MLA format uses a system of brief in-text citations paired with a detailed Works Cited page at the end of your paper. Every source you quote, paraphrase, or reference in the text gets a short parenthetical note pointing readers to the full entry on your Works Cited list. Once you understand the core template and a few key rules, you can cite virtually any source type, from a printed book to a generative AI response.
The Nine Core Elements
MLA’s citation system is built on a single flexible template rather than a different formula for every source type. Each Works Cited entry can include up to nine elements, always in this order:
- Author. The person or organization primarily responsible for the content.
- Title of Source. The title of the specific work you used (an article, a poem, a web page).
- Title of Container. The larger work that holds your source (a journal, a website, an anthology).
- Contributor. Other important people involved, such as an editor, translator, or director.
- Version. A labeled edition or version (e.g., “3rd ed.” or a software model number).
- Number. Volume and issue numbers for journals or numbered series.
- Publisher. The organization that produced or released the work.
- Publication Date. The date the source was published or posted.
- Location. Where the reader can find the source: page numbers for print, a URL or DOI for online material.
Not every element applies to every source. If a source has no version or no contributor, you simply skip that element and move to the next one. The punctuation pattern stays the same: a period after the author and after the title of source, then commas between the remaining elements, and a period at the very end.
How In-Text Citations Work
An in-text citation appears in parentheses right after the borrowed material, usually containing the author’s last name and a page number. The period goes after the closing parenthesis, not before it. For example: (Smith 42). If you already mention the author’s name in your sentence, you only need the page number in parentheses.
The rules shift slightly depending on how many authors a source has:
- One author: Use the author’s last name and page number. (García 17)
- Two authors: List both last names joined by “and.” (García and Lee 17)
- Three or more authors: List only the first author’s last name followed by “et al.,” which is a Latin abbreviation meaning “and others.” (García et al. 17)
When a source has no page numbers, as with many websites and videos, you include just the author’s last name. If no author is listed, use a shortened version of the title in your parenthetical note instead.
Building a Works Cited Entry
Here is a concrete example showing how the core elements come together for a journal article:
Morales, Elena. “Urban Heat Islands and Public Health.” Journal of Environmental Studies, vol. 14, no. 2, Oxford UP, 2023, pp. 88–112.
Breaking that down: author (Morales, Elena), title of source (“Urban Heat Islands and Public Health”), title of container (Journal of Environmental Studies), number (vol. 14, no. 2), publisher (Oxford UP), publication date (2023), and location (pp. 88–112). No version or contributor applied, so those elements were skipped.
For a web page, the entry looks different because the location is a URL rather than page numbers, and you may not have a volume or issue:
Bowen, James. “How Coral Reefs Recover.” National Geographic, 15 Mar. 2024, www.nationalgeographic.com/example-article.
The same template applies. You simply fill in what exists and leave out what does not.
Citing Generative AI
MLA now provides official guidance for citing tools like ChatGPT, DALL-E, and similar AI platforms. The key rule: do not list the AI tool as the author. Instead, treat the tool’s name as the container (just as you would treat a website name) and describe what you prompted in the title of source element.
A Works Cited entry for a text response looks like this:
“Describe the theme of nature in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park” prompt. ChatGPT, model GPT-4o, OpenAI, 23 Sept. 2024, chatgpt.com/share/66f1b0a0-d704-8000-be9a-85f53c850607.
The prompt description serves as the title. The AI tool (ChatGPT) fills the container slot. The specific model name or number goes in the version element. The company that built the tool is the publisher. For the location, provide a stable, shareable URL to that particular conversation if the tool offers one. If it does not, use the tool’s general URL.
If the AI generated a creative work with its own title, use that title instead of the prompt wording:
“The Oak Tree” free verse poem. ChatGPT, model GPT-4o, OpenAI, 23 Sept. 2024, chatgpt.com/share/66f1c740-7500-8000-a38b-6d6045c811f5.
One important caution: when an AI tool cites secondary sources in its response, go find and read those original sources yourself. AI tools do not always cite accurately, and MLA recommends citing the original source directly rather than citing the AI’s summary of it.
Formatting the Works Cited Page
Your Works Cited page starts on a new page at the end of your paper. Center the title “Works Cited” at the top (no bold, no underline, no larger font). The page keeps the same one-inch margins and running header (your last name followed by the page number in the upper right corner) that the rest of your paper uses.
Entries are listed in alphabetical order by the first word of each citation, which is usually the author’s last name. Double-space everything, with no extra space between entries. Each entry uses a hanging indent: the first line sits flush against the left margin, and every subsequent line of that same entry is indented 0.5 inches. In most word processors, you can set this automatically through the paragraph formatting menu rather than pressing Tab on each line.
Formatting the Paper Itself
MLA does not require a separate title page. Instead, the first page of your paper includes a four-line block in the upper left corner, double-spaced like the rest of the text:
- Your name
- Your instructor’s name
- The course name and number
- The date
After those four lines, center your paper’s title on the next line. Do not bold it or change the font size. Then begin your text on the following line, still double-spaced.
Use a legible 12-point font (Times New Roman is the most common choice), set one-inch margins on all sides, and include a running header in the upper right corner of every page with your last name and the page number. The entire paper, from the first line of your heading block through the last entry on your Works Cited page, should be double-spaced with no extra spacing added between paragraphs or sections.
Quick Reference for Common Source Types
These shortened examples show how the core template adapts to sources you will cite most often.
- Book: Last, First. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.
- Journal article: Last, First. “Article Title.” Journal Name, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. #–#.
- Web page: Last, First. “Page Title.” Website Name, Date, URL.
- Video (online): “Video Title.” Platform Name, uploaded by Username, Date, URL.
- Edited anthology selection: Last, First. “Selection Title.” Anthology Title, edited by Editor Name, Publisher, Year, pp. #–#.
When a source does not fit neatly into one of these patterns, return to the nine core elements. Fill in whatever applies, skip whatever does not, and keep the punctuation consistent. That flexibility is the whole point of MLA’s template system: one structure works for virtually every source you will encounter.