MLA Citation Generator
Generate accurate MLA 9th edition Works Cited entries instantly. Supports journal articles, books, book chapters, websites, YouTube, newspapers, and magazines.
Source type
No publication date? Leave it blank and we'll automatically add today's access date for you!
Will be wrapped in quotation marks in the output.
Will be italicised in the output.
Enter the DOI starting with 10. or as a full https:// URL.
Will be italicised. Include subtitle after a colon.
Only if not the first edition.
Abbreviate: UP for University Press.
Will be wrapped in quotation marks.
List editors in First Last order.
Will be wrapped in quotation marks.
Will be italicised. Omit if same as author.
Will be wrapped in quotation marks.
Will be wrapped in quotation marks.
Will be italicised. Omit leading "The" if present.
Use p. for single page, pp. for a range.
Will be wrapped in quotation marks.
Will be italicised.
MLA 9th Edition Works Cited Entry
In-text Citation (Parenthetical)
Italics are preserved when pasting into Word or Google Docs. Always verify your citation against your institution's style guide.
How to generate an MLA 9th edition citation
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1
Select your source type: choose from journal article, book, book chapter, website, YouTube video, newspaper, or magazine to reveal the relevant fields for that source format.
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2
Enter the source details: provide author names, title, container title (journal or website name), publisher, publication date, volume, issue, page range, and URL or DOI where available.
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3
Generate your Works Cited entry: click Generate Citation to produce a fully formatted MLA 9th edition entry with correct italics, quotation marks, abbreviated month names, and hanging indent.
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4
Copy to your Works Cited list: click Copy to paste the citation directly into Word or Google Docs. Italics and quotation marks are preserved on paste, eliminating manual reformatting.
Standard
Follows MLA Handbook 9th edition (2021) exactly.
Source types
Journal articles, books, chapters, websites, YouTube, newspapers and magazines.
Formatting
Hanging indent, en-dashes, italics and quotation marks applied automatically.
Why use GenerateQuick's MLA Citation Generator?
MLA 9th edition (2021) uses a container-based system where every piece of information has a precise position and punctuation mark. Getting it right manually means remembering whether the article title goes in quotes or italics, which months to abbreviate and how, and where to omit https:// from displayed URLs. GenerateQuick's MLA citation generator handles all of these rules automatically, producing Works Cited entries that conform to the MLA Handbook 9th edition.
The tool is entirely browser-based, with no sign-up, no data collection, and no limit on citations generated. It covers journal articles, books, chapters, websites, YouTube videos, newspapers, and magazines: the source types that appear in most student and academic writing. Output renders with semantic HTML so italics transfer correctly into Microsoft Word and Google Docs on paste, saving the tedious step of italicising container titles by hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between MLA 8th and 9th edition?
MLA 9th edition (2021) builds on the container system introduced in the 8th edition but adds clearer guidance on inclusive language, expanded advice on documenting digital sources, and refined rules for formatting titles and access dates. For most common source types the two editions produce near-identical entries; the 9th edition mainly clarifies edge cases. This generator follows MLA 9th edition throughout.
When do I use quotation marks vs italics in MLA?
In MLA, short works contained within a larger container are enclosed in quotation marks; these include article titles, chapter titles, episode names, and web page titles. Larger, self-contained works are italicised; these include journal names, book titles, website names, and magazine names. The generator applies this distinction automatically based on the source type selected.
Do I need to include a URL for online sources in MLA?
MLA 9th recommends including a URL or DOI for online sources. The URL is displayed without the https:// protocol (e.g. www.example.com/article) unless it is a DOI, which is shown in full as https://doi.org/... format. The generator applies this convention automatically. If your instructor prefers not to include URLs, simply leave the URL field blank.
How does MLA format an access date for websites?
MLA uses a day-month-year format for dates, with months longer than four letters abbreviated (e.g. "15 Mar. 2024"). An access date is added after the URL for websites with no publication date or that change frequently, written as "Accessed 15 Mar. 2024." The generator formats dates and abbreviations automatically following MLA 9th conventions.