MLA Citation Guide (MLA 9th Edition): When Identifying Citation Elements in Your Source

Magazine Articles from a Library Database or Website

Where to find the:

• Author: The authors are often listed below the article title.
• Publication date: Generally, you can find the publication date at the beginning of the article. Use the date of last update if it's available.
• Title: This is usually found at the beginning of the article. In the citation, include both the main title and subtitle.
• Magazine name: Generally, the magazine name is found at the top of the website, or if the article is from a database, near the article title.
• Database or website name: This is often found at the top of the webpage or database.
• Volume and/or issue number: The information is usually located near the beginning of the article. Some articles may not have a volume and/or issue number. If this is the case, it can be omitted from the citation.
• Page numbers: Online articles may not have page numbers. This can be excluded from the reference list citation. For the in-text citation, you can use the paragraph number where the quote or information can be found.

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Newspaper Articles from a Library Database or Website

Where to find the:

• Author: The authors are often listed below the article title. If not listed, start the citation with the title of the article (see example).
• Publication date: Generally, you can find the publication date at the beginning of the article. Use the date of last update if it's available.
• Title: This is usually found at the beginning of the article. In the citation, include both the main title and subtitle.
• Newspaper name: Generally, the magazine name is found at the top of the website, or if the article is from a database, near the article title.
• Database or website name: This is often found at the top of the web version of the journal article.
• Volume and/or issue number: The information is usually located near the beginning of the article. Some articles may not have a volume and/or issue number. If this is the case, it can be omitted from the citation.
• Page numbers: Online articles may not have page numbers. This can be excluded from the reference list citation. For the in-text citation, you can use the paragraph number where the quote or information can be found.

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Documents Posted on a Website (e.g., PDFs and Infographics)

Where to find the:

• Author: Use the author of the document that you're citing. Author information is often found in the first pages of the document. Sometimes, the author's name can be found near the end of the document.
• Publication date: Check the first few pages of the report for the publication or last update date. Sometimes, the date may also be mentioned on the last page of the report. If available, use the last update date instead of the publication date. If it's not listed, you can omit this part of the citation.
• Title: The title is often found on the first page of the document.
• Sponsoring organization: This is the organization responsible for making a work available. If the sponsoring organization is the same as the author, it can be omitted from the citation.
• Page numbers: If the page numbers are not written directly on the document, use the page numbers in the app you're using to view the document (e.g., Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Word).
• URL: If you downloaded the PDF or document to your computer, you can use the URL for the page where you downloaded the material from. Another option is to right click on the link to the PDF or document to copy the direct link to your source.

Webpages & Articles from a Website

Where to find the:

• Author: The name of the individual or group author can be found at the beginning or the end of the webpage or article. If the author is not listed, start the citation with the title of the webpage or article.
• Publication date: Check the beginning and end of the webpage or article to find the date the material was posted. If available, use the last update date instead of the publication date. If there's no date, you may use the copyright date.
• Title: Include the full title of the webpage or article in your citation.
• Sponsoring organization: This is the organization responsible for making a work available. This information can usually be found at the top or footer of the website. If the sponsoring organization is the same as the author, it can be omitted from the citation.
• Page numbers: Webpages and online articles don't typically have page numbers. In the in-text citation, you can use the paragraph number where the quote or information is taken from.

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Streaming Videos from a Website (e.g., YouTube)

Where to find the:

• Uploader of video: This information is usually found along with the description of the video. You can use the username if the individual or group name is not available.
• Upload date: Generally, you can find the publication along with the description of the video. If no date can be found, you may omit it from the citation.
• Title: Use the full title listed on the page where you're viewing the video.
• Website name: This is usually found at the top of the page where you're viewing the video.