mla bibliography format for essay

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Creating an MLA Bibliography

If you write a research paper in MLA format, then you will need to include a Works Cited page according to the current 9th edition of the Modern Language Association (MLA) guidelines. Along with citing your sources within the body of your paper, you also need to include full citations of all sources at the end of your paper. The references in a bibliography are formatted in the same way as they would be in a Works Cited page. However, a bibliography refers to all works that you have consulted in your research, even if you did not use their information directly in your paper.

When you use the correct MLA bibliography format, it shows the reader what sources you consulted, makes finding your sources easier for the reader, and gives credibility to your work as a researcher and writer. This MLA sample paper will show you how the bibliography is incorporated into the rest of your paper. We also have a guide on APA reference pages , if you are following APA style in your paper.

Works cited or bibliography?

You may be wondering, what is a bibliography, and how is it different from a Works Cited page? The difference between the two is that while a bibliography refers to any source you consulted to write your research paper, a Works Cited page only includes full citations of the sources you quoted or paraphrased within your paper.

Typically, when someone says, “MLA bibliography” they really mean a Works Cited page, since the MLA format usually uses a Works Cited page instead of a bibliography.

A bibliography in MLA format may also refer to a Works Consulted page. If you used other sources that you did not directly quote or paraphrase within the paper, you will need to create a Works Consulted/Additional Resources page. A Works Consulted page starts on a separate page and follows the Works Cited page. It follows the same formatting guidelines as a Works Cited page, but you will use Works Consulted (or Additional Resources) as the title.

If you’re unsure of what to include in your citations list (works cited, works consulted, or both), ask your instructor. For the rest of this article, we will refer to this page as the MLA bibliography.

MLA bibliography formatting guidelines

These are the formatting rules you need to follow to create your bibliography according to MLA’s current edition guidelines. Your first page(s) will be your Works Cited page(s) and include the references that you directly refer to in your paper. Usually, this is all that is needed. If your instructor wants you to also include the works you consulted but did not include in your paper (more like a bibliography), then add Works Consulted or Additional Resources page for these sources.

• Your MLA Works Cited (and Works Consulted or Additional Resources pages) should begin on a separate page or pages at the end of your essay.
• Your essay should have a header on every page that includes your last name and the page number.
• The last name/page number header should be on the top right of each page with a ½ inch margin from the top of the page.
• One-inch margins.
• Title the page Works Cited (no italicization or quotation marks) unless otherwise instructed. Center the title. The top should look like this:

• Only center the Works Cited title; all citations should be left-justified.
• Double-space citations.
• Do not add an additional space between citations.
• After the first line, use a hanging indent of ½ inch on all additional lines of a citation. The hanging indent should look like this:

• Typically, this is the author’s last name, but sometimes it could be the title of the source if the author’s name is not available.

If you have a Works Consulted or Additional Resources page after your Works Cited page, format it in the same way, but with the title of Works Consulted or Additional Resources instead of Works Cited. Alternatively, your instructor may require a bibliography. If this is the case, all your sources, whether they are cited in your paper are not, are listed on the same page.

MLA citation guidelines

These are the rules you need to follow to create citations for an MLA bibliography. This section contains information on how to correctly use author names, punctuation, capitalization, fonts, page numbers, DOIs, and URLS in the citations on your MLA bibliography.

Author names

After the title Works Cited, the last name of the author of a source should be the first thing to appear on your page.

List the author’s last name followed by a comma, then the first name followed by the middle name or middle initial if applicable, without a comma separating the first and middle names. Add a period after the name.

Rowling, J.K.

Smith, Alexander McCall.

• Do not include titles such as Dr., Mrs., etc. or professional qualifications such as PhD, M.S., etc. with author names.
• Include suffixes such as Jr. or III after the author’s first name. Separate the first name and the suffix by a comma unless the suffix is a numeral. For example, to cite an author named John Smith, Jr., you would type Smith, John, Jr.

Sources with two authors

For a source with two authors, list the author names in your citation in the order they appear on the source, not alphabetically.

Type the last name of the first author listed on the source followed by a comma, then the first author’s first name followed by a comma. Then type the word “and” then list the second author’s first name and last name in the standard order. Follow the second name with a period.

Include middle names or initials and suffixes when applicable according to the guidelines for one author as listed above.

1st Author’s Last Name, First Name, and 2nd Author’s First Name Last Name.

Lutz, Lisa, and David Hayward.

Clark, Mary Higgins, and Alafair Burke.

Sources with three or more authors

For a source with three or more authors, only type the last and first name of the first author listed in the source, followed by a comma and the phrase et al., which is Latin for “and others.” Be sure to always place a period after the al in et al. but never after the et.

1st Author’s Last Name, First Name, et al.

Charaipotra, Sona, et al.

Williams, Beatriz, et al. All the Ways We Said Goodbye . HarperLuxe, 2020.

Organizations and corporations as authors

For sources with organizations or corporations listed as the author, type the name of the corporation in place of an author’s name. If the organization begins with an article like a, an, or the, it should be excluded in the Works Cited entry.

Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook . 2016.

*Note: If the organization is listed as both the author and the publisher, begin the citation with the title and include the organization’s name within the publisher field instead. 

For a source with no author listed, simply omit the author’s name and begin the citation with the title of the source. Use the first letter of the title when considering alphabetical order in your MLA bibliography.

Capitalization

Use MLA title case when citing titles of sources.

• Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and subordinating conjunctions should be capitalized.
• Articles, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions should not be capitalized.

Font formatting

• Italicize the titles of larger works such as magazines and books. Also, italicize database and website names.
• Instead of italicization, use quotation marks around titles of shorter works such as poems, short stories, and articles.
• End all bibliography citations with a period.

Page numbers

Include page numbers in your full citations whenever possible. This helps the reader find the information you cited more quickly than if you just cited the entire source and lends more credibility to your argument. If you cite different pages from the same source within your paper, you should cite the entire source on your MLA bibliography instead of listing all of the page numbers you used.

When including page numbers in a citation, use the abbreviation p. to cite one page and the abbreviation pp. to cite multiple pages with a hyphen between the page numbers.

p. 25 or pp. 16-37

When citing page numbers in MLA, omit the first set of repeated digits.

pp. 365-69, not pp. 365-369

DOIs and URLs

A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is used to locate and identify an online source. While URLs may change or web pages might be edited or updated, a DOI is permanent and therefore more useful in a source citation.

• Use a DOI (digital object identifier) whenever possible. Otherwise use a permalink or URL.
• DOIs should be formatted with “https://doi.org/” before the DOI number.
• Do not include “http://” or “https://” in your URLs.
• As either one will be the last part of your citation, place a period after the DOI or URL. (Note that this period is not part of the DOI or URL.)

Butarbutar, R, et al. “Analyzing of Puzzle Local Culture-Based in Teaching English for Young Learners.” IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science , vol. 343, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/343/1/012208.

Accessed dates

Since the previous 8th edition of the MLA Handbook was published, you do NOT need to list an accessed date for a stable source (e.g., online newspaper article, journal article, photograph, etc.). However, including an access date is good to include when a source does not have a publishing date, and some instructors will request that accessed dates be included for all sources.

If you do include an access date, here’s how to format it:

• Place it at the end of the citation without “http://” or “https://”.
• Write “Accessed” first, followed by the date accessed.
• The date accessed should be formatted as Day Month (abbreviated) Year.

Butarbutar, R, et al. “IOPscience.” IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science , IOP Publishing, 1 Oct. 2019, iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/343/1/012208/meta. Accessed 8 Oct. 2020.

Note: If you choose to list an accessed date after a DOI, the accessed date part of the citation will follow the period after the DOI and will end with a period at the end of the citation

Butarbutar, R, et al. “Analyzing of Puzzle Local Culture-Based in Teaching English for Young Learners.” IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science , vol. 343, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/343/1/012208. Accessed 8 Oct. 2020.

MLA 8 th edition vs MLA 9 th edition

The 9 th edition of the MLA handbook re-introduces guidelines regarding paper formatting (which were not present in the 8 th edition). The guidance in the 9 th addition is consistent with the guidance in previous editions and expands on the formatting of tables, figures/illustrations, and lists. The 9 th edition also offers new guidance in areas like annotated bibliographies, inclusive language, and footnotes/endnotes.

Many of the differences between the 8 th edition and 9 th edition have to do with the formatting of the core elements in reference list entries. Some of the main changes include:

Written by Grace Turney , freelance writer and artist. Grace is a former librarian and has a Master’s degree in Library Science and Information Technology. 

MLA Formatting Guide

MLA Formatting

Annotated Bibliography

Bibliography

• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Sample Paper
• Works Cited
• MLA 8 Updates
• MLA 9 Updates
• View MLA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all MLA Examples

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An MLA bibliography is similar to the Works Cited list that you include at the end of your paper. The only difference between a Works Cited list and a bibliography is that for the former, you need to include the entries for only the sources you cited in the text, whereas for the latter you can also include the sources you consulted to write your paper but didn’t directly cite in your writing. MLA generally prefers Works Cited lists to bibliographies.

If your instructor advises you to create an MLA bibliography, follow the same guidelines you would follow for creating an MLA Works Cited list.

The bibliography list appears at the end of the paper, after any endnotes if they are present.

All margins (top, bottom, left, and right) should be set at 1 inch.

Write the running head in the top right of the page at 0.5 inch from the top. Use the running head “Surname Page #.”

The font should be clear enough to read. Use Times New Roman font of size 12 points.

Entries should be double-spaced. If any entry runs over more than a line, indent the subsequent lines of the entry 0.5 inch from the left margin.

Bibliographic entries are arranged alphabetically according to the first item in each entry.

Title your bibliography as “Bibliography.”

Braidotti, Rosi. The Posthuman . Polity, 2013.

Brisini, Travis. “Phytomorphizing Performance: Plant Performance in an Expanded Field.” Text and Performance Quarterly , vol. 39, 2019,            pp. 1–2.

Riccio, Thomas. “Reimagining Yup’ik and Inupiat Performance.” Northwest Theatre Review , vol. 12, no. 1, 1999, pp. 1–30.

General rules for creating an annotated bibliography

The annotation is given after the source entry and is generally about 100-150 words in length. The annotation should be indented 1 inch from the left margin to distinguish it from the hanging indent within the citation entry.

The annotation, in general, should be written as short phrases. However, you may use full sentences as well.

The annotation for each source is usually no longer than one paragraph. However, if multiple paragraphs are included, indent the second and subsequent paragraphs without any extra line space between them.

The annotation provides basic information about the source, but does not include details about the source, quotes from the author, etc. The information can be descriptive (by generally describing what the source covers) or evaluative (by evaluating the source’s usefulness to the argument in your paper).

Example annotated bibliography

The below is an example of an annotated bibliography:

Morritt, Robert D. Beringia: Archaic Migrations into North America . Cambridge Scholars Pub, 2011.

The author studies the migration of cultures from Asia to North America. The connection between the North American Athabaskan language family and Siberia is presented, together with comparisons and examinations of the implications of linguistics from anthropological, archaeological, and folklore perspectives. This book explores the origins of the earliest people in the Americas, including Siberian, Dene, and Navajo Creation myths; linguistic comparisons between Siberian Ket Navajo and Western Apache; and comparisons between indigenous groups that appear to share the same origin.

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MLA Sample Paper

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MLA Format: Everything You Need to Know

MLA format is a set of formatting and citation guidelines for how an academic paper should look, similar to other styles such as Chicago or APA format. We use MLA format for topics in the humanities, including languages, philosophy, and the arts, but not history (which uses Chicago) or the social sciences, like psychology or education (which use APA format).

Since most schools’ requirements include humanities courses, there’s a good chance you’ll write a paper in MLA format at some point. Below, we explain how the MLA format works and what sets it apart from Chicago and APA formats. We’ll also cover how to cite sources in MLA format, with examples.

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What is MLA format?

When to use mla format, mla vs. apa, chicago, and other formats, how to set up your paper in mla format, mla formatting rules, mla style rules, how to cite sources in mla: citation examples, how to present evidence and quotes in mla, in-text citations in mla, footnotes and endnotes in mla, works cited page for mla, how to cite different types of sources in mla format, mla format faqs.

MLA format was developed by the Modern Language Association to provide a uniform way for academics in the arts and humanities fields to format their works and cite their sources. MLA format, like other academic styles, includes specific guidelines for a paper’s heading, in-text citations, works cited page, quotations, abbreviations, and even the size of the margins.

This format (like other academic formats) takes the guesswork out of formatting your academic writing and ensures that your sources are cited and credited properly, leaving you, and your readers, to focus on your paper’s content.

Use MLA format for the final draft of every piece of academic writing , including essays, reports , and research papers, that you do in your arts and humanities courses. That means English, arts, philosophy, religion, and ethics courses and any other classes you take that fall within these subjects.

If you aren’t sure if you need to use MLA or whether a specific formatting style is necessary for a particular assignment, ask your instructor.

Use MLA format for every part of an assignment you submit. That includes any essay outline , research proposal , literature review , or list of sources your instructor asks you to submit before or alongside your final paper.

There’s no need to format your first draft or any other documents that your professor won’t see, though you certainly can use MLA format throughout the writing process if you’d prefer. One benefit of doing this is that you’ll see approximately how many pages your final draft will span before you reach that stage.

MLA is one of the most commonly used academic styles, especially for high school and undergraduate students. You might also be familiar with APA format , the American Psychological Association’s style, or Chicago , short for the Chicago Manual of Style . These styles each include instructions for formatting citations, crediting sources, using quotations in your work, and other aspects of writing academic papers.

Because the MLA format deals with the humanities, it places more emphasis on authorship than the other styles do. That means the names of creators are prominent in the text. By contrast, APA format emphasizes dates, and Chicago emphasizes supplemental notes like footnotes and endnotes .

Although the three styles have some common approaches to citing sources, each format has its own unique way of doing things for each source type. Make sure you understand the rules for the format you’re using so you don’t follow another style’s rules by mistake.

1 The sources page is referred to as the works cited page. It appears at the end of the paper, after any endnotes.

2 The entire paper is double-spaced, including block quotations and the references on the works cited page.

3 Use block quotes for quotations that are four lines or longer.

4 Abbreviations do not include periods between the letters (e.g., US instead of U.S. ).

5 The paper is printed on 8½-by-11-inch paper .

6 Place a 1-inch margin along all sides of the paper (with the exception of the running head).

7 Write in Times New Roman, Arial, or Helvetica font. The text size should be between 11 and 13.

8 Each page must include a running head with the author’s last name and the page number in the top-right corner. The running head follows the right margin but is only 0.5-inch from the top of the page.

9 A title page is not required.

10 The heading on the first page is left-justified and includes:

• Author’s name
• Instructor’s name
• Course number
• Date the paper is due

1 MLA format uses the Oxford comma , aka the serial comma.

2 Spell out numbers or fractions that can be written in one or two words (e.g., eighty-eight , five million , or two-thirds ). Use numerals for when more than two words are needed (e.g., 101 ; 2,981 ; or 2 ½ ). However, when these numbers are mixed together, or when numbers are discussed frequently, use numerals (e.g., between 3 and 125 people ).

3 Use numerals for items in a series (e.g., chapter 6 , page 12 , or room 34 ).

4 Always spell out a number if it begins a sentence. Even better, try rephrasing the sentence with a different opening.

5 Do not abbreviate dates. You can use either the month-day-year or day-month-year formats, but be consistent throughout the entire work.

6 Use a person’s full name the first time they are mentioned, unless they are commonly referred to by their surname alone, like Cervantes or Cicero. Any subsequent mentions of the person use only their surname, including particles like de , O’ , or von .

For every academic paper you write, you need to cite sources —that is, mention where your evidence or points came from. This is necessary not only to avoid plagiarism but also to validate your ideas with proof.

According to the MLA Handbook , you must cite sources “when the work of others informs your ideas.” That means every idea that is not your own requires its own citation, even if there are two in the same sentence.

There are two ways to reference another work: paraphrasing and direct quotes.

Paraphrasing involves restating the original idea in your own words. However, your paraphrased text must be fundamentally different from the source text—you must do more than just replace a few words with synonyms. It’s best to change both the wording and the sentence structure.

You can also directly quote a passage from a source, especially if the original wording is important. However, relying too heavily on direct quotes might suggest you’re relying too much on others’ ideas rather than your own. It’s best to use them sparingly and only when they’re truly necessary. Furthermore, when you do use quotations, try to keep the quotes as brief as possible, even as short as a single word.

Regardless of whether you use paraphrasing or quotations, you still need to cite the source.

MLA format prefers in-text citations, which involves citing the source directly in the text right next to its reference. There are two types of in-text citations: parenthetical and narrative.

Parenthetical citations are miniature or condensed citations that include only the bare minimum of information. In MLA format, they include only the author’s or creator’s last name, although a page number, line number, or time stamp is optional.

The Greek myth of Sisyphus provides the perfect analogy for humankind’s struggle of living with the absurdity of life (Camus 78).

Narrative citations are when you mention the author’s name in the text, which makes the second mention of it in the citation redundant. In this case, parenthetical citations are necessary only if you’re mentioning the page number or location.

Camus finds the Greek myth of Sisyphus to be the perfect analogy for humankind’s struggle of living with the absurdity of life (78).

Both kinds of in-text citations still require a full citation for the source in the works cited page.

If the author’s name is unavailable, use whatever comes first for that entry in the works cited page, which is typically the work’s title.

Footnotes and endnotes are not common in MLA format, which prefers in-text citations instead. However, there are few situations when they are called for:

• A series of sources: If the same passage requires multiple citations in the same line, it’s better to cite them all in a note than in an in-text citation.
• Deviations from standard documentation: Use a note if you’re not following a normal documentation practice, such as when you’re citing line numbers instead of page numbers for poetry. You only need to mention this the first time you reference the source.
• Flagging editions or translations: Some texts, especially classic works, have multiple versions. Use a note to mention which edition or translation you’re using. Again, you only need to mention this the first time you reference the source.
• Content notes: You can use notes to mention supplemental—but nonessential—information, such as personal commentary or to explain a word choice. Footnotes and endnotes are good for these sorts of tangential asides that don’t fit in the main text.

Papers written in MLA format use either footnotes or endnotes but not both. Make sure to choose one form and stick with it. Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page they reference, endnotes are written on a separate page titled “Notes” or “Endnotes” at the end of a section, chapter, or entire work.

To signal a note, place a superscript number ( 1 ) at the end of the sentence the note refers to. If a note is needed in the middle of a sentence, place it after a punctuation mark like a comma, colon, or semicolon. The exception is the dash; note numbers come before a dash.

Certain translations use an alternative word choice. 1

Although some have disagreed with this assessment, 2 Camus seems to almost admire Sisyphus’s determination.

Sisyphus was the king of Ephyra 3 —now known as Corinth.

Each note number in the text corresponds to either a footnote or an endnote later in work.

Notes are written in the order of their numbers. Each note begins with the superscript number corresponding to its place in the text.

1 Thomas Warren suggests Camus’s use of la mesure should be translated into English as “measurement” instead of the popular translation “moderation.”

2 See Thomas Nagel’s paper, “The Absurd.”

3 Corinth was a city-state on the Isthmus of Corinth, the land that connects the Peloponnese to the mainland of Greece, according to Wikipedia.

MLA prohibits the abbreviation ibid .

According to MLA format guidelines, any source used in your paper must have a corresponding full citation in the works cited page , a page at the end of a book or paper that lists all the sources and their bibliographic information.

The works cited page comes at the end of a work, after any endnotes. This page is titled simply “Works Cited” and mostly follows the same text and formatting guidelines as the rest of the work. For example, it has one-inch page margins and size 11 to 13 text.

Entries are listed in alphabetical order by the first word of each entry, usually the author’s or creator’s last name.

The one particular formatting rule about the works cited page is the use of the hanging indent. Basically, every line after the first one in a single entry is indented by a half-inch .

Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays. Translated by Justin O’Brien, New York, Random House, 1955.

Each type of source, like books, journal articles, documentaries, etc., has its own particular rules for MLA citations. Feel free to check out our previous guides below, which cover the details of how to cite each source in MLA.

• How to Cite a Book in MLA Format
• How to Cite a Website in MLA Format
• How to Cite an Image or Photo in MLA Format
• How to Cite a Movie in MLA Format
• How to Cite a TV Show in MLA Format
• How to Cite Wikipedia in MLA Format
• How to Cite a YouTube Video in MLA Format
• How to Cite a PDF in MLA Format
• How to Cite a Lecture or Speech in MLA Format

MLA format is the academic style developed by the Modern Language Association. It’s the standard format for academic papers in the arts and humanities. MLA has specific guidelines for citing books , films , TV shows , newspaper articles , PDFs , and other types of sources.

How is it different from other formats?

There are numerous differences between MLA format and other academic formats. One of the most notable is how sources are cited.

What are some examples of MLA citations?

In-text citation: (Lamott 28).

Reference listed on the works cited page: Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me . Spiegel & Gray, 2015.

Grammarly helps you cite with confidence

Grammarly is meeting students’ needs by simplifying the citation process. Our citation features expand on Grammarly’s trusted support for students, which includes grammar and spelling suggestions and plagiarism detection that identifies missing citations. Auto-citations generates citations for online sources in seconds, without your having to enter any info manually or even leave the web page. And when you’re ready to edit your paper, citation style formatting will proofread your in-text and full citations to ensure they’re mistake-free and consistent.

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MLA Format Citation Generator (Free) & Quick Guide

Writing your first paper in MLA format can be a bit scary. Use this simple yet comprehensive MLA style guide on all things MLA 8 to take you through the step-by-step process of creating your MLA paper. Use the MLA citation generator to create a detailed works cited page with properly formatted MLA citations. The comprehensive examples and illustrations ensure you don’t get led astray in your MLA format essay.

Table of Contents

What Is the MLA Style Guide?

• Choosing Your MLA Thesis
• Finding Academic Sources

Creating an Outline

Formatting an mla paper, mla in-text citations.

• MLA Works Cited

MLA Annotated Bibliography

To understand what the MLA style guide is, just look to who it was made by. MLA is the acronym for Modern Language Association . Therefore, it’s an academic writing guide created and designed specifically for language and liberal arts essays and papers. Unlike the American Psychological Association, which focuses on social sciences, MLA format and citations work to make liberal arts, humanities, language arts, and cultural studies papers a breeze. If that is the topic of your paper, this is your style guide.

Why Use MLA Style Guide?

The reason why you would use an MLA style guide to write your paper is simple; your language arts papers are going to be 5-10 pages and use dozens of sources. Therefore, you’re going to need to use some kind of organization system to keep everything straight. Rather than making your own system for citations, MLA took all the guesswork out of it and has a style guide ready for your essay on Shakespeare. Not only does it tell you how to cite your sources in the body of your paper, but it breaks down every aspect of your paper creation.

MLA Style Guide Version 7 or 8

Depending on your resources, you might see both the 7th and 8th edition MLA style guides . That is because MLA updated its guide in 2016. While that was a few years in the past, getting everything updated can take a bit of time. Since there are differences between the two editions, you want to make sure that you use the most up-to-date information. Therefore, for sanity’s sake, stick with MLA version 8 for your paper.

Choosing Your MLA Thesis Statement

Before you even begin researching, it’s essential to think of your MLA thesis statement . It is the argument or answers you are going to develop or prove throughout your paper. While you need it to be strong and well-formed, it will change with research. And that is okay, in the beginning, you just need something to get you started.

Finding Academic Sources for MLA Format Paper

Writing MLA college papers, or even high school ones, are all about finding the best possible academic sources . You need to make sure that you’re using good quality research to back up your statements and assertions. Including informative, credible sources is pivotal to making sure your paper is factual and well rounded.

To create an outline or not create an outline in MLA format is your choice. Well, unless a teacher mandates it. MLA, APA, and Chicago styles don’t have a specific format for creating an outline. However, there is a basic format and set of guidelines you can follow for creating your outline to make it professional and presentable.

With all your research at your fingertips, it’s time to start formatting your MLA paper . To keep you from going rogue, MLA format has a specific page layout. And you’ll want to follow it to the letter… and period.

MLA Format Heading & Title

MLA format has basic requirements you must follow when it comes to creating your paper heading and title . While not an all-inclusive list, a few things that you need to keep in mind include:

• Your name should be on the left.
• The title of the paper is centered.
• Include a header for the running name and page numbers.
• Use a readable font in a standard size. Times New Roman in 12 pt. is recommended.

While MLA offers a lot of flexibility in their style, formatting it correctly is essential.

MLA Format Cover Page

MLA is one of the more flexible formats; therefore, you might not need to format a cover page. However, if your teacher requires one, a guide for formatting your cover page can make your world a whole lot easier. Make sure to follow all the margins, indents, and text format recommendations. Remember, this is the first page your teacher will see, and it sets the tone for your entire work.

Numbers in MLA Style Format

MLA formatting likes to keep things simple when it comes to formatting numbers. And for that, you should be thankful. In terms of writing numbers using MLA style, depending on the number, you might be using Roman or Arabic numerals and writing them out in full or using the numerical form. It is all going to depend on what the number is and where it is going. Technical reports tend to use numerals, while numbers that can be spelled in a word or two are typically written out in full.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Abbreviations and acronyms also have a specific format in MLA style. This includes how you abbreviate postal codes, names, and even volumes. Just follow the MLA recommendations, and you won’t have any issues.

MLA Style Images and Tables Guide

Images and tables can make your paper shine. However, you can’t just place them anywhere.

As best you can, keep images and figures reasonably close to the relevant text. This way, the images can work to illustrate your point. Your image is flush left and labeled with any notes. For example: Fig. 1: A research image. You’ll be more descriptive, but this gives you the general idea.

Tables have a label that goes along with them, like Table 1, as well as a descriptive title. They are sourced with an explanation below, just like an image.

When you cite work in the body of your paper, MLA in-text citations follow the author-page system. This tells you that you should include the author and page number in your in-text citations.

Setting Up In-Text Citations

When setting up your in-text MLA citations, include the author and page number (Ceasar 23). That’s it! Whether you’re paraphrasing, using short quotes, or even a long quote, you just need to put in who the author is and the page the information can be found on. It’s that simple.

Poems or Verse in MLA Style Format

Since MLA is designed for language arts essays, you’ll likely need to include a poem or verse in your paper at some point. Thankfully, MLA citations prepare for that. To keep everything all nice and tidy, include poetry using the MLA block quote format . This will just make your text stand out.

Why Are MLA In-Text Citations Important?

MLA parenthetical citations are essential because they give credit where credit is due. If you don’t, then you are plagiarizing someone else’s work. To avoid plagiarism and a potential F, you need to make sure that you are citing any ideas that are not your own or aren’t common knowledge. Common knowledge is something like, “The president lives in the White House.” Everyone knows this, so it isn’t something that you would have to cite. MLA citations also allow readers to find the sources you used to write your paper in your references.

MLA Citations: Works Cited Page

In-text citations are important, but so is your MLA works cited page. This is the MLA version of a bibliography. However, a works cited and a bibliography have a few key differences, like their titles, how they are set up, and what sources to include. Make sure to set up a works cited for your MLA paper.

Formatting an MLA Works Cited

The format of your MLA works cited is broken down for you in the MLA style guide, including punctuation,  hanging indents,  alphabetizing, and arranging numbers. The organization of an MLA works cited entry is broken down into nine core elements, simply called the MLA core elements. Having these nine elements clearly written out takes away any guesswork when formatting an entry. But, just to make it clear, sometimes it is easier to see a works cited example in action.

MLA Format Container Style Guide

When creating your MLA format citations, you might notice the words “MLA containers.” In the MLA core elements, the third through ninth elements make up the  containers in an MLA citation .

Containers are an easy way to account for how your source material may come in different formats with different elements. MLA was trying to make a format that could withstand the changing times, particularly for internet sources. The container elements include such information as the version number and publication date.

Citing Books in MLA Format

When it comes to creating your works cited entry for books , you want to include the author’s name (last, first), the book’s title, publisher, and publication date. You may also include the publication location, as appropriate.

This is also going to vary slightly depending on if your book had one author or multiple authors. The quick way to break this down is:

• One Author: Last Name, First Name.
• Two Authors: Last Name, First Name, and First Name, Last Name.
• Three or More Authors: Last Name, First Name, et al.

This can get a bit more complicated for works like the Bible with no author, as well as for anthologies, but this is the basic formatting of an MLA book work cited entry.

MLA Website Citations

Just like anything else, the key to getting your citation right for websites  and other digital media, like digital videos, films, and movies, is to use the containers that fit with your source. This means that each type of works cited entry is going to have a unique citation.

Website Example:

Marble, Dee. “Jealousy in Shakespeare.” Shakespeare Online . 15 Aug. 2020, shakespeare-online.com/quotes/shakespeareonjealousy.html.

MLA Format Periodical Citation

Books are one thing, but periodical citations in MLA are a whole separate beast to tame. A periodical is anything that is published regularly, multiple times a year. This could be a magazine, newspaper, or a monthly journal. Periodicals come in all shapes and sizes. You can even use the introduction of a scholarly journal article as a source.

When you are citing a magazine or newspaper , the container system of MLA comes in handy. You can include anything from author, title source, container title, contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, location, and the page number. What you include is going to depend on what is available.

Newspaper Example:

Met, Theresa. “Local Boy Charged With Possession.” Albuquerque Journal, 4 Nov. 2020, A2.

MLA Citations for Shakespeare and Poems

It wouldn’t be an MLA paper without Shakespeare and poetry citations! The good news is that creating a citation for Shakespeare’s work isn’t difficult. However, it does get a bit tricky depending on what you’re citing. For example, if you are talking about Shakespeare himself, then you include his name first. But if not, then the work goes first.

Shakespear Example:

Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Edited by Howard H. Furness, 6th ed., vol. 9, Classic Books Company, 2001, Google Books.

PowerPoint Citations in MLA Style

You wouldn’t think that you would include many PowerPoint presentations in your works cited , but it happens more often than you might imagine. With professors putting their lecture notes online, this can be a great way to get an excellent primary source. Remember to pay attention to the core elements and container system when citing a PowerPoint presentation.

PowerPoint Example:

Ren, Tor. “Capitalism a Tool.” Philosophy 101. 12 August 2016. Fictional University. Lecture.

Other MLA Style Guide Citations

Some other MLA citations you need to make might not fit into a typical category. Don’t be worried that you’ll get it wrong. Like you’ve learned already, MLA is flexible when it comes to citing interviews and images. As long as you follow the rules of the core elements and the container system, you are golden.

Free MLA Citations Through an MLA Citation Generator

Even with the core elements system,  an MLA  citations generator can be an easy and free way to create MLA citations in minutes. Rather than try to figure it all yourself, you can put your works in the generator, and your citation is generated in seconds. Then all you have to do is copy and paste it into your works cited, and you’re done. Simple, right?

Footnotes in MLA Format

MLA format discourages the use of footnotes , if possible. However, sometimes, you need to add them to the text to provide more information. The two instances where you will use footnotes in MLA style include content notes and bibliographical citations. Contents notes are for long citations that might clutter up the body of your paper. Bibliographical citations clear up convoluted citations.

It’s not common, but you might be asked to create an annotated bibliography in MLA format . Rather than start to sweat, know that you already have the basics in the bag. In addition to creating your standard citation, you create either a summary annotation or evaluative annotation for each source. This just provides your professor a bit more information on your sources.

Getting a Handle on MLA Format and Citations

Faq mla format and citations, what is proper mla format.

To understand proper MLA format, you need to look at the style guide created by the Modern Language Association. The MLA style guide breaks down the formatting requirements, in-text citations, and works cited for creating your language arts, liberal arts, or humanities paper.

How do you write an MLA citation?

To write an MLA citation, you use the nine elements laid out by MLA including author, the title of the source, title of the container, other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, and location. You only include the elements that you have information for in your MLA citations.

What are the steps to MLA format?

The steps to creating a paper in MLA format start with setting up your paper using a running header that is right-aligned and includes your name and page number, 1-inch margins, a readable font, double spacing, indents for new paragraphs, and one space between sentences. MLA also offers instructions for how to format your in-text citations and works cited page.

What does MLA style mean?

MLA style means you're using the style guide established by the Modern Language Association. The MLA style guide offers the flexibility and formatting necessary to easily create papers on humanities, arts, and language arts.

Who uses MLA style?

The MLA style can be used by any professional or student creating a research paper, essay, or project. However, the MLA writing style is the preferred style used by high schools because of the flexibility in formatting online sources.

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What’s “MLA”?

How to Format Your MLA Cover Page

Mla abbreviations and acronyms including months, citing scholarly journal articles in mla works cited, tips for writing good mla thesis statements.

MLA Style (9th ed.): Citation Guide

• Getting Started with MLA

Formatting a Paper in MLA

Mla paper visual guide.

• Citing Sources in MLA
• MLA Citation Examples
• Other MLA Resources
• Citation Guides Homepage

Ask A Librarian

Sample Student Paper

• Sample MLA Paper
• Paper Formatting
• Setting up a Works Cited

MLA Basic Formatting Rules for Student Papers

The following guidelines are the basic formatting rules outlined in the  MLA Handbook  9th edition. If your instructor sets different requirements, always use your instructor's guidelines first.

• size between 11-13pt
• clearly legible font (ex- Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri
• double spaced throughout all parts of the paper
• 1-inch margins on all sides
• Indent the first line of each paragraph by 1/2-inch (tab)
• left-justified for the body of the paper
• upper left-hand corner (also double-spaced)
• Instructor's name
• Title of the course
• Due Date for Assignment

Page Headers:

• on every page within the paper, including Works Cited
• consists of your last name and the page number in the top right corner
• no title page unless requested by your instructor
• title of paper in title case (capitalizing all but articles and prepositions) centered on the first line after the heading

MLA Works Cited Formatting

• needs to start on a new page following the end of your paper
• include the title Works Cited centered on the first line of the page
• everything after the title is left-justified
• Every item included in your Works Cited must be cited within your paper. Every item sited in your paper needs to have a Works Cited entry.
• listed in alphabetical order by the first part of the citation (usually the author)
• double spaced throughout all parts
• Each citation should have a hanging indent- or it should start at the left margin and then have all lines after it indented by 1/2-inch

Click on the information circles for tips on how to use Microsoft Word to format your paper in MLA Style.

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• Last Updated: Nov 5, 2024 4:50 PM
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