MLA Format Citation Example: The Complete 2026 Guide

You have a research paper due tomorrow and your teacher just wrote “cite your sources in MLA format” at the top of the assignment sheet. If you have never done this before, that sentence can feel like a wall. I have been there, and I have helped thousands of students get past it.

An MLA format citation is a standardized way to credit sources in academic writing. A Works Cited entry lists the author, title, container (book or website), publisher, and date. An in-text citation adds the author’s last name and page number in parentheses — like (Smith 45) — right inside your paper. MLA 9th edition is the current standard as of 2026.

In this guide, I start with a fast, complete example so you can copy the pattern right away. Then I slow down and build a citation piece by piece so you understand every decision. By the end, you will be able to cite any source type confidently.

• Understand the structure of an MLA Works Cited entry
• Write correct in-text citations for any source
• Avoid the five most common MLA formatting errors
• Apply MLA 9th edition rules to books, websites, and journals

Quick Example First: See MLA in 60 Seconds

Before anything else, here is a complete, correct MLA citation for a book. Read it once, note the pattern, and then I will explain every part in the next sections.

That is the core pattern. Author last name, comma, first name, period. Italicized title, period. Publisher, comma, year, period. In the text, just the last name and page number in parentheses. Clean and simple.

Now here is a website example, because that is what most students cite most often:

Notice that the website in-text citation has no page number — websites do not have pages. Just the author’s last name is enough.

What Is MLA Format and Why Does It Matter?

MLA format is a citation and formatting system created by the Modern Language Association. It gives every reader a reliable, predictable way to trace any source you used back to its origin.

Teachers and professors require it for two reasons. First, it prevents plagiarism by making source credit visible and verifiable. Second, it trains you to read and write like a scholar — someone who builds arguments on evidence, not just opinion.

MLA is used primarily in humanities subjects: literature, language studies, film, cultural studies, and the arts. If you are writing a science paper, your instructor will likely ask for APA or Chicago style instead. When in doubt, ask.

The current standard is MLA 9th edition, released in 2021 and still the authoritative version in 2026. Its biggest change from earlier editions was introducing the concept of “containers” — a flexible way to handle sources that live inside other sources, like an article inside a journal inside a database.

The 9 Core Elements of Every MLA Citation

MLA 9th edition organizes every citation around nine core elements. You do not always use all nine — you only include the ones that apply to your specific source. This is what makes the system flexible enough to handle everything from a 500-year-old book to a YouTube video.

The key rule: each element is followed by a comma, and the last element in the entry ends with a period. When an element does not apply, skip it entirely — do not leave a blank space or placeholder.

  Morrison, Toni.  Beloved.  Vintage Books,  1987.
  |___________|  |________|  |____________|  |___|
   Element 1      Element 2    Element 7     Element 8
   (Author)       (Title)      (Publisher)   (Date)

  Rosen, Rebecca J.  "Why We Forget..."  The Atlantic,  18 Jan. 2018,  www.theatlantic.com/...
  |_______________|  |_______________|  |____________|  |___________|  |___________________|
     Element 1          Element 2        Element 3       Element 8         Element 9
     (Author)       (Title of Source)  (Container)       (Date)           (Location/URL)
  

Detailed Example: Building a Citation Step by Step

Now I will slow down and build a full citation from scratch. This is the “thorough” example promised in the guide’s structure. I will use a journal article found in an online database — the source type that trips up most students.

Source: An article titled “The Neuroscience of Reading” by Anika Patel, published in the journal Cognitive Science Quarterly, volume 14, issue 2, in 2024, on pages 88-105, found via JSTOR at doi.org/10.xxxx/csq.2024.88.

Step 1 — Write the Author (Element 1)

Last name first, comma, first name, period. If there are two authors, write the first author last-name-first, then “and” and the second author first-name-first: Patel, Anika, and James Liu.

Step 2 — Add the Article Title (Element 2)

Article titles go in quotation marks. The period at the end of the title goes inside the closing quotation mark. Do not italicize the article title.

Step 3 — Add the Container: Journal Name (Element 3)

The journal name is the container. Italicize it. Follow it with a comma, not a period, because more elements are coming.

Step 4 — Add Volume, Issue, and Pages (Elements 6 and 9)

Step 5 — Add the DOI or URL (Element 9 continued)

That is a complete, correct MLA 9th edition journal article citation. Every element is present, punctuated correctly, and in the right order.

MLA Citation Examples by Source Type

The nine-element framework works for every source type. Here are ready-to-use examples for the sources students cite most often.

Book by One Author

Book by Two Authors

Edited Book / Anthology

Chapter in an Edited Book

Website Article

Journal Article (Print)

Newspaper Article

YouTube Video

No Author (Website)

How to Write MLA In-Text Citations

In-text citations are the short references you place inside your paper, right where you use a source. They connect your writing to the full entry on the Works Cited page.

The standard format is: (Author Page) — no comma between them. Place the parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence, before the final period.

When You Name the Author in Your Sentence

If you already mention the author’s name in the sentence, you only need the page number in parentheses.

No Page Numbers (Websites, Videos)

When a source has no page numbers, use only the author’s last name. Do not add “n.p.” or “web” — just the name alone.

Long Quotations (Block Quotes)

If a quotation runs more than four lines, format it as a block quote: indent the entire passage 0.5 inches from the left margin, do not use quotation marks, and place the citation in parentheses after the final period.

Common MLA Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

After reviewing hundreds of student papers, I see the same errors appear over and over. Here is a quick reference table so you can check your own work before submitting.

Setting Up Your Works Cited Page

The Works Cited page is a separate page at the end of your paper. It lists every source you cited — and only the sources you cited. Here is how to format it correctly.

1. Start on a new page. Press Ctrl+Enter (or Cmd+Enter) to insert a page break after your last paragraph.
2. Center the heading. Type “Works Cited” (no quotation marks, no bold, no underline) centered at the top of the page.
3. Double-space everything. This includes the heading, between entries, and within entries. No extra blank lines between entries.
4. Alphabetize by author’s last name. If no author, alphabetize by the first significant word of the title (ignore “A,” “An,” “The”).
5. Apply a hanging indent. In Word: select all entries, go to Paragraph settings, set Special indent to “Hanging,” 0.5 inches.
6. Use the same font as your paper. Typically Times New Roman 12pt or a similarly readable serif font.

Quick Quiz: Test Your MLA Knowledge

Practice Problems: Build These Citations Yourself

Try formatting each citation before clicking to reveal the answer.

Frequently Asked Questions