MLA 9th Edition

 MLA stands for Modern Language Association.

The MLA Handbook is a style guide used primarily for writing and citing sources in humanities — especially literature, language arts, and cultural studies.

MLA 9th Edition

MLA 9th edition follows the core elements concept introduced in the 8th edition, focusing on flexible, consistent citation across various source types.

1. General Paper Format

• Use 12-point, readable font (e.g., Times New Roman).

• Double-space entire paper, including quotations, notes, and Works Cited.

• Leave 1-inch margins on all sides.

• Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inch.

• Use a header with your last name and page number at the top right of each page.

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2. Title and Heading

• No separate title page (unless instructor requests).

• On the first page, top left corner, include:

  • Your full name

  • Instructor’s name

  • Course name

  • Date (day month year format, e.g., 12 August 2025)

• Center the paper’s title (no bold, italics, or underline).

• Start your text on the next line after the title.

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3. In-Text Citations

• Always place citations close to the referenced text.

• For block quotes (4+ lines), indent 1 inch from left, no quotation marks, citation comes after the period.

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4. Works Cited Page

• Title the page Works Cited (centered).

• Entries use hanging indent: first line flush left, subsequent lines indented by 0.5 inch.

• Alphabetize entries by the author’s last name or by title if no author.

• Use italics for books, journals, websites; use quotation marks for articles, essays, chapters.

• For multiple works by the same author, list entries alphabetically by title and replace author’s name with three hyphens (---) after the first entry.

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5. URLs and DOIs

• Include URLs without “http://” or “https://”.

• DOIs should be formatted as: https://doi.org/xxxxx

• Adding access date is optional but recommended if source content may change.

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6. Capitalization and Punctuation

• Capitalize major words in titles (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs).

• Use sentence-style capitalization for article titles in quotation marks (capitalize first word and proper nouns).

• Periods and commas go inside quotation marks.

• Colons and semicolons go outside quotation marks.

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7. Quotations

• Use double quotation marks for quotes within text.

• Use single quotation marks for a quote inside a quote.

• For quotes longer than 4 lines, format as a block quote indented 1 inch, no quotation marks.

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8. Numbers

• Spell out numbers one through one hundred and any number beginning a sentence.

• Use numerals for numbers above 100.

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9. Italics

• Use italics for titles of books, journals, films, websites, artworks.

• Use quotation marks for titles of short works like articles, essays, poems, chapters, or songs.

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Core Elements of a Works Cited Entry (Order and Format)

1. Author.

2. Title of source. (Italicized for books/whole websites; quotation marks for articles/chapters)

3. Title of container, (if source is part of a larger container)

4. Other contributors, (editors, translators, etc.)

5. Version,

6. Number,

7. Publisher,

8. Publication date,

9. Location. (page numbers, URL, DOI)

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Book

Format:
Author’s Last name, First name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

Example:
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Penguin, 2002.

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Journal Article

Format:
Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. number, no. number, Year, pages.

Example:
Smith, John. "Romanticism and Nature." Literary Review, vol. 10, no. 2, 2015, pp. 25–40.

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 Website

Format:
Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Webpage." Website Name, Publisher, Publication date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

Example:
Doe, Jane. "Shakespeare’s Influence." Literature Today, Penguin, 5 May 2020, www.literaturetoday.com/shakespeare-influence. Accessed 12 Aug. 2025.

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Chapter or Essay." Title of Book, edited by Editor’s Name(s), Publisher, Year, pages.

Example:

Woolf, Virginia. "Modern Fiction." The Literature Collection, edited by John Smith, Penguin, 2018, pp. 45–60.

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2. Newspaper Article

Format:

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Name of Newspaper, Date of Publication, pages.

Example:

Brown, Dan. "The Rise of Modern Poetry." The Guardian, 5 May 2020, p. 12.

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3. Magazine Article

Format:

Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine, Date of Publication, pages.

Example:

Lopez, Maria. "Exploring Contemporary Art." Art Monthly, June 2019, pp. 30–35.

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4. Film or Movie

Format:

Title of Film. Directed by Director’s Name, performances by Lead Actor(s), Production Company, Year.

Example:

Inception. Directed by Christopher Nolan, performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Warner Bros., 2010.

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5. TV Show Episode

Format:

"Title of Episode." Title of Show, created by Creator’s Name, season number, episode number, Network, Year.

Example:

"The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate." Friends, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, season 1, episode 1, NBC, 1994.

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6. YouTube Video

Format:

Author’s Last name, First name (or Username). "Title of Video." YouTube, uploaded by Uploader’s Name, Date of Upload, URL.

Example:

Johnson, Emily. "How to Analyze Poetry." YouTube, uploaded by EmilyJ Tutorials, 10 Jan. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=abcd1234.

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7. Interview 

Format:

Name of Person Interviewed. Interview. By Interviewer’s Name. Date of Interview.

Example:

Shakespeare, William. Interview. By Jane Doe. 15 July 2020.

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8. Government Publication

Format:

Government Agency. Title of Publication. Publisher, Year.

Example:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Climate Change and You. EPA, 2019.

Container Concept

• Always think of your source as part of a “container.”

• For example, a journal article is contained in a journal; a chapter is contained in a book; a webpage may be contained in a website.

• Include both source and container details.

Multiple Containers

• Sometimes sources are nested (like an article in a database). List all relevant containers separated by commas.

Use of URLs and DOIs

• Include URLs without “https://” but keep “www.” if present.

• If DOI is available, use DOI instead of URL.

Access Dates

• Optional but recommended for online sources that may change over time.

Authors

• For two authors, list both names.

• For three or more, use the first author’s name followed by et al.

Titles

• Italicize titles of larger works (books, films, websites).

• Use quotation marks for shorter works (articles, essays, poems).

Hanging Indent

• In your Works Cited, use a hanging indent (0.5 inch) on all lines after the first for each entry.

Quotations

• Use double quotation marks for quotes.

• For quotes longer than four lines, use block quote format (indented, no quotation marks).

• a) Short quote (less than 4 lines)

  Use quotation marks and include author and page in citation.

  Example:

  Austen writes, “It is a truth universally acknowledged…” (3).

  b) Block quote (4 or more lines)

  Indent entire quote 1 inch from left margin, no quotation marks, citation after punctuation.

  Example:

  Austen’s opening line is famous:

   It is a truth universally acknowledged, 

• that a single man in possession of a good fortune,

•  must be in want of a wife. (3)

Avoid Plagiarism

• Always cite any ideas, quotes, or paraphrases from other authors.

Consistency

• Be consistent with punctuation, spacing, and formatting throughout your paper.

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In-text Citation

• Usually: (Author’s Last name page number)

• Example: (Austen 45)

• If no author, use shortened title: ("Romanticism and Nature" 27)

Basic Rules:

• Include the author’s last name and the page number without a comma.

• Example:

  (Austen 45)

• If the author’s name is already mentioned in the sentence, just put the page number in parentheses:

  Austen explores love and marriage in the 19th century (45).

• If no page numbers (e.g., websites), just use the author’s last name:

  (Doe)

• If no author, use a shortened title (in quotation marks) and page number if available:

  (“Romanticism” 27)

• For multiple authors:

  • Two authors: (Smith and Jones 22)

  • Three or more authors: (Smith et al. 22)

• For multiple works by same author: add shortened title:

  (Austen, Pride 23)

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Key Points for MLA 9

• Use hanging indent in Works Cited list.

• Titles of larger works (books, journals) are italicized.

• Titles of smaller works (articles, essays) are in quotation marks.

• Include URLs without “https://” but include “www.” if present.

• Include access date for online sources (optional but recommended).

  Works Cited Examples for Different Sources

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  a) Book

  Format:
  Author’s Last name, First name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

  Example:
  Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Penguin, 2002.

  ---

  b) Chapter in Edited Book

  Format:
  Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Chapter." Title of Book, edited by Editor’s Name(s), Publisher, Year, pages.

  Example:
  Woolf, Virginia. "Modern Fiction." The Literature Collection, edited by John Smith, Penguin, 2018, pp. 45–60.

  ---

  c) Journal Article

  Format:
  Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. number, no. number, Year, pages.

  Example:
  Smith, John. "Romanticism and Nature." Literary Review, vol. 10, no. 2, 2015, pp. 25–40.

  ---

  d) Newspaper Article

  Format:
  Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Name of Newspaper, Date, pages.

  Example:
  Brown, Dan. "The Rise of Modern Poetry." The Guardian, 5 May 2020, p. 12.

  ---

  e) Magazine Article

  Format:
  Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine, Date, pages.

  Example:
  Lopez, Maria. "Exploring Contemporary Art." Art Monthly, June 2019, pp. 30–35.

  ---

  f) Website

  Format:
  Author’s Last name, First name. "Title of Webpage." Website Name, Publisher, Date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

  Example:
  Doe, Jane. "Shakespeare’s Influence." Literature Today, Penguin, 5 May 2020, www.literaturetoday.com/shakespeare-influence. Accessed 12 Aug. 2025.

  ---

  g) YouTube Video

  Format:
  Author’s Last name, First name (or Username). "Title of Video." YouTube, uploaded by Uploader, Date, URL.

  Example:
  Johnson, Emily. "How to Analyze Poetry." YouTube, uploaded by EmilyJ Tutorials, 10 Jan. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=abcd1234.

  ---

  h) Film

  Format:
  Title of Film. Directed by Director’s Name, performances by Lead Actor(s), Production Company, Year.

  Example:
  Inception. Directed by Christopher Nolan, performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Warner Bros., 2010.

  ---

  i) Interview (Personal)

  Format:
  Name of Person Interviewed. Interview. By Interviewer’s Name. Date.

  Example:
  Shakespeare, William. Interview. By Jane Doe. 15 July 2020.

  ---

  4. Formatting Your Paper

  • Use 12-pt Times New Roman font (or similar), double-spaced.

  • 1-inch margins on all sides.

  • Indent first line of paragraphs 0.5 inch.

  • Header with your last name and page number in top right corner.

  • Title centered (no bold or underline).

  • Works Cited on a new page, entries alphabetized, hanging indent 0.5 inch.