MLA Citation Guide

9th Edition

MLA 9th Edition is developed by the Modern Language Association and is standard in literature, language studies, cultural analysis, and the humanities.

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When Should You Use MLA?

Literature essays & close readings
Humanities & cultural analysis
Language & linguistics research
Art history & philosophy papers
College composition essays

Book Citation Example (MLA 9)

Smith, John. The Craft of Modern Research. 9th ed., Oxford UP, 2024.

Journal Article Example (MLA 9)

Smith, John, and Rachel Doe. “Advances in Cognitive Science.” Journal of Research, vol. 12, no. 3, 2024, pp. 55–70. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsci.2024.01.005.

Online Work Example (MLA 9)

World Health Organization. “Mental Health in the Workplace.” WHO, 15 May 2024, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.

MLA 9th Works Cited & In-Text Format

In-text author-page: (Smith 58)
Two authors: (Smith and Doe 62)
Three or more authors: (Smith et al. 110)

Common Citation Mistakes

Missing publication dates
Incorrect author formatting
Missing page numbers where required
Incorrect capitalization
Improper reference ordering

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