MLA Citation Checker
Your bibliography
0 sourcesMLA Citation Checker is a tool that reviews your Works Cited entries and in-text citations against MLA 9th edition rules, flagging errors in author order, italics, punctuation, containers, and page locators so every reference matches the current MLA template exactly.
What does an MLA citation checker verify?
An MLA citation checker verifies that each Works Cited entry follows the nine-element MLA template in the correct order, with correct punctuation, italics, capitalization, and hanging indentation. It also confirms in-text citations name the author and page and match a Works Cited entry.
A reliable checker inspects both halves of an MLA reference system at once. Works Cited entries carry full source details, while in-text citations point readers to them. A mismatch between the two is the single most common MLA error, so the checker cross-references every parenthetical against its list entry.
- Author names inverted correctly (
Last, First) for the first author only. - Source titles in quotation marks and container titles in italics.
- Punctuation between the nine core elements.
- Publication dates in day-month-year order.
- Locations shown as page ranges, URLs, or DOIs.
What is the MLA 9 Works Cited template?
The MLA 9 template lists nine core elements in a fixed order, each followed by a set punctuation mark. You include only the elements that apply to your source, but you never reorder them. This single template covers books, articles, websites, videos, and every other source type.
| # | Core element | Ends with |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Author. | period |
| 2 | Title of Source. | period |
| 3 | Title of Container, | comma |
| 4 | Other contributors, | comma |
| 5 | Version, | comma |
| 6 | Number, | comma |
| 7 | Publisher, | comma |
| 8 | Publication date, | comma |
| 9 | Location. | period |
What are the parts of an MLA citation?
- Author — first author inverted,
Last, First, then a period. - Title of source — article title in quotation marks.
- Container — journal name in italics, followed by a comma.
- Number & date — volume, issue, year, and page range.
- Location — a DOI (preferred) or URL, ending in a period.
MLA Works Cited examples you can copy
The examples below show the four source types students cite most. Each ends with a period and would carry a half-inch hanging indent in your document. Compare your own entries against them element by element.
BookKendi, Ibram X. How to Be an Antiracist. One World, 2019.
JournalGarrison, Laura T. “Rethinking the Digital Archive.” Modern Language Studies, vol. 48, no. 2, 2023, pp. 210-28. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1632/mls.2023.482.
WebsiteFerris, Robert. “How Solar Panels Pay for Themselves.” Energy Today, 14 Mar. 2024, www.energytoday.org/solar-payback.
Two authorsNguyen, Mai, and Daniel Okafor. Coastal Cities and Climate Risk. Island Press, 2022.
ChapterAlvarez, Sonia. “Migration Narratives.” The Borderlands Reader, edited by Priya Rao, Routledge, 2021, pp. 88-104.
How does the checker validate in-text citations?
MLA in-text citations use the author-page style: the author’s surname and a page number with no comma between them, such as (Garrison 214). The checker confirms every parenthetical names an author who appears in your Works Cited and that page numbers omit “p.” or “pp.”
- One author:
(Kendi 23) - Author named in sentence: Kendi argues the point on page 23, so cite just
(23). - Two authors:
(Nguyen and Okafor 57) - Three or more:
(Alvarez et al. 92) - No page number (web):
(Ferris) - Two works, same author: add a short title —
(Kendi, Antiracist 23).
Which MLA mistakes does the checker catch most?
The checker most often catches reversed second-author names, wrong italics, “p.” inside parentheses, and dates in the wrong order. These small slips cost real marks because instructors scan for them. The table pairs each frequent error with its correct MLA 9 form.
| Common error | Correct MLA 9 |
|---|---|
| Nguyen, Mai, and Okafor, Daniel | Nguyen, Mai, and Daniel Okafor |
| Article title in italics | “Article title” in quotation marks |
| (Garrison, p. 214) | (Garrison 214) |
| March 14, 2024 | 14 Mar. 2024 |
| https://www.energytoday.org | www.energytoday.org (drop http://) |
| Retrieved from / Accessed on by default | Access date optional, only if useful |
MLA 9 drops the protocol from URLs, so www.energytoday.org/solar-payback is preferred over the full https:// form. It also makes the access date optional; add Accessed 14 Mar. 2024 only when a source lacks a publication date or is likely to change.
How accurate is the MLA citation checker?
The checker is highly accurate on structure, punctuation, and formatting, because those follow fixed MLA rules. It cannot judge facts it was never given. If you type an author’s name incorrectly or omit a page number, the tool formats what you entered but cannot know the source’s true details.
Treat it as a fast proofreader, not a fact-checker. A few limits are worth naming honestly:
- It cannot confirm a real page number, publisher, or spelling you did not supply.
- Unusual sources — archival letters, live performances, AI tools — may need manual tuning against the nine-element template.
- Instructors sometimes require house rules, such as always listing an access date; check your assignment sheet.
- It will not detect a source that does not exist, so verify every citation against the original.
Used alongside the original source, the checker catches the mechanical errors that lose marks while you keep responsibility for accuracy of content.
MLA citation checker FAQ
Is the MLA citation checker free?
Yes. The MLA citation checker on this page is free. You can generate, check, and copy unlimited MLA 9th edition Works Cited entries and in-text citations without creating an account or paying.
Which MLA edition does the checker use?
It uses the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (2021), the current standard. This edition keeps the nine-element container template from the 8th edition and adds guidance on inclusive language, annotated bibliographies, and formatting.
Does it check both Works Cited and in-text citations?
Yes. The checker formats full Works Cited entries and their matching in-text parentheticals, then confirms each in-text citation names an author who appears in your Works Cited list, catching mismatches between the two.
Can it check a citation I already wrote?
You can paste your source details into the tool and it rebuilds the citation in correct MLA 9 form, letting you compare punctuation, italics, and element order against your original and fix any differences.
Why does MLA use quotation marks and italics differently?
MLA puts the title of a short work, such as an article or chapter, in quotation marks, and the title of the larger container, such as a journal or book, in italics. The checker enforces this pairing automatically.
Does MLA 9 require an access date for websites?
No. MLA 9 makes the access date optional. Add Accessed plus the date only when the source has no publication date or is likely to change, such as a wiki or frequently updated page.