Scribbr MLA Citation Generator
Accurate MLA citations, verified by experts, trusted by millions.
Save hours of repetitive work.
Stop wasting hours figuring out the correct citation format. With Scribbr's citation generator, you can search for your source by title, URL, ISBN, or DOI and generate accurate MLA citations in seconds. No experience needed.
| ⚙️ Styles | MLA 9 & MLA 8 |
|---|---|
| 📚 Sources | Websites, books, articles |
| 🔎 Autocite | Search by title, URL, DOI, ISBN |
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Autocite
Search for your source by title, URL, DOI, ISBN, and more to retrieve the relevant information automatically.
MLA 8th & 9th edition
Scribbr's Citation Generator supports both MLA 8 and MLA 9 (as well as APA and Harvard). No matter what edition you're using, we’ve got you covered!
Export to Bib(La)TeX
Easily export in BibTeX format and continue working in your favorite LaTeX editor.
Export to Word
Reference list finished? Export to Word with perfect indentation and spacing set up for you.
Sorting, grouping, and filtering
Organize the reference list the way you want: from A to Z, new to old, or grouped by source type.
Save multiple lists
Stay organized by creating a separate reference list for each of your assignments.
Fonts
Choose between Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, and more options to match your style.
Industry-standard technology
Scribbr's citation generator is built using the same citation software (CSL) as Mendeley and Zotero, but with an added layer for improved accuracy.
Annotations
Create perfectly formatted MLA Style annotated bibliographies with just a few clicks.
Quick tips
Explanatory tips help you get the details right to ensure accurate citations.
Citation guides
Getting to grips with citation is simple with the help of our highly rated MLA citation guides and videos.
Secure backup
Your work is saved automatically after every change and stored securely in your Scribbr account.
How to cite in MLA format
MLA is one of the most common citation styles used by students and academics. This quick guide explains how to cite sources according to the 9th edition (the most recent) of the MLA Handbook. You can also use Scribbr’s free citation generator to automatically generate references and in-text citations.
An MLA citation has two components:
- In-text citation: Every time you quote or paraphrase a source, you cite the author and the page number in parentheses.
- Works Cited: At the end of your paper, you give a full reference for every source you cited, alphabetized by the author’s last name.
MLA Works Cited list
The list of Works Cited (also known as the bibliography or reference page) gives full details of every source you cited in your text. Each entry is built from nine core elements:
Following this format, you can create a citation for any type of source—for example, a book, journal article, website, or movie. You only include information that’s relevant to the type of source you’re citing.
MLA citation examples
Using the interactive tool, you can see what an MLA citation looks like for different source types.
Missing information in MLA citations
Regardless of the source type, the most important elements of any MLA citation are the author, the source title, and the publication date. If any of these are missing from the source, the Works Cited entry will look slightly different.
| What’s missing? | What to do | Works Cited example |
|---|---|---|
| No author | Start with the source title instead. Alphabetize by the first word (ignoring articles). | “Australia fires: ‘Catastrophic’ alerts in South Australia and Victoria.” BBC News, 20 Nov. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50483410. |
| No title | Give a brief description of the source. Use sentence case and no italics or quotation marks. | Mackintosh, Charles Rennie. Chair of stained oak. 1897–1900, Victoria and Albert Museum, London. |
| No date | Leave out the publication date. Add the date you accessed the source at the end of the citation. | “Who are Scribbr Editors?” Scribbr, www.scribbr.com/about-us/editors/. Accessed 10 June 2019. |
MLA Citation Generator
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MLA in-text citations
MLA in-text citations are brief references that direct your reader to the full source entry. You include them every time you quote, block quote, paraphrase or summarize a source.
The in-text citation must match the first word of the Works Cited entry—usually the author’s last name. It also includes a page number or range to help the reader locate the relevant passage.
| Author | What to do | Citation example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 author | Give the author’s last name. | (Wallace 11–12) |
| 2 authors | Give both author’s last names. | (Wallace and Armstrong 11–12) |
| 3+ authors | Name the first author followed by “et al.” | (Wallace et al. 11–12) |
| Corporate author | If a source was created by an organization other than the publisher, use the organization name as author. | (U.S. Global Change Research Program 22) |
| No author | If the author is the same as the publisher, or if no author is credited, use the source title instead. Format the title the same as in the full Works Cited reference, and shorten if it is more than four words. | (“Australia Fires”) |
| Multiple sources by the same author | Include the title (or a shortened version) after the author’s name in each source citation. | (Morrison, Beloved, 73) (Morrison, Sula, 45) |
If you already named the author in your sentence, include only the page number in parentheses:
Sources with no page numbers
If the source has no page numbers, you either use an alternative locator, or leave the page number out of the citation:
| Source type | What to do | Citation example |
|---|---|---|
| Audiovisual source (e.g. a movie or YouTube video) | Give the time range of the relevant section. | (Arnold 03:15–03:21). |
| Source with numbered sections (e.g. an online book) | Give a paragraph, section, or chapter number. | (Smith, par. 38) (Rowling, ch. 6) |
| Source with no numbered sections (e.g. a web page) | Leave out the page number. | (Barker) |
MLA Citation Generator
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Tools and resources
Besides the MLA Citation Generator, Scribbr provides many more helpful tools and resources;
- Citation generator: Generate flawless APA, MLA, and Harvard citations in seconds
- Free plagiarism checker: Detect and correct plagiarism with the most accurate plagiarism checker for students
- AI Proofreader: Upload and improve unlimited documents and earn higher grades on your assignments. Try it for free!
- Paraphrasing tool: Avoid accidental plagiarism and make your text sound better.
- Grammar checker: Eliminate pesky spelling and grammar mistakes.
- Summarizer: Read more in less time. Distill lengthy and complex texts down to their key points.
- AI detector: Find out if your text was written with ChatGPT or any other AI writing tool. ChatGPT 2 & ChatGPT 3 supported.
- Proofreading services: Hire a professional editor to improve your writing
- Citation checker: Check your work for citation errors and missing citations.
- Guides and videos: Explore hundreds of articles, bite-sized videos, time-saving templates, and handy checklists that guide you through the process of research, writing, and citation.