Author. Title of Source. Title of Container, Other Contributors (translators or editors), Version (edition), Number (vol. and/or no.), Publisher, Publication Date, Location (pages, paragraphs, URL or DOI).
*if there is a second container, add its information to the end in the same order as the first container: Title of Second Container, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.
**if there is no date for your source, add an access date at the very end of the citation: Accessed Day Month Year.
The MLA Handbook (Ninth Edition) manual mostly focuses on clarifying and expanding on information from the 8th edition. However, there are several areas that are totally new or different from the 8th edition. Some of them are as follows:
New inclusive language principles. These guidelines are explained thoroughly in Chapter 3 of the MLA Handbook (Ninth Edition) (page 89), and are summarized in the "Guidelines for Inclusive Writing" tab above.
Names, terms, titles, and quotes in languages other than English should follow the grammar, punctuation, and capitalization rules of that language.
The sections covering foreign languages in the MLA Handbook (Ninth Edition) are as follows:
Some source containers (such as apps and streaming services for music, TV, and movies) now appear at the ends of citations even if other containers are mentioned earlier. For example:
"Penumbra." Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, season 7, episode 17, Paramount Pictures, 1999. Netflix, www.netflix.com.
Some other examples of containers put in the same spot as "Netflix, www.netflix.com" above include:
Some format labels are now included the very end of Works Cited citations for unique source types, such as "Transcript of lyrics" in the example below:
Chapman, Tracy. "Fast Car." Tracy Chapman, Elektra Records, 1988, https://genius.com/Tracy-chapman-fast-car-lyrics. Transcript of lyrics.
Some other formats cited in this way include:
Book Template: Author last name, first name. Title of Book. Publisher, year.
Single Author
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Riverhead Books, 2003.
Prachett, Terry, and Neil Gaiman. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. William Morrow, 2006.
Clayton, Dhonielle, et al. Blackout. Quill Tree Books, 2021.
The Epic of Gilgamesh. Translated by N.K. Sandars, Penguin Books, 2006.
Chupeco, Rin. “Sugar and Spite.” Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food and Love, edited by Caroline Tung Richmond and Elsie Chapman, Simon Pulse, 2019, pp. 78-101.
Butler, Octavia E. Kindred. Kindle ed., Beacon Press, 2004.
Spiegelman, Art. Maus. Pantheon Books, 1991.
Watchmen. By Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons, colored by John Higgins, DC Comics, 2005.
Davidson, Basil. "Africa Rediscovered." Preface. Africa in History, by Davidson, Phoenix Press, 2001, pp. xv -xviii.
See Appendix 2, page 313 in the MLA Handbook Ninth Edition for more book citation examples, and Chapter 5, "The List of Works Cited" (starting on page 105) for more details/explanations.
Poem in a Printed Anthology
Harjo, Joy. "Deer Ghost." In In Mad Love and War, Wesleyan, 1990, p. 29.
Poem Found Online
Giovanni, Nikki. "They Clapped." Poetry Foundation, 2022, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48229/they-clapped.
See Appendix 2, page 317 in the MLA Handbook Ninth Edition for more book citation examples, and Chapter 5, "The List of Works Cited" (starting on page 105) for more details/explanations.
Print Article with One Author
Comeau, Leah Elizabeth. “Representations of Women and Divinity in Medieval Tamil Literature.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, vol. 35, no. 1, spring 2019, pp. 51–66.
Print Article with Two Authors
Iwundu, Ifeanyi E., and Chidi Onah. “Politics of National Honours Award in Nigeria: Chinua Achebe’s Perspectives.” IKENGA: International Journal of Institute of African Studies, vol. 19, no. 1, July 2018, pp. 230–237.
Online Article with DOI
Andrews, Meghan C. “Michael Drayton, Shakespeare's Shadow.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 65, no. 3, 2014, pp. 273–306. Oxford Academic, https://doi.org/10.1353/shq.2014.0033.
Online Article without DOI (use Permalink)
Manganiello, Dominic. “Ethics and Aesthetics in ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray.’” The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, 1983, pp. 25–33. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25512571.
Blog Post / Article on a Webpage
Zara, Aline. "Manga: Maintaining Maximum Market Momentum." Booknet Canada, 26 Aug. 2021, https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2021/8/26/manga-maintaining-maximum-market-momentum. Accessed 16 Sep. 2021.
Note: including the access date is very helpful when there is no other date for the source (n.d.), but it is usually optional.
Poem Found Online
Stevens, Wallace. "The Snow Man." Poetry Foundation, 2022, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45235/the-snow-man-56d224a6d4e90.
Facebook Post
Penguin Books. "From the bestselling author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers...." Facebook, 1 Sep. 2021, https://www.facebook.com/penguinbooks/videos/4330050020444564/.
Tweet
William Shakespeare [@Shakespeare]. "Thou really canst not complain about being 'too nice a guy' if a woman has faked her own death to avoid thee. #ShakespearesHoliday." Twitter, 29 July 2021, https://twitter.com/Shakespeare/status/1420791229630009351.
Email or Text Message
Rocca, Marissa. Email to the author. 2 Sep. 2021.
Brown, Lorna. "Digital Natives." Canadian Theatre Review, edited by Peter Dickinson, Kirsty Johnston, and Keren Zaiontz, vol. 164, fall 2015, p. 31.
Magazine Article (online)
Galchen, Rivka. “Nasa's New Telescope Will Show Us the Infancy of the Universe.” The New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2021, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/16/nasas-new-telescope-will-show-us-the-infancy-of-the-universe.
Newspaper Article (in print)
Jeromack, Paul. “This Once, a David of the Art World Does Goliath a Favor.” New York Times, late edition, 13 July 2002, p. B7.
Newspaper Article (online)
Applebaum, Anne. "The New Puritans." The Atlantic, 31 August 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/10/new-puritans-mob-justice-canceled/619818/.
Art/Image Template: Artist. Title of Artwork. Year. Gallery/Location. Medium (optional). Link (if applicable).
Sculpture/Art Object
Bourgeois, Louise. Crouching Spider. 2003, Dia Beacon, New York. Bronze, patina, and stainless steel.
Photograph (viewed in person)
Spitzer, Kali. Betsy Saw Bisou / Bisou Saw Betsy. 2018, Grunt Gallery, Vancouver.
Painting (viewed online)
Wiley, Kehinde. Shantavia Beale II. 2012. Brooklyn Museum, https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/kehinde_ wiley_new_republic/.
Illustration/Cartoon (online)
Munroe, Randall. "Bracket." XKCD, https://xkcd.com/1529/. Accessed 2 Sep. 2021.
Art Exhibition
Kubota Itchiku. What Do the Mountain Spirits Ponder? 22 Nov. 2018 - 20 Feb. 2019, Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie, Alberta.
Note: In this example, there is no comma between the family name and given name of the artist because in Japanese, family names are traditionally written first. The same is generally true of Chinese and Korean names, and should be reflected in your MLA citations.
Film Template: Title of film. Directed by Director (optional), Distributor / Other Distributor, Year of Release.
Film with Two Publishers/Distributors
The Babadook. Directed by Jennifer Kent, Entertainment One / Umbrella Entertainment, 2014.
Film Watched Through an App
Knives Out. Lions Gate / MRC, 2019. Amazon Prime Video app.
Film Watched on a Website
Parasite. Directed by Bong Joon-ho, CJ Entertainment, 2019. Hulu, www.hulu.com.
TV Episode Template: "Title of Episode." Title of Series, created by First name Last name (optional), season #, episode #, Distributor / Other Distributor, Date of Release. Method of viewing (if applicable).
TV Episode Viewed as a Broadcast
“Made in America.” The Sopranos, created by David Chase, season 6, episode 21, HBO Entertainment / Warner Bros. Television Studios, 10 Jun. 2007.
TV Episode Viewed on a Website
"Chocolate Week." The Great British Bake Off, season 11, episode 4, Love Productions / BBC Studios, 2020. Netflix, www.netflix.com.
TV Episode Viewed on Physical Media (DVD, Blu-ray)
"Pegasus." Battlestar Galactica, season 2, episode 10, NBCUniversal, 2010, disc 3. DVD.
TV Episode Without a Title
This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Created by Mary Walsh, season 28, episode 4, Entertainment One, 27 Oct. 2020.
Video Template: "Title of video." Website, uploaded by Name of Uploader, Date of upload, Link.
Online Video (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
“Passengers, Rearranged.” YouTube, uploaded by Nerdwriter1, 19 Apr. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gksxu-yeWcU.
TED Talk
Boroditsky, Lera. "How Language Shapes the Way We Think." TED, Nov. 2017, https://www.ted.com/talks/lera_boroditsky_ how_language_shapes_the_way_we_think.
Video Game
Gone Home. Windows version, Fullbright, 15 Aug. 2013.
Audio Source With Container Template: Artist. "Title of Song/Section." Title of Album/Container, Publisher/Record Label, Year. Listening method (if applicable).
The Tragically Hip. "Wheat Kings." Fully Completely, MCA, 1992.
Song Listened to on an App
Sainte-Marie, Buffy, and Tanya Tagaq. "You Got to Run (Spirit of the Wind)." True North Records, 2017. Spotify app.
Transcript of Song Lyrics (from website)
Chapman, Tracy. "Fast Car." Tracy Chapman, Elektra Records, 1988, https://genius.com/Tracy-chapman-fast-car-lyrics. Transcript of lyrics.
Audio Source Without Container Template: Artist. Title of Source. Publisher/Record Label, Year. Listening method (if applicable).
Full Music Album
The Tea Party. Triptych. EMI Music Canada, 1999.
Audiobook
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Narrated by Maya Angelou, audiobook ed., unabridged ed., Random House, 2010.
Online Dictionary Entry
"Muskeg, N." Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP 2021, https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/124156?redirectedFrom=muskeg#eid.
Digital Encyclopedia Entry (no author)
"Rocky Mountains." Britannica Concise Encyclopedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica Digital Learning, 2017. Credo Reference, https://ezproxy.agpc.talonline.ca/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/ebconcise/rocky_mountains/0?institutionId=2631.
Print Encyclopedia Entry (with author)
Rosbottom, Ronald C. "1761, February: The Novel and Gender Difference." A New History of French Literature, edited by Denis Hollier, Harvard UP, 1989, pp. 481-87.
PPT Slides/MyClass materials
"Health Promotion PowerPoint." Foundations for Success in Nursing, taught by Teresa Evans. MyClass, Northwestern Polytechnic, 1 Aug. 2020, https://myclass.nwpolytech.ca/d2l/le/content/8103/viewContent/54979/View.
Course Syllabus
Syllabus for English 111: Language, Literature, and Culture. Taught by Robert Brazeau, fall 2008, U of Alberta, Edmonton.
Lecture/Presentation
Wills, Amanda. Lecture. Introduction to the Learning Commons, 3 Sep. 2022, Northwestern Polytechnic.
Personal Communication/Interview
Fehr, Jacob. Personal interview. 6 February 2023.
Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers (Template): Last name, First name (Nation/Community). City/Community they live. Description of teaching, Treaty (if applicable), Name of story keeper who passed on the teaching to the author (if applicable). Day Month Year, Location where teaching was given.
Note: The above template was released by the MLA Style Center in 2022, as an adaptation of guidelines for citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers created by Larissa MacLeod, a member of James Smith Cree Nation, and staff at NorQuest College Indigenous Student Centre. The original guidelines created by MacLeod and NorQuest College were developed in the spirit of wahkôhtowin and reconciliation, and the staff at the NWP Learning Commons thank them for making it available.
Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers
Cardinal, Delores (Goodfish Lake Cree Nation). Lives in Edmonton. Oral teaching, Treaty 6. 4 Apr. 2004, Canadian Native Friendship Centre.
Further notes:
For example: “Story about the sisters of the river as told to [name of story keeper] by their grandmother [or the grandmother’s name]”
If it is not possible to discuss the description with the Knowledge Keeper, include only the essential information.
For example: "Oral teaching, Treaty 6"
The original guide created by Lorisia MacLeod and NorQuest College Indigenous Student Centre staff is available at https://libguides.norquest.ca/IndigenousEducation/cite. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Email template: Sender of e-mail last name, first name. E-mail to author (or your name). Exact date.
Interview template: Interviewee Last name, first name. Interview with author (or your name). Exact date.
While MLA does not have a specific format for personal communications such as e-mail or interviews, we can use the above templates to generate a works cited entry.
Fournier, Teevin. E-mail to author*. January 30, 2024
Interview
Fournier, Teevin. Interview with author. February 2, 2024.
*Note: you may use your own name instead of "author"
For more information on citing personal communications, see page 124 of the MLA Handbook Ninth Edition (in Section 5.23 "Title of Source: What It Is").