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MLA citation generator
MLA 9th edition works-cited entries and in-text citations. Paste a link, ISBN or DOI and CiteFast fills in the core elements for you.
Your citation types itself here as you fill in the form — or auto-fill it above.
Formatting runs in your browser. Auto-fill uses Crossref (DOI), Open Library and Google Books (ISBN) and the page’s own metadata (URL). Always check against the source.
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Build an MLA citation one core element at a time
MLA 9 doesn’t have a separate rule for every kind of source. It has one template of nine elements in a fixed order; you fill in the ones your source has and skip the rest. Step through a real journal article:
Watson, James D., and Francis H. C. Crick. “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.” Nature,
Title of container. The larger whole — journal, website, TV series, anthology. Italicised. Followed by a comma, because everything up to the next period describes this container.
MLA examples by source type
| Source | Example |
|---|---|
| a website | “Climate Change and Health.” World Health Organization, 12 Oct. 2023, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health. |
| a book | Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011. |
| a journal article | Watson, James D., and Francis H. C. Crick. “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.” Nature, vol. 171, no. 4356, 25 Apr. 1953, pp. 737–38, https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0. |
| a YouTube video | “The Immune System Explained I – Bacteria Infection.” YouTube, uploaded by Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, 1 July 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQGOcOUBi6s. |
| ChatGPT | “Explain the main causes of the French Revolution” prompt. ChatGPT, GPT-6, OpenAI, 20 Sept. 2026, chatgpt.com. |
| a newspaper article | Woodward, Bob, and Carl Bernstein. “GOP Security Aide among Five Arrested in Bugging Affair.” Washington Post, 19 June 1972, p. A1. |
MLA in-text citations
MLA uses the author’s last name and a page number, with no comma: (Kahneman 45). For two authors write (Watson and Crick 737); for three or more, (Nguyen et al. 12). With no author, use a shortened title in quotation marks or italics. More in the in-text citation guide.
Setting up the paper itself — heading, header, double spacing and the works-cited page? See the MLA format guide.
MLA citation questions
Is this MLA 9th edition?
Yes. CiteFast follows the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (2021), which organises every entry around the nine core elements and drops “https://” from URLs.
What is a “container” in MLA?
The larger work a source sits inside: the journal that holds an article, the website that holds a page, the platform that hosts a video. The container is italicised and followed by details like volume, date and location.
When does MLA use et al.?
For three or more authors, both in the works-cited entry (Watson, James D., et al.) and in the text (Watson et al. 12).
Do I need an access date in MLA 9?
Only when the source has no publication date, or when it is likely to change. CiteFast adds one automatically for undated web pages.
Why is there a page number in the MLA in-text citation?
MLA points readers to the exact page: (Kahneman 45). Replace 45 with the page you quoted or paraphrased. Web pages without page numbers just use the author: (World Health Organization).