MLA Citation Style (9th ed., 2026) — In-Text & Works Cited Format

Overview

What is MLA citation style?

MLA is the citation style of the Modern Language Association, currently in its 9th edition (2021). It is an author–page system built from nine "core elements" (author, title of source, title of container, contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, location).

It is the dominant style in English, literature, languages and the humanities — fields where you quote and cite a specific page rather than a year. See the full set on the citation-styles hub.

In-text

MLA in-text citations

MLA uses the author surname and a page number, with no comma and no year. Name the author either in brackets or in the sentence.

Parenthetical(Sharma 45) · two authors: (Sharma and Rao 45)

NarrativeSharma argues that the method scales… (45).

Works Cited

The Works Cited

Title the final page Works Cited, order entries alphabetically by author surname, double-space, and apply a 0.5″ hanging indent. Article titles take quotation marks; container (journal/book) titles are italicised.

Journal articleSharma, Rahul. "Machine Learning for Structural Health Monitoring." Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 12, no. 3, 2023, pp. 45–67.

BookMehta, Aditi. Foundations of Research Design. 2nd ed., Oxford UP, 2022.

At a glance

MLA vs the other styles

MLA is one of six styles LivoDraft generates. Choose the one your department or journal requires:

APA (Author, Year)MLA (Author 45)Harvard IEEE [1]Chicago Vancouver (1)

When to use

Who uses MLA?

✓

Use MLA for

English, literature, languages, philosophy, cultural studies and the humanities. Social sciences use APA; engineering/CS use IEEE; medicine uses Vancouver.

Cite in MLA — automatically & verified

LivoDraft formats every in-text citation and the full works cited in MLA style, building the bibliography from real, DOI-verified papers — never fabricated entries.

Draft & cite my document →All styles

FAQ

MLA citation FAQ

What is MLA citation style?+

MLA is the author–page style of the Modern Language Association, now in its 9th edition (2021). In-text citations give the author surname and page number — (Sharma 45) — and full sources are listed alphabetically in a Works Cited list with a hanging indent.

How do you write an MLA in-text citation?+

Put the author surname and page number with no comma: (Sharma 45). If the author is named in the sentence, cite only the page: Sharma argues that... (45). MLA does not use the year in the in-text citation.

Is it Works Cited or References in MLA?+

MLA calls the source list 'Works Cited' (APA and Harvard call it 'References'). It is alphabetical by author surname, double-spaced, with a 0.5-inch hanging indent.

Which subjects use MLA?+

English, literature, languages, philosophy, cultural studies and the humanities. Sciences use APA or Vancouver; engineering uses IEEE.