MLA format uses the author-page method for in-text citations: you include the author’s last name and the page number wherever you quote or paraphrase a source, then list the full source details on a Works Cited page at the end. Once you understand this core pattern, every variation follows logically. Here’s how to set up your essay and handle citations correctly.
Page Setup for an MLA Essay
Before you start citing sources, your document needs the right layout. Set all margins to 1 inch, use a 12-point font (Times New Roman is the standard choice), and double-space the entire paper, including your heading, body text, and Works Cited page.
In the upper left corner of the first page, list four lines of information, each on its own line: your name, your instructor’s name, the course name, and the date. Below that, center your title. There’s no need for a separate title page unless your instructor specifically asks for one. In the upper right corner of every page, insert a running header with your last name and the page number.
How In-Text Citations Work
Every time you use an idea, fact, or exact words from a source, you place the author’s last name and the relevant page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence, before the period. For example:
The novel explores how memory reshapes identity over time (Morrison 42).
You can also weave the author’s name into the sentence itself. When you do, only the page number goes in the parentheses:
Morrison argues that memory reshapes identity over time (42).
This flexibility lets you vary your writing style. Use the parenthetical version when the source isn’t the focus of your sentence, and the signal-phrase version when you want to foreground who said something.
Citing Sources with Multiple Authors
For a source with two authors, include both last names connected by “and” in your citation:
(Smith and Yang 88)
When a source has three or more authors, list only the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” (Latin for “and others”):
(Johnson et al. 112)
Use this same format in both your in-text citation and your Works Cited entry.
Sources Without Page Numbers
Many sources you’ll cite, especially websites, videos, and online articles, don’t have traditional page numbers. When that’s the case, simply use the author’s last name with no number:
(Garcia)
If the source uses a different numbering system, use that system instead. For poetry, include the word “line” or “lines” followed by the number. For plays, abbreviate the act, scene, and line numbers. For example, a citation from Act 3, Scene 2 of a play would look like this:
(Shakespeare 3.2.15-17)
Longer labels like “chapter” should be abbreviated (ch. 4).
Sources with No Known Author
When no author is listed, use a shortened version of the source’s title in place of the author’s name. Put the shortened title in quotation marks if the source is a short work like an article or webpage. Italicize it if the source is a longer, standalone work like a book or an entire website:
(“Rising Tuition Costs” 14)
Keep the shortened title brief but recognizable enough that a reader can find the full entry on your Works Cited page. Use the first major word or phrase from the title so it alphabetically matches your Works Cited list.
Quoting vs. Paraphrasing
Both direct quotes and paraphrases require in-text citations. The difference is in how you present the borrowed material. When you use an author’s exact words, put them in quotation marks and include the page number. When you put an idea into your own words, skip the quotation marks but still include the citation.
For direct quotations longer than four lines of prose, use a block quote: start the quote on a new line, indent the entire passage half an inch from the left margin, and place the parenthetical citation after the closing punctuation rather than before it. Don’t use quotation marks around a block quote.
Citing Generative AI Tools
If your instructor allows you to use AI-generated content and requires you to cite it, MLA has specific guidelines. Do not treat the AI tool as an author. Instead, describe what was generated as the title, name the tool (like ChatGPT) as the container, specify the model version, name the company that made it, give the date the content was generated, and provide a URL if the tool offers a shareable link.
A Works Cited entry for an AI-generated 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.
When an AI tool cites secondary sources in its response, don’t just cite the AI. Go find those original sources, verify them, and cite them directly. AI tools don’t always cite sources accurately, and sometimes they fabricate references entirely.
Building the Works Cited Page
Every source you cite in your essay needs a corresponding entry on the Works Cited page, which goes at the end of your paper on its own page. Center the title “Works Cited” at the top (no bold, no larger font). Double-space all entries, and use a hanging indent: the first line of each entry is flush left, and every additional line is indented half an inch.
Arrange entries alphabetically by the first element, which is usually the author’s last name. If there’s no author, alphabetize by the title (ignoring “A,” “An,” or “The” at the beginning).
A basic book entry follows this pattern: Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.
A journal article entry follows this pattern: Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, vol. number, no. number, Year, pp. page range.
For online sources, add the URL at the end of the entry (without “https://”). If the source has a DOI (a permanent digital identifier), use that instead of a URL.
Putting It All Together
The core rhythm of MLA citation in an essay is simple: mention an idea from a source, include the author and page number right there in the sentence, and make sure the full details live on your Works Cited page. Every in-text citation is a signpost pointing the reader to a specific Works Cited entry. If those two pieces match up cleanly, your citations are doing their job. When in doubt, ask yourself whether a reader could take your parenthetical citation, find the right entry on your Works Cited page, and locate the exact passage you’re referencing. If the answer is yes, you’ve cited correctly.