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Printable MLA 9th Edition Guides

Creating citations using MLA 9th edition:


Creating in-text citations using MLA 9th Edition:


Integrating sources into the text of your paper using signal phrases:

There are two components of an MLA style citation: the in-text citation (parenthetical or narrative), as well as the full reference list entry at the end of the paper. Both components provide the information necessary for the reader to locate and retrieve the source(s) used to inform a paper. Each cited source in the text of your paper (in-text citation), must also appear in the list of Works Cited. The following tabs contain examples of both parts of an MLA citation.

Complete Citation

Your complete citation should include the name of the author, date of publication, the title of the source, the title of the journal/website, identifying information such as volume, issue, and page numbers, and either a DOI or a URL if available. This gets alphabetized and placed in the References section at the end of your paper. 

Example:

Hanauer, Nick. "Education Isn't Enough." Atlantic, vol. 324, no. 1, July 2019, pp. 19-22. Academic Search Complete, login.ezproxyness.helmlib.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=136960062&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

In-Text Citation

Your in-text citation contains the last name of the author, and the page number(s) that the information being used is from, and it is placed in the text of the sentence to which it relates. There are a few ways to do this, parenthetically, narratively, and using a direct quote. Parenthetical citations place the relevant information at the end of your sentence in parentheses, while narrative citations allow for the information to be conveyed in the body of your sentence. As for direct quotes, there are a variety of ways to use them in your paper. See below for examples of each.

Parenthetical Citation Example:

The percentage of Americans with high-school diplomas has increased from approximately 50% in 1970 to 90% today (Hanauer 20).

Narrative Citation Example:

Hanauer found that the percentage of Americans with high-school diplomas has increased from approximately 50% in 1970 to 90% today (20).

Direct Quote Example:

One way to increase the quality of public schools is to “pay people enough to afford dignified middle-class lives” (Hanauer 20).


Citing Multiple Works
When citing two or more sources in the same parentheses, separate each in-text citation with a semicolon. The order of the sources (alphabetical, by date, by level of importance) is up to you.  

Example: (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Everly and Lating 27; Shukman)

Source with one author

In-text citations can change based upon the number of authors that a source has. Follow the examples below for creating accurate in-text citations for your references.

Source with 1 Author


Works Cited

Hanauer, Nick. "Education Isn't Enough." Atlantic, vol. 324, no. 1, July 2019, pp. 19-22. Academic Search Complete, login.ezproxyness.helmlib.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=136960062&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

In-Text Citation

Parenthetical

(Hanauer 20)

Narrative

Hanauer (20)

Direct Quote

(Hanauer 20)

Source with 2 authors
Source with 2 Authors

Works Cited

Everly, George S., Jr., and Jeffrey M. Lating. The Johns Hopkins Guide to Psychological First Aid. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017

In-Text Citation

Parenthetical

(Everly and Lating 86)

Narrative

Everly and Lating (86)

Direct Quote

(Everly and Lating 86)

Source with 3+ authors
Source with 3+ Authors

Works Cited

Schwartz, Joel, et al. “Estimating Causal Effects of Local Air Pollution on Daily Deaths: Effect of Low Levels.” Environmental Health Perspectives, 2017, vol. 125, no. 1, pp. 23–29, doi.org/10.1289/EHP232.

In-Text Citation

Parenthetical

(Schwartz et al. 25)

Narrative

Schwartz et al. (25)

Direct Quote

(Schwartz et al. 25)

Some sources will not have individual authors, but rather group authors. In these instances, you will still need to cite the item as you would any source with an author. Follow the example below for an accurate in-text citation of a source with a group author.

It is important to note that you should always define the abbreviation for a group author before using it. Thereafter, it is appropriate to use the abbreviation for all mentions of the group in the text.

Source with a group author

Works Cited

Central Intelligence Agency. “Central America: Haiti.” The World Factbook, 16 July 2021, www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/ the-world-factbook/geos/aa.html.

First In-Text Citation Parenthetical
(Central Intelligence Agency [CIA])
Narrative
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
 
Direct Quote
(Central Intelligence Agency [CIA])
 
Subsequent In-Text Citations Parenthetical
(CIA)
Narrative
CIA
 
Direct Quote
(CIA)

At times you will come across sources where there is no author listed. If this happens, use a shortened version of the title in your in-text citation.

Source with no author
Reference List

"Charles Hull." National Inventors Hall of Fame, www.invent.org/inductees/charles-hull. Accessed 12 Sept. 2020.

“The Most Haunted Places in Boston.” Ghosts & Gravestones, www.ghostsandgravestones.com/boston/haunted-places.php. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.

"Where Angels no Longer Fear to Tread." The Economist, vol. 386, no. 8572, 19 Mar. 2008, pp. 89-92. www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2008/03/19/where-angels-no-longer-fear-to-tread.

In-Text Citation

Parenthetical
("Charles Hull")
("Most Haunted")
(“Where Angels” 90)

Narrative
"Charles Hull"
"Most Haunted"
“Where Angels” (90)

Direct Quote
("Charles Hull")
("Most Haunted")
(“Where Angels” 90)

There are different ways to format quotes when they are used in your paper. Follow the guidelines below for proper formatting. For more detailed information on how to format specific types of quotes, see section 1.3 of the MLA Handbook 8th edition.


Short Quotations (Fewer than 4 lines)

Include the quotation in the regular text of your paper. Be sure to use quotation marks and add an in-text citation with a page number.

Example:

For Charles Dickens, the eighteenth century was both "the best of times" and "the worst of times" (35). 


Block Quotations (4 or more lines)

If a quote runs for four or more lines, treat it as a block quote. Start the block quote on its own line and indent the entire quote 0.5” from the left margin, be sure that it is also double-spaced, with no extra spaces before or after it. Do not use quotation marks for block quotes.


Use a parenthetical citation after the closing punctuation for the sentence or use the author in a narrative introduction before the quote. If you choose to use a narrative introduction, be sure to include the page number of the quote after the final punctuation.

Example 1:

Hanauer discusses the many ways in which the American education system has seemingly failed its people and led to significant income inequality. He explains that the problem is far greater than just that of the 

"skills gap"—the notion that decades of wage stagnation are largely a consequence of workers not having the education and skills to fill new high-wage jobs. If we improve our public schools, the thinking goes, and we increase the percentage of students attaining higher levels of education, particularly in the STEM subjects—science, technology, engineering, and math—the skills gap will shrink, wages will rise, and income inequality will fall. (20)

Example 2:

When people think of the word "pirate" today they probably conjure up images of shipwrecks on beaches, cracked bottles of rum, perhaps of Johnny Depp. They also probably think that piracy on the ocean is a thing of the past, however, piracy on the open seas, especially the Atlantic Ocean is still booming even today.  

According to the Office of Naval Intelligence’s “Weekly Piracy Reports” 72 reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea occurred in the GoG region this year as of July 9, 2019. Attacks, kidnappings for ransom (KFR), and boardings to steal valuables from the ships and crews are the most common types of incidents with approximately 75 percent of all incidents taking place off Nigeria. During the first six months of 2019, there were 15 kidnapping and 3 hijackings in the GoG. (Central Intelligence Agency)

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