MLA 9th Edition Citation Guide

MLA (Modern Language Association) 9th edition is standard in humanities — particularly literature, languages, and cultural studies. Its "container model" is one of the most flexible citation frameworks ever designed, because it applies the same nine elements to any source type rather than having a separate format for every single one.

The Container Model

MLA's core innovation is the idea of "containers." A journal is a container for an article. A website is a container for a webpage. A streaming service is a container for a film. And containers can be nested — an article in a database that's on the internet involves three containers.

Each container adds another layer of information to your citation: the container's title (italicised), contributor roles, version, number, publisher, publication date, and location.

Practical impact: When you cite an article from JSTOR, your citation has two containers: the journal itself, and JSTOR as the database. You include the journal details in the first container and the database/URL in the second.

The Nine Core Elements

Author. Last name, First name. Or for organisations: Organisation Name.

Title of Source. Short works (articles, poems) in "quotation marks." Long works (books, films) in italics.

Title of Container. The larger work that holds the source, in italics. (e.g., journal name, website name)

Other Contributors. Roles with their names: "edited by," "directed by," "translated by," etc.

Version. Edition, version number, or revised version info where relevant.

Number. Volume and issue for journals: vol. 18, no. 3

Publisher. Name of publisher or sponsoring organisation.

Publication Date. As specific as available: year, month and year, or full date.

Location. Page numbers (pp. xx–xx), DOI, or URL.

Not every element is present in every source. Include the elements that are available and relevant; omit those that aren't.

In-Text Citations

MLA uses parenthetical citations with the author's last name and page number. No year, no comma.

Basic: (Smith 45)
Author in text: Smith argues that "direct quotation" (45).
Two authors: (Smith and Jones 78)
Three or more: (Smith et al. 102)
No author: Use the first significant word(s) of the title: ("Remote Work" 12)
No page numbers: Just the author name: (Smith)

Works Cited Examples

Journal Article (print)

Omondi, James. "Digital Access and Literacy Gaps in East African Universities." Journal of African Higher Education, vol. 14, no. 2, 2022, pp. 45–62.

Journal Article (online / with DOI)

Omondi, James. "Digital Access and Literacy Gaps in East African Universities." Journal of African Higher Education, vol. 14, no. 2, 2022, pp. 45–62. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx.

Book

Creswell, John W. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 5th ed., Sage, 2018.

Chapter in Edited Collection

Bryman, Alan. "Sampling in Qualitative Research." SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research, edited by Paul Atkinson et al., Sage, 2021, pp. 45–62.

Website

World Health Organization. "Mental Health Atlas 2022." WHO, 15 Jan. 2023, www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240049338.

Key MLA Rules to Know

Accessed date for websites — include "Accessed DD Mon. YYYY" at the end of web citations (recommended but not always required — check your institution's preference)
Abbreviate months — all months except May, June, July are abbreviated: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.
Publisher for websites — include if different from the website name; omit if the same
Hanging indent — second and subsequent lines of each Works Cited entry are indented 0.5 inches
Alphabetical order — by first word of the entry (usually author's last name)

Works Cited vs. Bibliography: In MLA, the reference page is called "Works Cited" — not "Bibliography" (which is used in Chicago). Only sources you actually cited go in Works Cited.

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