MLA Citation Generator
MLA 9th edition citations in Works Cited format, with BibTeX export for LaTeX users.
Input
Source Details
Fill what you have, leave blank what you don't
Separate authors with semicolons.
Output
MLA Citation
Copy-ready citation in your chosen style
Output
BibTeX Equivalent
LaTeX-ready, paste into your .bib file
Need to find sources for your draft?
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What is MLA 9th edition?
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is the standard in English literature, foreign languages, classics, philosophy, and many humanities disciplines. MLA 9th edition expanded on the "core elements" system introduced in MLA 8, every source is described using a unified set of fields (author, title of source, title of container, contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, location) regardless of medium.
Who uses MLA?
MLA is required in most US high school and undergraduate English courses, and in literature, languages, and cultural studies graduate programs. Some humanities journals also accept Chicago, check the submission guidelines, but if you're writing about a novel, poem, or film, MLA is almost always the default.
For instructors & researchers
If you teach composition or literature, your students are re-discovering MLA every semester. Link to this tool from your Canvas / Blackboard page so they stop quoting the EasyBib free tier incorrectly. For your own scholarship, every formatted MLA entry here also exports as BibTeX, useful if your next edited volume is in LaTeX.
MLA examples by source type
Book
Said, Edward W. *Orientalism.* Vintage Books, 1979.
Journal article
Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. "Can the Subaltern Speak?" *Wedge,* no. 7-8, 1985, pp. 120-130.
Article in an anthology
Butler, Judith. "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution." *Performing Feminisms,* edited by Sue-Ellen Case, Johns Hopkins UP, 1990, pp. 270-282.
Website
Purdue Online Writing Lab. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." Purdue OWL, 2024, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style.
MLA citation questions
What changed between MLA 8 and MLA 9?
MLA 9 retains the core-elements model from MLA 8 but expands guidance on inclusive language, paper formatting, and annotated bibliographies. Most existing MLA 8 citations remain correct.
How do I cite a YouTube video in MLA?
Treat the channel as the author, title of the video in quotes, *YouTube* in italics as the container, upload date, and the URL.
Should I include URLs in MLA Works Cited?
MLA recommends including URLs (without https://) for online sources, and DOIs when available. Permalinks are preferred over direct URLs.
Why does MLA use Works Cited instead of References?
MLA only lists sources you cited in the paper, not background reading. The list is titled 'Works Cited' to distinguish it from a broader bibliography.
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