Free MLA Citation Generator

MLA 9th edition is the latest version of the MLA Handbook, published in April 2021 by the Modern Language Association. It is the standard citation style in the humanities, particularly in literature, languages, cultural studies, and philosophy. The 9th edition simplifies citation with a universal template of core elements that applies to any source type.

MLA uses an author-page system. For one author: (Smith 45). For two authors: (Smith and Jones 45). For three or more authors: (Smith et al. 45). Note that MLA does not use a comma between the author name and page number, unlike APA. If no page number is available (such as for websites), use the author name only: (Smith).

MLA 9th edition uses nine core elements in a fixed order: (1) Author, (2) Title of source, (3) Title of container, (4) Contributors, (5) Version, (6) Number, (7) Publisher, (8) Publication date, (9) Location. Not every source will have all nine elements. Include only the elements that are available and relevant to your source.

In MLA 9th edition, a website citation follows this format: Last name, First name. "Title of Page." Website Name, Day Month Year, URL. Accessed Day Month Year. The access date is now recommended (though not always required) for online sources. If no author is available, begin with the title of the page.

Key changes in MLA 9th edition include: (1) Guidelines for annotated bibliographies are now included; (2) More flexibility for shortened titles in in-text citations; (3) Endnotes and footnotes guidance is expanded; (4) Inclusive language guidelines are added; (5) Guidance on citing visual materials and content from social media is updated. The core citation template remains the same as the 8th edition.

The Works Cited page should: (1) Begin on a new page after the text; (2) Center the title 'Works Cited' at the top; (3) Double-space all entries; (4) Use a hanging indent of 0.5 inches for each entry; (5) Alphabetize entries by the author's last name (or by title if no author); (6) Italicize titles of longer works (books, journals, websites) and use quotation marks for shorter works (articles, web pages, poems).