Search for a source using a URL, DOI, title or keywords, or enter the source details manually.
Add the people or organizations responsible for the source.
Create an MLA citation in a few simple steps. Choose your source, find the correct publication, review the details, and generate a formatted citation ready for your reference list.
Start by selecting the type of source you want to cite and the MLA edition required for your work. Then enter a title, keyword, DOI, or URL to search for the source.
Choosing the right source type and MLA edition helps the generator apply the appropriate citation structure to the information found.
Look through the search results and select the publication that matches the source you want to cite. Check the title, author, publication information, and other available details.
A quick review helps prevent selecting a similar publication or using incomplete information when creating the citation.
After selecting the correct source, generate your MLA citation. The generator formats the available source information according to the MLA edition you selected.
Review the finished reference, make any final checks, and copy it into your paper, works-cited page, bibliography, or notes.
Choose the MLA edition required for your assignment, paper, or publication. The generator provides separate options for MLA 9, MLA 8, and MLA 7.
The ninth edition is the current edition of the MLA Handbook. Select MLA 9 when your instructor, institution, journal, or publication requires the current MLA guidelines.
MLA 9Generate citations in MLA 8 when an assignment or publication specifically requires the eighth edition and its citation rules.
MLA 8Older academic materials may still require MLA 7. Select this edition when you need to reproduce a reference using those rules.
MLA 7An MLA citation is a reference that identifies a source used in academic writing. MLA style helps readers recognize the source and locate the original work.
An MLA works-cited entry is built from information about the source, such as the author's name, title, container, publication details, date, location, DOI, or URL when applicable.
The information and order used in a citation depend on the source and the MLA edition selected. Books, journal articles, websites, and other source types can therefore require different details.
Determine what type of work you are citing.
Use the available author, title, container, date, and location information.
Format the reference according to the edition you selected.
Find answers to common questions about creating MLA citations with our online citation generator.
An MLA citation generator is a tool that organizes source information into an MLA-style citation. It can help format details such as authors, titles, containers, publication information, dates, DOI information, and URLs.
MLA 9th edition is the current edition of the MLA Handbook. However, follow the edition specified by your instructor, institution, journal, or publication requirements.
Yes. Websites can be cited in MLA style when the relevant source information is available. Depending on the page, useful details may include the author, title, website or container name, publication date, and URL.
Yes. A DOI can identify a scholarly publication and provide a persistent link to it. Enter the DOI in the search field when one is available for the source.
Yes. Use the Generate Citation Manually option above to enter the source information yourself. This is useful when a source cannot be found through the search options or when you want to review the information before generating the citation.
The generated citation is formatted from the source information available to the generator. Review the result against your instructor's, institution's, journal's, or publication's requirements, especially when source metadata is incomplete.