For more information and examples: 

• The MLA Style Center
• MLA Handbook, 9th Edition (find it at our Citing and Writing Station) 

 

General format of in-text citations is as follows: (last name of author page number); note the absence of punctuation between the two elements. You can also use the author’s name in your sentence, immediately followed by the page number in parentheses. Example: (Lowery and Burrow 341) or Lowery and Burrow (341).

 

Important notes:

• Each in-text citation must have a corresponding entry in the Works Cited section.
• Place the heading Works Cited centered at the top of a new page.
• Double-space the works-cited list (within and between entries).

• Arrange the works cited in alphabetical order by author (or any other word placed at the beginning of an entry).

• Works-cited-list entries have a hanging indent of 0.5 in. (i.e., the first line is flush with the left margin; all subsequent lines are indented 0.5 in from the left margin)
• The date of access of an online source is optional, except when the source’s publication date is unavailable or unclear. In that case, include it at the end of the entry. Ex.: Accessed 23 Nov. 2019.
• For online works, a DOI, if provided, is preferred to a URL.
  • If providing a DOI, add https://doi.org/ before the string of numbers if it is not already there.
  • If providing a URL, omit the https:// or http://.
• If a source has more than one author, use the examples provided under “Book” and then combine with the appropriate document type format.
• If the source has no explicit page numbers:
  • Include paragraph numbers if provided: (Tran, par. 8)
  • Include chapters or section headings if provided: (Tran, ch. 3) or (Tran, sec. “Background”)
  • Include line numbers if provided: (Tran, line 31)
  • Omit altogether if no other obvious subdivision is provided: (Tran)

Select your resource (for even more examples, please consult the MLA 9 pdf handout available in the left-hand menu or at the bottom of this page).

Book

Citation Components	(Author Last Name Page Number)
Reference Components	Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title. Publisher, Year.
Citation Example	(Israel 10)
Reference Example	Israel, Martin. The Spirit of Counsel: Spiritual Perspectives in the Counselling Process. Hodder and Stoughton, 1983.

Book with Multiple Authors

Two Authors

Citation Components	(Author Last Name and Author Last Name Page Number)
Reference Components	Author Last Name, Author First Name, and Author First Name Author Last Name. Title. Publisher, Year.
Citation Example	(Chan and Chunn 25)
Reference Example	Chan, Wendy, and Dorothy Chunn. Racialization, Crime, and Criminal Justice in Canada. University of Toronto Press, 2014.

Three Authors or More

Citation Components	(1st Author Last Name et al. Page Number)
Reference Components	Author Last Name, Author First Name, et al. Title. Publisher, Year.
Citation Example	(Cummins et al. 333)
Reference Example	Cummins, Paul, et al. Leadership in Sports Coaching: A Social Identity Approach. Routledge, 2017.

 E-Book

Citation Components	(Author Last Name Page Number)
Reference Components	Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title. Publisher, Year. Database, DOI.
Citation Example	(Roberson 98)
Reference Example	Roberson, Cliff. Juvenile Justice: Theory and Practice. Routledge, 2010. Taylor & Francis eBooks Complete, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781439813775.

Book Chapter (in Edited Book)

Citation Components	(Author Last Name Page Number)
Reference Components	Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Chapter Title." Book Title, edited by Editor's Full Name, Publisher, Year, Page Range of Chapter.
Citation Example	(Katz 38)
Reference Example	Katz, Jerrold J. “The Realm of Meaning.” Communication, Language, and Meaning: Psychological perspectives, edited by George A. Miller, Basic Books, 1973, pp. 36-48.

Journal Article

Print Journal Article

Citation Components	(Author Last Name Page Number)
Reference Components	Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Article Title." Journal Title, Volume, Issue, Year, Pages.
Citation Example	(Chapais 10-11)
Reference Example	Chapais, Claire. "Community Outreach at the Senator John Milner Library." American Libraries, vol. 47, no. 1, 2013, pp. 10-15.

Journal Article from a Database with DOI

Citation Components	(Author Last Name Page Number)
Reference Components	Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Article Title." Journal Title, Volume, Issue, Year, Pages. Database, DOI.
Citation Example	(Lowery and Burrow 353)
Reference Example	Lowery, Patrick G. and John D. Burrow. “Concentrated Disadvantage, Racial Disparities, and Juvenile Institutionalization within the Context of Attribution Theory.” Criminal Justice Studies, vol. 32, no. 4, 2019, pp. 330-55. Taylor & Francis Online, https://doi.org/10.1080/1478601X.2019.1660964.

Course Materials

Lecture

Citation Components	("Source of content")
Reference Components	"Source of content." Title of course, taught by professor's First Name and Last Name. Name of platform, name of university, date of course, general platform URL.
Citation Example	("History of conflict studies")
Reference Example	“Slides on the history of conflict studies.” Introduction to Conflict Studies, taught by Jean-François Rioux. Brightspace, Saint Paul University, 19 Jan. 2022, www.uottawa.brightspace.com.

Thesis or Dissertation

Citation Components	(Author Last Name Page Number)
Reference Components	Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title of Thesis or Dissertation. Year. University, type of document. Name of Database, URL.
Citation Example	(Max 10)
Reference Example	Max, Alyssa. The Experiences of Individuals with Psychological Disabilities in Attending Counselling: A Phenomenological Investigation. 2017. University of Ottawa, master’s thesis. uO Research, ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/37047/5/Max_Alyssa_2017_thesis.pdf.

Webpage

Citation Components	(Author Last Name or "Title of Page if there is no author")
Reference Components	Editor or Author Last Name, First Name (if available). "Title of Page." Name of Website, Date of publication if available, URL. Date of access if no date of publication available.
Citation Example	("Imunization Coverage")
Reference Example	“Immunization Coverage.” World Health Organization, 6 Dec. 2019, www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/immunization-coverage.

Videos

Movie or Documentary Film

Citation Components	(Director Name)
Reference Components	Director Last Name, First Name, director. Title of Film. Distributor, Release Year.
Citation Example	(Cukor)
Reference Example	Cukor, George, director. My Fair Lady. Warner Bros, 1964.

YouTube Video

Citation Components	(Author or Creator Last Name OR "Title of Video" Time Range)
Reference Components	Author or Creator Last Name, First Name if different from the name of the account. "Title of Video." YouTube, uploaded by Name of Account, Date of Upload, URL.
Citation Example	(“Discover our Indigenous Services!” 02:35-03:10)
Reference Example	“Discover our Indigenous Services!” YouTube, uploaded by USPottawa, 29 Aug. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=N76tjKpotlE.