MLA Journal Citation Format | Cite Articles Without Errors

You’ve got a solid journal article. Now comes the part that trips people up: turning that article into a clean MLA Works Cited entry that won’t get side-eyed by a teacher, tutor, or grader.

This article walks you through MLA journal citations in plain steps. You’ll get the exact order of parts, the punctuation that matters, and templates you can plug your details into. You’ll finish with citations that look calm, consistent, and correct.

What MLA Expects In A Journal Article Citation

MLA Works Cited entries for journal articles follow a predictable pattern. Once you learn the “slots,” you can cite most articles with the same rhythm.

Most journal citations include these parts, in this order:

• Author (or authors)
• Article title (in quotation marks)
• Journal title (in italics)
• Volume and issue numbers
• Year of publication
• Page range (when available)
• DOI (best) or stable URL (when needed)
• Database name (when you accessed it through one)

You won’t always have every piece. That’s fine. MLA wants the details you can verify from the article PDF, the journal page, or the database record.

MLA Journal Citation Format For Database Articles

When you find an article inside a library database (EBSCOhost, JSTOR, ProQuest, Gale, ScienceDirect, and so on), you cite the article and the journal first. Then you add the database name and a DOI or stable link.

Use this as a starting template:

Last Name, First Name. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. ##–##. Database Name, DOI or Stable URL.

Two quick notes that save headaches:

• Use a DOI when the article has one. A DOI is built to stay put.
• If you don’t have a DOI, use a stable URL from the journal or database record. Skip the long tracking links that break when someone else clicks them.

If you want to cross-check punctuation on a real MLA model, the MLA Style Center page on citing journal articles shows the same building blocks used here.

Step-By-Step: Build The Works Cited Entry

Step 1: Start With The Author

Write the first author as Last Name, First Name. End with a period.

If there are two authors, list them like this:

• Last, First, and First Last.

If there are three or more, name the first author, then add et al.:

• Last, First, et al.

Step 2: Add The Article Title In Quotation Marks

Use quotation marks for the article title. Keep the original capitalization style used in MLA (capitalize main words). End the title with a period inside the closing quotation mark.

Step 3: Add The Journal Title In Italics

The journal name is italicized. Use the title as the journal presents it. End with a comma.

Step 4: Add Volume, Issue, Year, Pages

Most citations use this order:

• vol. number,
• no. number,
• year,
• pp. page range.

Use p. for one page and pp. for a range. If the article uses an article number instead of pages, MLA style often uses that identifier in place of pages when that’s what the journal provides.

Step 5: Finish With DOI Or URL, And Add The Database If Used

If the article is online, end with a DOI when available. Many DOIs show up as a link that starts with https://doi.org/.

If there’s no DOI, use a stable URL. If you accessed the article through a database, put the database name in italics before the DOI or URL.

Need another trustworthy model page to compare against? Purdue’s writing lab keeps MLA examples updated on its MLA Works Cited guidance for online sources.

Details That Change The Citation

Journal articles don’t all show up in the same packaging. Print PDFs, online-first releases, databases, and open web pages can each tweak the final line of your entry.

These are the most common switches:

• DOI present: use it, placed at the end.
• No DOI, stable link present: use the stable URL at the end.
• Database access: add the database name in italics before the DOI or URL.
• Page numbers missing: use what the journal provides (article number, e-locator, or omit pages if none exist).
• “Ahead of print” or online-first: cite the year shown on the journal record you used.

When you’re stuck choosing between two dates, use the one tied to the version you actually read and can point to again later (PDF header, journal page, or database record).

Table 1 should appear after first 40% of the article

MLA Journal Citation Parts And Punctuation

This table acts like a checklist. If your Works Cited entry looks off, scan down the parts and confirm you’ve got the right order and punctuation.

Part	Write It Like This	Small Notes
Author (one)	Last, First.	End with a period.
Authors (two)	Last, First, and First Last.	Only the first author is inverted.
Authors (3+)	Last, First, et al.	Use et al. after the first author.
Article Title	“Title of Article.”	Quotation marks; period stays inside.
Journal Title	Journal Title,	Italic; end with a comma.
Volume	vol. 12,	Use vol. then a comma.
Issue	no. 3,	Use no. then a comma.
Year	2024,	Usually just the year, then a comma.
Pages	pp. 115-132.	Use p. or pp.; end with a period.
Database Name	JSTOR,	Italic; add before DOI/URL when used.
DOI Or Stable URL	https://doi.org/…	Final item; end with a period only if your style uses it.

In-Text Citations For Journal Articles

Works Cited is only half of MLA. You also need an in-text citation that points back to the entry.

The standard in-text format uses the author’s last name and a page number:

• (Smith 128)

If the author name is already in your sentence, use only the page number in parentheses:

• (128)

No page numbers? Use only the author’s last name in parentheses. If the article is formatted with section markers or paragraph numbers, your instructor may want those, so follow your course rules.

Common Mistakes That Cost Points

Most MLA errors come from tiny slips. Fixing them is less about memorizing a rulebook and more about slowing down for ten seconds.

Mixing Up Article Title And Journal Title

The article title goes in quotation marks. The journal title is italic. If you flip them, the entry looks wrong right away.

Leaving Out The Issue Number When The Journal Uses It

Some journals restart page numbering each issue. In that case, the issue number helps readers locate the article. If your database record lists an issue, include it.

Using A Messy URL

Database links can get wild. If your link has a mile of tracking text, hunt for a “stable,” “permalink,” or “DOI” field in the record.

Forgetting The Database Name

If you got the PDF from a database, the database is part of the trail. Add it in italics after the page range, then the DOI or stable URL.

Table 2 should appear after 60% of the article

Templates For Real Journal Article Scenarios

Use the template that matches how you accessed the article. Swap in your details, then check punctuation against the pattern.

Scenario	Works Cited Template	In-Text Pattern
Print Journal Article	Last, First. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. ##-##.	(Last ##)
Online Journal With DOI	Last, First. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. ##-##. https://doi.org/xxxxx	(Last ##)
Database PDF With DOI	Last, First. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. ##-##. Database Name, https://doi.org/xxxxx	(Last ##)
Database PDF With Stable URL	Last, First. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. ##-##. Database Name, Stable URL.	(Last ##)
Three Or More Authors	Last, First, et al. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. ##-##. DOI or URL.	(Last ##)
No Page Numbers Listed	Last, First. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. #, no. #, Year. DOI or URL.	(Last)
Article Number Instead Of Pages	Last, First. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. #, no. #, Year, Article #. DOI or URL.	(Last)

A Clean Workflow To Cite Any Journal Article

If you want a repeatable routine, use this. It’s quick, and it stops you from bouncing between tabs.

1. Open the article PDF and copy the author name(s), article title, journal title, year, volume, issue, and pages.
2. Check the first and last pages for page range and the journal’s official title styling.
3. Find the DOI on the first page, in the database record, or on the journal site.
4. If there’s no DOI, grab a stable link from the database record or journal page.
5. Write the Works Cited entry using the exact order and punctuation.
6. Add the in-text citation based on author last name and page number (when available).
7. Do a final skim for italics, quotation marks, commas, and periods.

One last practical tip: build one perfect citation, then reuse the same structure for the rest of your sources. Consistency makes your entire Works Cited page look sharp.

Mini Examples You Can Model

These aren’t tied to a single real article. They’re pattern demos, so you can match the punctuation and spacing.

One Author, Print

Lopez, Marta. “Language Transfer in Adult Learners.” Journal of Applied Linguistics, vol. 18, no. 2, 2021, pp. 44-63.

Two Authors, Database With Stable URL

Nguyen, Tien, and Rina Patel. “Peer Review Practices in First-Year Writing.” College Writing Studies, vol. 9, no. 1, 2022, pp. 10-29. JSTOR, stable URL.

Three Or More Authors, DOI

Ahmed, Saira, et al. “Reading Speed and Retention Across Formats.” Literacy Research Quarterly, vol. 57, no. 4, 2023, pp. 501-520. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Final Check Before You Submit

Run this quick checklist right before you turn in your paper:

• Article title is in quotation marks, with the period inside.
• Journal title is italic.
• Volume is labeled vol. and issue is labeled no.
• Year is in the right spot, followed by a comma.
• Pages use p. or pp. and match the article PDF.
• Database name is italic when you used a database.
• DOI is used when available; stable URL is used when DOI is missing.
• In-text citation matches the first word of the Works Cited entry (author last name).