Example Of Mla Citations | Get It Right Every Time

Citations feel tiny until a teacher circles them in red. One missing comma, a page number in the wrong spot, or a web link that can’t be traced, and your whole paper starts to look shaky. This page keeps it simple: copy the models, swap your details, then run a quick check before you submit.

MLA style uses two parts that always travel together: short in-text citations in your paragraphs, and a Works Cited list at the end. The in-text piece points the reader to the right entry. The Works Cited entry shows full source details in a standard order known as the “core elements.”

Fast lookup table for common MLA citations

Source type	Works Cited model	In-text model
Book (one author)	Last, First. Title. Publisher, Year.	(Last 23)
Book chapter in an edited book	Last, First. “Chapter Title.” Book Title, edited by Editor, Publisher, Year, pp. 45-62.	(Last 51)
Journal article (print or PDF)	Last, First. “Article Title.” Journal, vol. 12, no. 3, 2024, pp. 100-118.	(Last 107)
Online news or magazine article	Last, First. “Page Title.” Site Name, Day Mon. Year, URL.	(Last)
Web page with group author	Organization Name. “Page Title.” Site Name, Day Mon. Year, URL.	(Organization Name)
Video (YouTube or site video)	“Video Title.” Platform, uploaded by Channel Name, Day Mon. Year, URL.	(“Video Title”)
Podcast episode	“Episode Title.” Podcast Title, hosted by Host Name, Podcast Network, Day Mon. Year.	(“Episode Title”)
Interview you conducted	Last, First. Personal interview. Day Mon. Year.	(Last)
AI tool output you used as a source	“Prompt text you used.” Tool Name, version, Company, Day Mon. Year, URL (if any).	(“Prompt text”)

Think of that table as a set of starter shells. Your job is to swap in the details from your source, then keep punctuation consistent. If a piece of info doesn’t exist, MLA style tells you to skip that element and don’t invent it.

Example Of Mla Citations with the core-elements template

MLA 9 builds most Works Cited entries from the same lineup of facts, called core elements. The order stays steady across books, sites, videos, and more: author, title of source, title of container, other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, and location.

Core elements in plain words

• Author: who made it (a person, group, or account name).
• Title of source: the item you used (article page, chapter, episode, post).
• Container: the larger place holding it (site name, journal title, edited book).
• Publisher and date: who released it and when.
• Location: page range, DOI, URL, or other locator.

This template keeps your list consistent even when your sources are mixed. It also helps you spot what you’re missing. A Works Cited entry with no author can still be solid if the title and container are clear.

In-text citations that match your Works Cited

MLA in-text citations are built to stay out of the reader’s way. You’ll use an author name plus a page number in parentheses, placed right after the borrowed idea, quote, or detail.

Author and page in one move

If you name the author in your sentence, MLA usually wants only the page number in parentheses. If you don’t name the author in the sentence, put both in parentheses.

• Named in the sentence: Smith argues the claim is overstated (43).
• Not named: The claim is overstated (Smith 43).

What to do when pages don’t exist

Web pages and streaming media often have no page numbers. In that case, MLA citations often keep the in-text note to the author or a short title. Some instructors also accept a time range for video or audio when you want a pinpoint. If you’re unsure which option your class prefers, check your course rubric.

Works Cited entries you can copy and adapt

Below are clean models for sources students use all the time. Keep the structure, then swap in your source details. Watch the italics and quotation marks: self-contained works (books, full sites, films) are italicized; pieces inside a larger container (an article page, a chapter, an episode) use quotation marks.

Book

Model: Last, First. Title. Publisher, Year.

Sample: Jacobs, Alan. The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction. Oxford UP, 2011.

Chapter in an edited book

Model: Last, First. “Chapter Title.” Book Title, edited by Editor First Last, Publisher, Year, pp. xx-xx.

Sample: Bazin, Patrick. “Toward Metareading.” The Future of the Book, edited by Geoffrey Nunberg, U of California P, 1996, pp. 153-68.

Journal article

Model: Last, First. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. x, no. x, Year, pp. xx-xx.

Sample: Baron, Naomi S. “Redefining Reading: The Impact of Digital Communication Media.” PMLA, vol. 128, no. 1, 2013, pp. 193-200.

Web page on a named site

Model: Last, First. “Page Title.” Site Name, Day Mon. Year, URL.

Sample: Doe, Jordan. “How To Read A Primary Source.” University Writing Lab, 12 Mar. 2025, writinglab.example.edu/primary-sources.

Web page with an organization as author

Model: Organization Name. “Page Title.” Site Name, Day Mon. Year, URL.

Sample: Modern Language Association. “Works Cited: A Quick Guide.” MLA Style Center, style.mla.org/works-cited/works-cited-a-quick-guide/.

If you want to double-check punctuation and core-element order while you format, keep these two pages open in another tab, then close them when you’re done: MLA “Works Cited: A Quick Guide” and Purdue OWL MLA Formatting And Style Guide.

On your Works Cited page, list entries in alphabetical order by the first word of each entry. Use double spacing and a hanging indent so the left edge stays easy to scan. In WordPress, the block editor can handle this with a hanging-indent setting or a preformatted block.

How to build a Works Cited entry from scratch

When you’re staring at a messy source, use this routine. It takes two minutes and stops most formatting errors.

Step 1: Name what you used

Write down the source title exactly as shown, including a subtitle. If it’s a page inside a site, that page title goes in quotation marks. If it’s the whole site, the site name can act as the title and goes in italics.

Step 2: Find the author or creator

Use a person when one is listed. If the page is owned by a group (a museum, a government agency, a school), the group can be the author. If no author is present, start with the title of source.

Step 3: Identify the container

Ask, “Where did I find this?” A journal article sits inside a journal title. A story sits inside an anthology. An online article sits inside a site name. The container is the piece that makes mixed-source bibliographies readable.

Step 4: Add the locator

Print sources use page ranges. Journal articles often have a DOI. Web sources use a clean URL. Many MLA models drop the http:// or https:// at the front of a web address; follow your instructor’s preference and stay consistent across the page.

Common in-text cases that trip students up

Two authors

List both last names in the in-text citation: (Garcia and Patel 88). In the Works Cited entry, list both authors in the order shown on the source.

Three or more authors

Use the first author’s last name plus “et al.” in the in-text citation, then add the page number when pages exist. In the Works Cited author element, list the first author, then “et al.”

No author listed

Use a short form of the title in quotation marks inside the in-text citation: (“Reading Archives” 12). On the Works Cited page, start the entry with that same title. This is why titles need to be stable and clear.

Indirect sources and quoted quotes

Try to track down the original when you can. If you can’t, cite the source you actually read and make it clear in your wording that you’re reporting what that author reports. Many teachers ask for a note like “qtd. in” in these cases, so check your class rubric before you lock it in.

Second table: quick fixes for the mistakes graders spot

Mistake	What it causes	Quick fix
Works Cited entry has no matching in-text citation	Reader can’t tell where you used the source	Either cite it in your text or remove it from the list
In-text citation points to an author not in Works Cited	Looks like a missing entry	Add a Works Cited entry that begins with that author
Web entry lists only a home page URL	Source is hard to verify	Use the page URL that holds the content you used
Titles use random italics and quotes	Style reads inconsistent	Italicize whole works; quote pieces within a container
Page numbers placed like “p. 12” in in-text notes	Not MLA in-text format	Use (Author 12) without “p.”
Missing hanging indent on Works Cited lines	List is harder to scan	Turn on hanging indent in your editor or WordPress block
Extra punctuation after URLs	Broken link	End the entry with the URL as the last element

A quick self-check before you submit

Run this checklist once, then you’re done.

• Every in-text citation points to the first word of a Works Cited entry.
• Every Works Cited entry is actually used in the paper.
• Titles and containers follow the same italics and quotation-mark logic across the page.
• Dates and URLs are copied carefully, with no stray spaces.
• Quoted text is followed by the citation right after the closing punctuation your teacher expects.

When your teacher wants a citation for AI help

Some classes now ask students to cite AI tools when the tool output shapes the words or ideas in the paper. If that’s your situation, treat the tool like a source: record the prompt you used, the tool name, and the date you ran it. Then add an in-text citation that matches the Works Cited entry. Start with the prompt as the title of source, then add the tool as the container.

One clean mini-demo you can mirror

You read a journal article by Naomi S. Baron and you quote a line from page 194. In your paragraph, you write the quote, then add the in-text note: (Baron 194). On your Works Cited page, you include the full entry for the article. If the first word of that entry is “Baron,” your reader can match the two pieces in seconds.

If you came here needing an example of mla citations to copy, use the models above as your starting point, then swap in details from your own sources. Keep your punctuation steady, keep your titles consistent, and make sure every in-text citation has a home in Works Cited. Use that same example of mla citations mindset on every source, and your list will hold together.