MLA Citation Generator (9th Edition)
Free MLA 9 citation generator: cite a website, book, journal article or YouTube video in MLA 9th edition, with the in-text citation and a Works Cited list.
Free, with no account and no limit. It runs in your browser: nothing you type is sent anywhere, and your Works Cited list is saved in this browser only.
How it works
- Pick the kind of source: website, book, journal article or YouTube video. MLA 9 is already selected (APA 7 and Chicago are one click away).
- Type the authors, title, date and the other details from the source. The entry is formatted as you type, in title case, with quotation marks and italics.
- Copy the entry and the in-text citation, or add it to your Works Cited list. Copy all pastes the whole list, A to Z, into Word or Google Docs with the italics kept.
MLA 9 examples
- Book: Baron, Naomi S. Words Onscreen: The Fate of Reading in a Digital World. Oxford UP, 2015. In text: (Baron).
- Journal article: Goldman, Anne. “Questions of Transport: Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante.” The Georgia Review, vol. 64, no. 1, 2010, pp. 69-88. In text: (Goldman).
- Page on a website: Hollmichel, Stefanie. “The Reading Brain: Differences between Digital and Print.” So Many Books, So Little Time, 25 Apr. 2013, somanybooksblog.com/2013/04/25/the-reading-brain-differences-between-digital-and-print/. In text: (Hollmichel).
- Book with three or more authors: Burdick, Anne, et al. Digital_Humanities. MIT P, 2012. In text: (Burdick et al.).
- Book with two authors: Deleuze, Gilles, and Félix Guattari. A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. U of Minnesota P, 1987. In text: (Deleuze and Guattari).
- YouTube video (no individual author): “Shakespeare: Original Pronunciation.” YouTube, uploaded by The Open University, 27 Sept. 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPlpphT7n9s. In text: (“Shakespeare”).
MLA 9 core elements
- Every MLA entry is built from the same core elements, in this order: Author. Title of source. Title of container, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location.
- Leave out any element the source does not have. The author and the title end with a period; the container elements are separated by commas, and the entry ends with a period.
- Version is the edition (2nd ed.); Number is the volume and issue (vol. 64, no. 1); Location is the page range (pp. 69-88), a DOI, or a URL without https://.
- The generator fills Author, Title, Container, Version, Number, Publisher, Date and Location. It does not add other contributors (editors, translators); add them by hand after the container title, e.g. edited by Jane Smith.
Containers, titles and authors
- A container is the larger whole a source sits in: the website, the journal, or YouTube. Container titles are italic; a source that sits inside a container (an article, a web page, a video) has its title in quotation marks. A book that stands alone is italic.
- Titles are in title case: major words capitalized; articles, short prepositions and coordinating conjunctions lowercase unless they come first (Differences between Digital and Print).
- One author: Last, First. Two authors: Last, First, and First Last. Three or more: the first author followed by "et al." (Burdick, Anne, et al.).
- No author: start the entry with the title. For a video, the channel goes in as "uploaded by" Channel name.
Dates, pages, URLs and the in-text citation
- Dates run day month year, with months longer than four letters abbreviated: 25 Apr. 2013, 27 Sept. 2011 (May, June and July are written in full).
- Pages: "p." for one page and "pp." for a range (pp. 69-88).
- URLs: include them for online sources, without https://. A DOI is written as https://doi.org/… and used instead of the URL when the source has one.
- The access date is optional in MLA 9. Add one (Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.) when a page has no publication date or is likely to change; the generator has an "Accessed today" button.
- In-text: (Author page), with no comma and no "p.": (Baron 45), (Deleuze and Guattari 112), (Burdick et al. 23). With no author, use a shortened title: (“Shakespeare”). The generator gives you the author or title part; add the page you cite.
- Works Cited: on its own page, titled Works Cited, sorted A–Z, double-spaced, with a 0.5-inch hanging indent.
Other styles and tools
Frequently asked questions
Is this MLA 9th edition?
Yes. It follows the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (2021), and its examples were checked against the MLA Handbook and MLA Style Center examples.
When do I use "et al." in MLA 9?
When a source has three or more authors: list the first author, reversed, then "et al." (Burdick, Anne, et al.). In the text: (Burdick et al. 23). With two authors, name both: Deleuze, Gilles, and Félix Guattari.
Do I need an access date in MLA 9?
It is optional. MLA recommends one when a web source has no publication date or may change. Fill in the date-accessed fields, or press Accessed today, and the generator adds it at the end: Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.
How do I write an MLA in-text citation?
The author's last name and the page number, with no comma: (Baron 45). Two authors: (Deleuze and Guattari 112). Three or more: (Burdick et al. 23). No author: a shortened title in quotation marks or italics. Web pages and videos usually have no page numbers, so the name alone is fine.
How do I cite a YouTube video in MLA 9?
Choose YouTube video and enter the title, the channel and the upload date. With no individual author, the entry starts with the title in quotation marks, then YouTube in italics, "uploaded by" the channel, the date and the URL.
Can it fill in the details from a URL or ISBN?
No. You type the details and it formats them. Nothing is looked up or sent anywhere, so check the author, date and title against the source itself.
Is it free?
Yes, with no account and no limit. It runs in your browser, and your Works Cited list is saved in this browser only.
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