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.
Works Cited entries in seconds. MLA punctuation handled for you.
MLA's container system has very specific punctuation at every position. This tool applies it all automatically so you do not have to memorise the rules.
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Choose your source type. MLA 9th uses a container model where each source lives inside a larger container (a journal, a website, a book). The tabs show you the fields for each.
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2
Enter author names. The first author is listed Last, First. Additional authors are listed First Last. For three or more authors, only the first is listed followed by et al. The generator handles this automatically.
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3
Click Generate MLA Citation. The output includes the correctly punctuated Works Cited entry with italics on container titles, quotation marks on short works, and abbreviated month names (Jan., Feb., Mar.) where MLA requires them.
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Click Copy. Italics transfer correctly into Word and Google Docs on paste. You also get the parenthetical in-text marker to use within your essay.
MLA's container system: the key idea behind every citation
MLA 9th thinks of sources as works nested inside containers. Once you understand this, the punctuation makes sense.
Short works
Article titles, chapter titles, web page titles. These are contained within something larger, so they go in "quotation marks".
Containers
Journal names, book titles, website names, magazine names. These are the containing works, so they are italicised.
Dates
MLA uses day-month-year order with abbreviated month names: 15 Mar. 2024. Websites with no date get an access date added automatically.
MLA vs APA: the three differences that matter most
If you have used APA before, MLA will feel different in a few specific ways. Here is what to watch for.
No year in the in-text citation. MLA uses (Author page) not (Author, Year). For example: (Smith 45) instead of (Smith, 2021, p. 45).
Quotation marks on article titles. APA uses sentence case with no quotation marks on article titles. MLA uses Title Case and wraps article and chapter titles in double quotation marks.
URLs without https://. MLA displays URLs without the https:// protocol (unless it is a DOI). APA includes the full URL. The generator applies both conventions automatically.
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.