In MLA style, two citations are used to cite a source: a short citation used in the text (called the in-text citation) and a full citation (called the works-cited-list entry) in the works-cited list, which appears at the end of a paper.
Every source cited using an in-text citation also has a corresponding works-cited entry in the list. The works-cited entry provides additional information about the cited source, enough information so the reader can find the source if needed. This usually includes additional information like the publication date, who published the source, and the location of the source (e.g., URL, DOI number, etc.).
The works-cited list appears at the end of the paper after any endnotes, if they are present.
All margins (top, bottom, left, and right) should be set at 1 inch.
Write the running head in the top right of the page at 0.5 inch from the top. Use the running head “Surname Page #.”
The font should be clear enough to read. Use Times New Roman font sized at 12 points.
Entries should be double-spaced. If any entry runs over more than a line, indent the subsequent lines 0.5 inch from the left margin.
The title should be “Works Cited.” It should be aligned to the center of the page. Do not bold, italicize, or underline the title. If you cite only one source in the list, the title should be “Work Cited.”
Works-cited-list entries are arranged alphabetically. Entries should be double-spaced. If any entry runs over more than a line, indent the subsequent lines 0.5 inch from the left margin.
Below are a few examples of different types of works-cited-list entries along with their templates. The examples given are for one author.
Book
The title of the book is given in italics and title case.
Surname, First name Middle initial. Title of the Book. Publisher, Publication Date. Page range.
Fienup-Riordan, Ann. Boundaries and Passages: Rule and Ritual in Yup’ik Eskimo Oral Tradition. UP of Oklahoma, 1995.
Journal article
The title of the article is in title case and given inside the quotation marks. The journal title is in italics. Include “vol.” before the volume number and “no.” before the issue number. Use “pp.’’ before the page range.
Surname, First name. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title, Volume, Issue, Publication Date, Page range.
MacDonald, Shauna M. “Performance as Critical Posthuman Pedagogy.” Text and Performance Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 2, 2014, pp. 164–81.
Webpage of a website
The webpage title is in plain text, while the website name is given in italics. Follow the format given in the template and example for writing the date, month, year, and URL.
Author or Organization Name. “Title of the Webpage.” Website Name. Publication Date, URL.
YouTube video
The video title is given in title case and inside quotation marks. This is followed by the word “YouTube.” Then the uploader’s name is given in the first name-surname format followed by the uploaded date. Finally, the URL is given.
“Title of the Video.” YouTube, uploaded by Uploader’s Name, Day Month Year, URL.
“Covid: Leaks, Lies and Incompetence.” YouTube, uploaded by Russel. Brand, 29 May 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dArz2OPsGSU.
The number of authors in the source decides how the author name(s) will be added to the works-cited list. Here, you will see many journal references with different numbers of authors.
One author
List the author name in surname-first name order.
Surname, First name. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title, Volume, Issue, Publication Date, Page range.
MacGill, Belinda. “Craft, Relational Aesthetics, and Ethics of Care.” Art/Research International: A Transdisciplinary Journal, vol. 4, no. 1, 2019, pp. 426–29.
Two authors
The first author’s name is styled in surname-first name order, whereas the second author’s name is styled in first name-surname order. The authors’ names are separated by “and.”
Author Surname, First name. Middle initial., and First name Surname. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title, Volume, Issue, Publication Date, Page range.
Gingrich-Philbrook, Craig, and Jake Simmons. “Reprogramming the Stage: A Heuristic for Posthuman Performance.” Text and Performance Quarterly, vol. 35, no. 4, 2015, pp. 323–44.
More than two authors
List only the first author’s name in the surname-first name order followed by a comma. Then, use “et al.”
Author Surname, First name, et al. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title, Volume, Issue, Publication Date, Page range.
Meints, Samanta M., et al. “Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Experience and Treatment of Noncancer Pain.” Pain Management, vol. 9, no. 3, 2019, pp. 317–34.
Follow the below guidelines for arranging the entries in the works-cited list.
Entries are arranged in alphabetical order according to the surname of the first author.
If there is no author, then the title is considered for alphabetical arrangement.
For entries beginning with a title, only the main words are considered for alphabetical arrangement (e.g., exclude “A,” “An,” and “The”).
Accented characters are considered normal characters (e.g., “á” should be considered as “a”). However, “ä” should be considered “ae”)
Space between words is ignored while arranging the entries alphabetically.
Works by one author
If there are two or more works by the same author, add the author’s name only for the first entry. Use three em dashes followed by a period in subsequent entries.
Dumond, Don E. “The Artic Small Tool Tradition in Southern Alaska.” Alaskan Journal of Anthropology, vol. 3, no. 2, 2005, pp. 67–78.
———. “A Reexamination of Eskimo-Aleut Prehistory.” American Anthropologist, vol. 89, 1987, pp. 32–56.
Works by two authors
If there are two or more works by the same first author but different second authors, arrange the entry according to the surname of the second author.
Fienup-Riordan, Ann, and Melia Knecht. “Irr’inarqellriit /Amazing Things: Quinhagak Elders Reflect on Their Past.” Alaskan Journal of Anthropology, vol. 13, no. 2, 2015, pp. 36–39.
Fienup-Riordan, Ann, and Alice Rearden. Ellavut, Our Yup’ik World & Weather: Continuity and Change on the Bering Sea Coast. Washington UP, 2012.
If there are two or more works by the same two authors, add the names only for the first entry. Use three em dashes followed by a period in subsequent entries.
Works by a single author and the same author with a coauthor
If there are multiple works, a few by a single author and others by the same first author with other coauthors, arrange the single author works first using three em dashes in place of the author’s name. Then arrange entries with the same first author and other coauthors according to the surname of the second author. Do not use three em dashes here, as the author is not exactly the same. The below examples will help you arrange your works-cited list entries alphabetically.
Fienup-Riordan, Ann. Hunting Tradition in a Changing World: Yup’ik Lives in Alaska Today. Rutgers UP, 2000.
———. Yup’ik Elders at the Ethnologisches Museum Berlin: Fieldwork Turned on Its Head. Washington UP, 2005.
Fienup-Riordan, Ann, and Alice Rearden. Ellavut, Our Yup’ik World & Weather: Continuity and Change on the Bering Sea Coast. Washington UP, 2012.
———. Wise Words of the Yup’ik People: We Talk to You Because We Love You. Washington UP, 2018.
Fienup-Riordan, Ann, et al. Yup’ik words of wisdom=Yupiit qanruyutait. Washington UP, 2018.
Arrange entries by title only when
There is no author name
There are more works by the same single author
There are more works by the same first author and same coauthor
There are more works by the same first author followed by et al.
“Covid: Leaks, Lies and Incompetence.” YouTube, uploaded by Russell. Brand, 29 May 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dArz2OPsGSU.
Fienup-Riordan, Ann. Boundaries and Passages: Rule and Ritual in Yup’ik Eskimo Oral Tradition. UP of Oklahoma, 1995.
MacDonald, Shauna M. “Performance as Critical Posthuman Pedagogy.” Text and Performance Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 2, 2014, pp. 164–81.
For additional information on MLA format, select from one of the resource types below. For help creating MLA citations, check out the BibMe MLA citation generator.
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