MLA Article Citation: Format, Examples & In-Text Rules
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0 sourcesMLA Article Citation lists the author, the article title in quotation marks, and the italicized source (journal, magazine, newspaper, or website), followed by volume, issue, date, page numbers, and a DOI or URL when the article is online.
What is the general MLA format for an article citation?
MLA arranges every article entry in the same order: author, article title, and container. The author name is inverted, the article title sits in quotation marks, and the source name is italicized. Volume, issue, date, and location follow, each separated by commas and closed with a period.
The MLA 9 template reads: Author Last, First. "Title of Article." Title of Source, other contributors, version, number, publisher, date, location. You use only the elements that apply to your article and drop the rest. Page ranges use pp., a single page uses p., and online locations use a DOI or URL.
| Element | How MLA formats it |
|---|---|
| Author | Last, First. (invert only the first author) |
| Article title | “In Quotation Marks,” title case |
| Source / container | Italicized, title case |
| Volume & issue | vol. 12, no. 3 |
| Date | Year for journals; Day Mon. Year for news/magazines |
| Location | pp. 45–68, or https://doi.org/… , or a URL |
What does each part of an MLA article citation mean?
An MLA journal entry stacks five color-coded pieces: the author, the quoted article title, the italicized journal, the volume/issue and year, and the location. The example below shows a print scholarly article with a page range as its location.
- Author — surname first, then given name, closed by a period.
- Article title — in quotation marks, title case.
- Source — the journal name, italicized.
- Volume, issue, year — vol., no., and publication year.
- Location — page range with pp. (a DOI or URL replaces this online).
How do you cite a journal article in MLA?
A scholarly journal article needs the author, article title, journal name, volume, issue, year, and page range. If you read it through a database or found a DOI, add the database as a second container and the DOI as the location. MLA 9 prefers a DOI over a plain URL.
Print journalGoldman, Anne. “Questions of Transport: Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante.” The Georgia Review, vol. 64, no. 1, 2010, pp. 69–88.
Journal via databaseKincaid, Jamaica. “In History.” Callaloo, vol. 24, no. 2, 2001, pp. 620–26. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1353/cal.2001.0085.
Two authorsDolby, Nadine, and Aliya Rahman. “Research in International Education.” Review of Educational Research, vol. 78, no. 3, 2008, pp. 676–726.
Three or more authors
List the first author followed by et al. when an article has three or more authors. Invert only that first name.
Three+ authorsBurdick, Anne, et al. “The Value of Digital Humanities.” American Literature, vol. 89, no. 2, 2017, pp. 415–20. https://doi.org/10.1215/00029831-3861583.
How do you cite a newspaper or magazine article?
Newspaper and magazine articles use a full day-month-year date instead of a volume and issue. Abbreviate every month except May, June, and July. For a print paper, give the page or section; for the web edition, give the URL. Note the section letter in a page number like p. A1.
Print newspaperNagourney, Adam. “In Tax Overhaul, Trump Tries to Defy the Economic Odds.” The New York Times, 25 Nov. 2017, p. A1.
Online newspaperZraick, Karen. “Teenagers Emerge as a Force in Climate Protests.” The New York Times, 20 Sept. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/climate/climate-strike-photos.html.
Magazine articleBilger, Burkhard. “The Great Oasis.” The New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2011, pp. 40–51.
How do you cite an online article or one with no author?
For an article on a website, cite the author, the article title, the italicized website name, the publication date, and the URL without the https:// prefix. When the site and its publisher are the same, list the name only once. Add an access date only if the source has no date.
Website articleHollmichel, Stefanie. “The Reading Brain: Differences between Digital and Print.” So Many Books, 25 Apr. 2013, somanybooksblog.com/2013/04/25/the-reading-brain.
No author“Climate Change and the 2024 Election.” BBC News, 3 Oct. 2024, www.bbc.com/news/climate-change-election.
When an article has no named author, start the entry with the article title and alphabetize it in the Works Cited list by the first significant word. Ignore a leading A, An, or The when alphabetizing.
| Article type | Date style | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Scholarly journal | Year only | pp. range or DOI |
| Newspaper | Day Mon. Year | p./pp. or URL |
| Magazine | Day Mon. Year or Mon. Year | pp. range or URL |
| Website article | Day Mon. Year | URL (no https://) |
What does the MLA in-text citation look like?
MLA uses author-page in-text citations. Place the author’s surname and the page number in parentheses, with no comma between them and no p. label. When you name the author in your sentence, cite only the page number. Online articles with no page numbers use the author name alone.
ParentheticalMemory becomes a form of transport across languages (Goldman 72).
Author namedGoldman argues that translation reshapes memory itself (72).
No page numbersThe report links teen activism to record turnout (Zraick).
Every in-text citation must point to a matching Works Cited entry, and the first word of that entry is the word you use in the parenthetical. If two sources share an author, add a shortened article title to tell them apart, as in (Goldman, "Questions" 72).
How accurate is this guide, and what are its limits?
This guide follows the MLA Handbook, 9th edition, the current standard as of 2026. The examples are real and correctly formatted, but MLA is a flexible template rather than a rigid database. Instructors and journals sometimes add local rules, so confirm expectations for your assignment.
Two limits matter most. First, MLA 9 recommends but does not require a URL access date, so add one only for undated or unstable sources. Second, our generator fills the standard elements, yet you should always verify author spelling, capitalization, and page ranges against the original article. A tool cannot see a typo in the data you paste in.
MLA article citation FAQ
Do you italicize an article title in MLA?
No. The article title goes in quotation marks, and the larger source that contains it — the journal, magazine, newspaper, or website — is italicized.
How do you cite an article with no author in MLA?
Begin the entry with the article title in quotation marks and alphabetize it by the first significant word, ignoring a leading A, An, or The.
Do you need a DOI or URL for an online article?
Yes. MLA 9 requires a location for online articles. Prefer a DOI written as https://doi.org/…; use the URL without the https:// prefix when no DOI exists.
How do you cite an article with three or more authors?
List the first author inverted, then add et al. For example: Burdick, Anne, et al. Only the first author’s name is reversed.
What is the in-text citation for an MLA article?
Use author and page number with no comma: (Goldman 72). For a web article with no pages, cite the author’s surname alone: (Zraick).
Do you include the access date for an MLA article?
An access date is optional in MLA 9. Add it — Accessed 5 Mar. 2026 — only when the source has no publication date or may change.