, and cultural studies; author-page rather than author-date like [[citation-style-apa]], with a Works Cited list rather than numbered references.
---

# MLA Citation Style

MLA (Modern Language Association) citation style, 9th edition is the style commonly required in literature, languages, the humanities, and cultural studies. Family: Author-page.

## Input required

- The sources to cite, with author, title, date, publisher or journal, volume, issue, pages, and DOI or URL.
- The edition, institution, or journal whose rules apply.

## Questions to ask first

1. Which edition or institutional variant must the work follow?
2. Is the output in-text citations, reference-list entries, or both?
3. What type is each source (book, article, web page, report, legal authority)?
4. Is any information missing, such as the date, pages, or DOI?

## In-text citations

- Parenthetical: `(Smith 45)`, with no comma and no `p.`.
- If the author is named in the sentence, give only the page: `Smith argues this (45)`.
- Three or more authors: `(Smith et al. 45)`.
- No page for unpaginated sources: give the author alone.

## Reference format

Titled `Works Cited`, alphabetical by author surname, hanging indent. Titles in title case; article titles in quotation marks and container titles (journal, website, book) in italics. Each entry is built from the same core elements: author, title of source, title of container, other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, location.

## Example pattern

The names, title, and numbers below are placeholders showing the pattern, not a real source.

```text
Smith, Jane A., and Kim Lee. "Title of the Article in Title Case." *Journal Name*, vol. 12, no. 3, 2020, pp. 45–67.
```

## Ground rules

- Use only the details the user supplied or that can be checked. Never invent authors, dates, DOIs, page numbers, or sources.
- If a detail is missing, leave a clear placeholder and say so.
- Apply one style consistently throughout the document.
- When the user's institution or journal differs from this guide, follow theirs.

## Self-check before answering

- Does every in-text citation have a matching reference entry, and the reverse?
- Are the ordering, capitalization, punctuation, and italics consistent with this style?
- Were any details guessed? Remove or flag them.

## Common pitfalls

- **Adding a comma or `p.` in the in-text citation** — MLA is `(Smith 45)`.
- **Forgetting the container** — a poem in an anthology, or an article in a journal, needs the larger work named too.
- **Including `https://`** — MLA drops the protocol from URLs; DOIs are given as links.
- **Using APA's sentence case** — MLA keeps title case.

## Learn more

- Compare with the other styles: [[citation-style-apa]], [[citation-style-chicago]], [[citation-style-harvard]], [[citation-style-vancouver]], [[citation-style-ieee]], [[citation-style-ama]], [[citation-style-oscola]].
- Official guidance: [MLA Style Center](https://style.mla.org/).