Last Updated: November 21, 2025
Books
| Type | Format & Example |
|---|---|
| One author |
Smith, John. The Great Novel. Penguin Books, 2022.
|
| Two authors |
Smith, John, and Jane Doe. Digital Marketing Strategies. Oxford UP, 2021.
|
| Three or more authors |
Smith, John, et al. Modern Psychology. Harvard UP, 2023.
|
| Edited book |
Smith, John, editor. Essays on Contemporary Issues. Yale UP, 2022.
|
| Chapter in edited book |
Williams, Mary. "Social Media Impact." Digital Culture, edited by John Smith, MIT Press, 2022, pp. 45-78.
|
| Translated book |
Kafka, Franz. The Trial. Translated by Mike Mitchell, Penguin Books, 2000.
|
| E-book (Kindle/PDF) |
Johnson, Robert. Cloud Computing Essentials. Tech Press, 2023. Kindle edition.
|
| Book with organization author |
American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 7th ed., American Psychological Association, 2020.
|
Journal & Magazine Articles
| Type | Format & Example |
|---|---|
| Print journal article |
Chen, David. "Advances in Neuroscience." Journal of Brain Research, vol. 45, no. 3, 2023, pp. 234-256.
|
| Online journal article |
Martinez, Sofia. "Climate Change Impacts." Environmental Studies Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 2, 2022, pp. 112-134, www.envjournal.org/articles/martinez.
|
| Magazine article (print) |
Thompson, Alex. "The Future of AI." Technology Weekly, vol. 15, no. 8, Aug. 2023, pp. 42-49.
|
| Magazine article (online) |
Rodriguez, Elena. "Sustainable Fashion." Green Living Magazine, 12 Mar. 2023, www.greenlivingmag.com/fashion-article.
|
| Newspaper article |
Patterson, James. "New Education Reform Proposed." The New York Times, 5 Oct. 2023, p. A12.
|
| Newspaper article (online) |
Lee, Susan. "Market Analysis for Tech Sector." Wall Street Journal, 15 Nov. 2023, www.wsj.com/articles/tech-market.
|
| Article without author |
"The Impact of Remote Work." Human Resources Today, vol. 18, no. 4, 2023, pp. 56-62.
|
Websites & Online Sources
| Type | Format & Example |
|---|---|
| Webpage with author |
Johnson, Mark. "Understanding Web Development." Tech Blog Hub, 20 Jan. 2023, www.techbloghub.com/web-development.
|
| Webpage without author |
"How to Start a Small Business." Small Business Administration, www.sba.gov/startup-guide. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.
|
| Blog post |
Williams, Rachel. "The Psychology of Color in Design." Design Thoughts, 8 Mar. 2023, www.designthoughts.com/color-psychology.
|
| Wiki article |
"Renaissance Art." Wikipedia, 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_art. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
|
| Online encyclopedia |
"Photosynthesis." Britannica Online, 2023, www.britannica.com/science/photosynthesis. Accessed 12 Nov. 2023.
|
| PDF document |
Green, Timothy. "Digital Transformation in Healthcare." Health Tech Reports, 2022, www.healthtechreports.org/files/digital-transformation.pdf.
|
Media & Multimedia Sources
| Type | Format & Example |
|---|---|
| YouTube video |
TED-Ed. "How Do Vaccines Work?" YouTube, uploaded by TED-Ed, 15 Mar. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VACCINE123.
|
| Podcast episode |
Gladwell, Malcolm, and Jacob Weisberg. "Why Are We Bad at Math?" Revisionist History, season 7, episode 3, Spotify, 2023, open.spotify.com/episode/abc123.
|
| TED Talk |
Cuddy, Amy. "Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are." TED, June 2012, www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language.
|
| Film/Movie |
Nolan, Christopher, director. Oppenheimer. Universal Pictures, 2023.
|
| TV episode |
"The Last of the Starks." Game of Thrones, season 8, episode 4, HBO, 2019.
|
| Streaming film |
Soriano, Miguel, director. The Platform. Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, Netflix, 2019.
|
| Documentary |
Burns, Ken, director. The Vietnam War. Public Broadcasting Service, 2017.
|
Social Media & Online Communications
| Type | Format & Example |
|---|---|
| Twitter/X post |
@NASA. "Mars Rover Discovers Evidence of Ancient Water." Twitter, 3 Dec. 2022, twitter.com/NASA/status/1598765432.
|
| Facebook post |
National Geographic. "Stunning Images from the Arctic." Facebook, 18 Jan. 2023, www.facebook.com/NatGeo/posts/987654321.
|
| Instagram post |
@NathanDrake. "Exploring Hidden Ruins in Peru." Instagram, 22 Apr. 2023, www.instagram.com/p/CrH7JmQp2K/.
|
| LinkedIn post |
@SarahSmith. "The Future of Remote Work." LinkedIn, 10 Feb. 2023, www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6987654321.
|
| TikTok video |
@TeachersOfTok. "Fun Way to Learn History." TikTok, 5 Nov. 2023, www.tiktok.com/@TeachersOfTok/video/7297654321.
|
| Reddit post |
u/ScienceExplained. "Understanding Quantum Mechanics." Reddit, 19 Oct. 2023, www.reddit.com/r/AskScience/comments/abc123.
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Other Common Sources
| Type | Format & Example |
|---|---|
| Dissertation/Thesis |
Kumar, Priya. The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare. 2022, University of California, dissertation, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
|
| Government document |
National Institutes of Health. "COVID-19 Research Guidelines." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Mar. 2023, www.nih.gov/covid-19-guidelines.
|
| Interview (conducted) |
Smith, John. Interview. Conducted by the author, 25 Jan. 2023.
|
| Interview (published) |
Bezos, Jeff. "The Amazon Founder on Entrepreneurship." Interview by Walter Isaacson, Time Magazine, 15 Nov. 2022, time.com/bezos-interview.
|
| Personal letter |
Wilson, Michael. Letter to the author. 30 Sept. 2023. MS.
|
Garcia, Lisa. "Project Update." Email received by the author, 12 Nov. 2023.
|
|
| Conference presentation |
Patel, Raj. "Machine Learning Applications." Presented at the International Conference on Computing, San Francisco, June 2023.
|
| Dataset |
National Geographic Society. "Global Climate Data 2023." Kaggle, 2023, www.kaggle.com/natgeo/climate-data.
|
| Mobile app |
Duolingo. Duolingo: Learn Languages for Free. Version 5.2.3, iOS, Duolingo, 2023.
|
| Published report |
McKinsey & Company. "The Future of Work in America." McKinsey Global Institute, 2023, www.mckinsey.com/future-of-work.
|
In-Text Citations
| Situation | Format & Example |
|---|---|
| One author (paraphrase) |
Smith argues that climate change requires immediate action (245).
|
| One author (direct quote) |
"Climate change is the defining challenge of our era" (Smith 245).
|
| Two authors |
Recent studies show the impact of social media on mental health (Johnson and Lee 112).
|
| Three or more authors |
Several researchers confirm this finding (Chen et al. 78-79).
|
| No author (by title) |
The article states that "renewable energy is essential" ("Green Energy" 34).
|
| Website (no page #) |
According to the CDC, vaccination remains the best prevention (Centers for Disease Control).
|
| Multiple works |
Studies confirm this effect (Smith 45; Johnson 89; Lee 156).
|
| Work with organization author |
The American Psychological Association states that sleep is critical (APA 210).
|
| Source quoted in another source |
As Smith notes, "innovation drives progress" (qtd. in Johnson 78).
|
| Entire work |
Smith's research on neuroplasticity revolutionized the field.
|
💡 Pro Tips:
- MLA 9th edition now treats all sources similarly with the core elements format
- Use a hanging indent (0.5") for all Works Cited entries
- Italicize the titles of long independent works (books, films, websites)
- Put short works (articles, poems) in quotation marks, not italics
- Always include the medium of publication (Print, Web, Kindle, etc.) when relevant
- For online sources, include URLs or DOIs without "http://" or "https://"
- Use the date of access only when no publication date is available
- List authors in Last Name, First Name format only for the first author listed
- Abbreviate publisher names (e.g., "UP" for University Press)
- Use "et al." after the first author when citing a work with multiple authors