MLA style edition and punctuation
The examples on this page use the MLA 9th edition.
Punctuation is important. Use the same punctuation and formatting as the order instructions and examples (commas, full stops and brackets). Use 1 space after any punctuation mark.
In this edition, you don't need to state the publishing medium. For example, 'Print' for physical books and journals and 'Web' for online material.
Key points
Each source entry has 3 basic parts:
- Name of the author – if a source has 3 or more authors, give the first author's last name and first name, followed by 'et al.' for the other authors. The author or authors can be a person, people, an organisation or an institution.
- Title of the work – put a colon between the title and subtitle unless the title ends with a question mark or exclamation mark.
- Publication information – start the URL with www, not https:// or http://.
AI platform
Warning! Be very cautious citing sources generated by AI. Sometimes, it can create sources that do not exist. Make sure you check all sources generated by AI tools.
If you have permission to use AI in assessments, such as for developing initial ideas for your critical examination, you must acknowledge it. The MLA Style Centre provides guidance on how to cite generative AI.
Focus on the functional use of the AI tool, for example, generating images, editing, translating, in a note, your text or the reference.
Fact-check AI-generated content against academic sources.
Check the accuracy of any AI-produced references. AI frequently produces false and inaccurate references. You need to know and check what the original sources say to determine if they have been used and (or) cited accurately.
Order: "Description of prompt" prompt. Name of AI platform, version date, Creator or owner of AI platform, use date, AI platform home page URL.
Examples
"Van Gogh style painting of a sunny day" prompt. ChatGPT, 16 Oct. version, Open AI, 7 Feb. 2024, chat.openai.com/chat.
"Write 500 words on blood homeostasis" prompt. ChatGPT, 16 Oct. version, Open AI, 7 Feb. 2024, chat.openai.com/chat.
Order: "Description or name of work created". Name of AI platform, version date, Creator or owner of AI platform, use date, AI platform home page URL.
Example
"Sakura and koru" haiku. ChatGPT, 16 Oct. version, Open AI, 7 Feb. 2024, chat.openai.com/chat.
Article from an online database
Order: Authors. "Article title." Name of the journal or newspaper, volume, number or issue number, date of issue, page range. Database name, DOI or URL. Date of access.
Include the page range if available and use the URL if the DOI isn't available. The date of access is optional.
Example
Bhattacharya, Prasad, S. and Dimitrois, D. Thomakos. "Robust Model Rankings of Forecasting Performance." Journal of Forecasting, 2018, pp. 1–15. Wiley Online Library, doi: 10.1002/for.2529.
Blog post
Order: Authors [@username]. "Blog post title". Name of blog, date of publication. Access date. Description.
Include the username if available. The access date and description are optional.
Example
Rhee, Chungah. "Vegetable Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce." Damn Delicious, 25 June 2019, damndelicious.net/2019/06/25/vegetable-spring-rolls-with-peanut-sauce/. Accessed 2 July 2019. Blog post.
Email or text message
If you are the recipient, refer to yourself as 'the author' or include your own name.
Order: Name of sender. Email or text message to recipient. Date of email.
Examples
Clarke, Penny. Email to the author. 3 Sept. 2021.
Clarke, Penny. Text message to the author. 3 Sept. 2021.
Jones, Estelle. Email to Penny Clarke. 5 Sept. 2021
Magazine or newspaper article
Any printed source that can also be found online should be referenced in its standard format, with the addition of online information such as the webpage title, date of last update, sponsoring organisation, URL or DOI and the access date.
Online forum or discussion board
Order: Authors, editors or compilers [@screen name or handle]. "Source title." Name of site, date of publication. Access date. Description.
Include the authors, editors or compilers if available. The access date is optional but recommended. The description is also optional.
Example
George. Jen [@Cookie549] "Re: Alt gib solutions?" Frugal DIY, 15 May 2018, frugaldiy.com/thread/47869/interior. Accessed 1 Feb. 2019. Discussion board post.
Social media post
Use X for posts that predate the name change from Twitter so they can still be located.
Order: Authors [@screen name]. "Entire tweet or first line of the tweet if long" or the description of a non-textual post but not in quotation marks. Social media platform name, date of upload, URL.
Examples
Massey University Centre for Learner Success [@MasseyuniCLS]. "How to create and view your turnitin report." X, 8 Aug. 2018, x.com/MasseyUniCTL/status/1027030943163330560.
Jones, Shelley [@cookies&milk]. Video of 15 hour potatoes. TikTok, 14 Jan 2022, www.tiktok.com/@the_object/video/7055973486132579586?
Coughlan, Mike. Cover of Rainbow Fairy Magic, by Daisy Meadows, Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/58907894235/.
Webpage
Order: Authors. "Page title." Name of internet site, Publisher information, date posted or of last update, URL or DOI. Access date.
Include the publisher information if applicable. The access date is optional.
Example
Fincham, Tony. "The Life of Thomas Hardy." The Thomas Hardy Society, 3 Feb. 2019, www.hardysociety.org/life/. Accessed 26 May 2025.
References may include the names of site editors or version numbers, if you think they are relevant.
Many online sources don't identify an individual author. In this case, use the source's title in place of the author.
Example
"Referencing Online Material in MLA." Online Writing and Learning Link, Massey U, 11 Feb. 2018, owll.massey.ac.nz/referencing/referencing-online-material-in-mla.php. Accessed 2 May 2018
Provide the date you looked at the web page as the access date. This is optional but recommended if there is no copyright or publication date.
A last reviewed date implies the web page content has not changed or updated, so use the original date.
Start URLs with www or the website name, don't use https:// or http://. If a DOI is available, use this instead of the URL
Web pages don't always have the same quality controls as printed material, so many websites aren't appropriate for an academic assignment unless they're evidencing the work of art or design practitioners.
Referencing disclaimer
This page is a guide to proper referencing. Your course, department, school or institute may prescribe specific conventions. Their recommendations supersede these instructions. If your questions are not covered here, ask your course coordinator or ask on our Academic Q&A forum.
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