Gera Tools

MLA 9th Edition Citation Reference

Quick-reference format for MLA 9 citations by source type

Reference table of MLA 9th edition Works Cited formats for books, articles, websites, videos and films, built on the container model, with worked examples, copyable templates and in-text citation rules.

MLA 9th edition citation reference

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style, 9th edition, is the standard in the humanities, especially literature and languages. Rather than a fixed template per source type, MLA 9 builds every Works Cited entry from a flexible set of “core elements” arranged in containers. This tool gives a worked template and example for each common source type plus the in-text rules.

How it works

MLA 9 defines nine core elements in a fixed order, each ending in its own punctuation: Author. Title of Source. Title of Container, Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location. You fill in only the elements that apply. A “container” is the larger whole that holds the source — a journal that holds an article, or a database that holds the journal — and an entry can nest containers (article in a journal in JSTOR). In text you cite author and page with no comma between them, e.g. (Jacobs 27); if there is no author you use a shortened title.

Tips and notes

  • Titles of self-contained works (books, films, whole websites) are italicized; titles of parts (articles, chapters, web pages) go in quotation marks.
  • Abbreviate months over four letters (Jan., Feb., Apr.) and write the date day-month-year.
  • Omit http:// / https:// from URLs in Works Cited; add an “Accessed” date for undated or changeable online sources. Use a hanging indent for every entry.