MLA Citation Generator

How to Use This Free MLA Citation Generator

Our MLA citation generator creates perfectly formatted 9th edition citations in seconds. Select your source type, fill in the details, and click "Generate" — you will get an instant citation ready to paste into your Works Cited page.

What Makes Our Generator Different?

• 100% Free — No signup, no limits, no paywalls
• MLA 9th Edition Compliant — Updated to latest MLA Handbook standards
• All Source Types — Books, websites, journal articles, and more
• Instant Results — Get your citation in seconds
• Copy-Ready — One click copy to paste directly into your paper

MLA 9th Edition: Key Formatting Rules

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is the standard citation format for humanities courses. The 9th edition, published in April 2021, introduced several important updates:

MLA Core Elements

Every MLA citation is built from these core elements, listed in this order:

1. Author. Last name, First name.
2. Title of Source. In italics for standalone works, in quotation marks for parts of a larger work.
3. Title of Container, The larger work that contains the source.
4. Contributors, Editors, translators, illustrators.
5. Version, Edition or version number.
6. Number, Volume and issue numbers.
7. Publisher, The organization responsible for producing the source.
8. Publication Date, Year of publication.
9. Location. Page numbers, DOI, URL.

MLA Citation Examples

MLA Format for Your Works Cited Page

Your Works Cited list should:

• Start on a new page labeled "Works Cited" (centered, not bold or italicized)
• List entries alphabetically by the authors last name
• Use hanging indentation (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches)
• Double-space all entries
• Use italics for titles of books, journals, and websites
• Use quotation marks for article and chapter titles

Common MLA Citation Mistakes to Avoid

• Forgetting to italicize book and journal titles
• Using "&" instead of "and" between author names
• Including "https://" in URLs (MLA 9th prefers clean URLs)
• Listing publishers incorrectly (omit "Inc.", "Ltd.", "Co.")
• Forgetting the hanging indent on the Works Cited page