MLA Examples & Templates
MLA Style Websites
Citation Generators
Formatting & Style
Citations by Format
Entries in the works-cited list are created using the MLA template of core elements—facts common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date. To use the template, evaluate the work you’re citing to see which elements apply to the source. Then, list each element relevant to your source in the order given on the template.
The examples below show you how to cite five basic source types. Click on an entry to get more information, as well as links to posts with more examples. For hundreds of sample entries by format, check out the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook.
Book by One Author
Mantel, Hilary. Wolf Hall. Picador, 2010.
Book by an Unknown Author
Beowulf. Translated by Alan Sullivan and Timothy Murphy, edited by Sarah Anderson, Pearson, 2004.
An Edited Book
Sánchez Prado, Ignacio M., editor. Mexican Literature in Theory. Bloomsbury, 2018.
Article on a website
Deresiewicz, William. “The Death of the Artist—and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur.” The Atlantic, 28 Dec. 2014, theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/01/ the-death-of-the-artist-and-the-birth-of-thecreative-entrepreneur/383497/.
Book on a website
Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Masque of the Red Death.” The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe, edited by James A. Harrison, vol. 4, Thomas Y. Crowell, 1902, pp. 250-58. HathiTrust Digital Library, hdl.handle.net/2027/coo.31924079574368.
Journal Article in a Database
Goldman, Anne. “Questions of Transport: Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante.” The Georgia Review, vol. 64, no. 1, spring 2010, pp. 69-88. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41403188.
Song from an Album
Snail Mail. “Thinning.” Habit, Sister Polygon Records, 2016. Vinyl EP.
Snail Mail. “Thinning.” Bandcamp, snailmailbaltimore.bandcamp.com.
Beyoncé. The “Formation” World Tour. 14 May 2016, Rose Bowl, Los Angeles.
A Movie Viewed in Person
Opening Night. Directed by John Cassavetes, Faces Distribution, 1977.
A Movie Viewed Online
Richardson, Tony, director. Sanctuary. Screenplay by James Poe, Twentieth Century Fox, 1961. YouTube, uploaded by LostCinemaChannel, 17 July 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMnzFM_Sq8s.
A Television Show Viewed on Physical Media
“Hush.” 1999. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Fourth Season, created by Joss Whedon, episode 10, Mutant Enemy / Twentieth Century Fox, 2003, disc 3. DVD.
A Photograph Viewed in Person
Cameron, Julia Margaret. Alfred, Lord Tennyson. 1866, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.
A Painting Viewed Online
Bearden, Romare. The Train. 1975. MOMA, www.moma.org/collection/works/65232?locale=en.
An Untitled Image from a Print Magazine
Karasik, Paul. Cartoon. The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2008, p. 49.
Librarian Support
Books on MLA Style
MLA Handbook by
Relied on by generations of writers, the MLA Handbook is published by the Modern Language Association and is the only official, authorized book on MLA style. The new, ninth edition builds on the MLA's unique approach to documenting sources using a template of core elements--facts, common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date--that allows writers to cite any type of work, from books, e-books, and journal articles in databases to song lyrics, online images, social media posts, dissertations, and more. With this focus on source evaluation as the cornerstone of citation, MLA style promotes the skills of information and digital literacy so crucial today. The many new and updated chapters make this edition the comprehensive, go-to resource for writers of research papers, and anyone citing sources, from business writers, technical writers, and freelance writers and editors to student writers and the teachers and librarians working with them. Intended for a variety of classroom contexts--middle school, high school, and college courses in composition, communication, literature, language arts, film, media studies, digital humanities, and related fields--the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook offers *New chapters on grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, numbers, italics, abbreviations, and principles of inclusive language *Guidelines on setting up research papers in MLA format with updated advice on headings, lists, and title pages for group project *Revised, comprehensive, step-by-step instructions for creating a list of works cited in MLA format that are easier to learn and use than ever before *A new appendix with hundreds of example works-cited-list entries by publication format, including websites, YouTube videos, interviews, and more *Detailed examples of how to find publication information for a variety of sources *Newly revised explanations of in-text citations, including comprehensive advice on how to cite multiple authors of a single work *Detailed guidance on footnotes and endnotes *Instructions on quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and avoiding plagiarism *A sample essay in MLA format *Annotated bibliography examples *Numbered sections throughout for quick navigation *Advanced tips for professional writers and scholars
The Norton Field Guide to Writing by
The Norton Field Guide lets you teach the way you want to teach. Short chapters with just enough detail can be assigned in any order. Color-coded links send students to more detail if they need it. Menus, directories, and a glossary/index all make the book easy to navigate. This flexibility makes it work for first-year writing, stretch, ALP, co-req, dual-enrollment, and integrated reading-writing courses.The Norton Field Guide, MLA and APA Update Edition features the latest documentation guidelines from the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook (2021).
The Bedford Handbook by
If you haven't looked at The Bedford Handbook in a while, look again: This edition has everything your students need to become stronger writers--in a briefer book. This reimagined Bedford Handbook takes a fresh "essentials" approach to the familiar coverage of writing, research, style, and grammar that The Bedford Handbook has always had. The result is a handbook that's equal parts approachable and comprehensive. Students will quickly find answers in the book's direct explanations and step-by-step instruction. They'll get the practice and guidance they need with exercises, how-to guides, model papers, and class-tested examples. The advice you trust from Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers is here. It all comes in a book that's easier to carry, easier to use, and more affordable than ever.
Student's Guide to Writing College Papers, Fifth Edition by 
A Writer's Reference by 
A Guide to College Writing, MLA Update by 