How to Reference in MLA Style (9th Edition)

MLA referencing (9th edition) uses brief author–page citations in the text — (Smith 45) — matched to an alphabetical Works Cited list where a book appears as: Surname, Firstname. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

Published by the Modern Language Association, MLA 9 builds every Works Cited entry from nine core elements arranged around ‘containers’ — the journal that holds an article, the website that holds a page, the platform that streams a film. In the UK it is used mainly in English, media studies and film programmes, so check your handbook before choosing it over Harvard or MHRA. This guide covers in-text citations, Works Cited formats and the container logic — and if you would rather see it done properly, Projectsdeal’s UK academics have referenced work in MLA for 115,000+ students since 2001.

MLA Referencing, Step by Step

MLA is the most systematic of the major styles: one template of nine elements generates the entry for any source, from a Victorian novel to a TikTok clip. Learn the author–page citation, the core-element template and the container idea, and the rest is filling in blanks. Here are the six moves that matter.

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Every MLA Convention, Covered

Worked Example: One Essay’s MLA Citations Done Correctly

Take a media studies essay quoting a book, a journal article and a webpage. In the text: the novel form resists closure (Smith 45); Jones counters that closure is a marketing effect (“Reading the City” 214); and the BFI’s poll data shows the canon shifting (British Film Institute). The Works Cited list then reads, alphabetically: British Film Institute. “Sight and Sound Poll.” BFI, 2022, www.bfi.org.uk. / Jones, Mary. “Reading the City.” Modern Fiction Studies, vol. 58, no. 2, 2016, pp. 210–28. / Smith, John. Understanding Referencing. Academic Press, 2023. The classic mistakes are all visible by contrast: adding years to in-text citations, writing p. 45 instead of the bare number, italicising article titles that belong in quotation marks, including the place of publication (dropped since MLA 8), and alphabetising by first name. Check your draft against this pattern and most MLA errors disappear.

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Referencing Help — Guides, Tools and Services

MLA is one of several styles you may meet across an English or media degree — these guides and services cover them all, plus expert checking of your existing citations.

Essay Writing Help by Academic Level

MLA expectations rise with every level of study — from clean book citations at A-Level to nested containers and archival media at masters. Our writers pitch it exactly where your markers expect.

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Why Choose Projectsdeal for MLA-Referenced Work

MLA 9 Applied Properly — UK Handbook Included

Most MLA advice online is written for American freshman composition classes; UK programmes apply the style with their own expectations. Projectsdeal’s academics reference to MLA 9 daily across our English literature essay service, media studies assignment help and essay writing service. Every piece arrives with accurate author–page citations and a Works Cited list built element by element, checked against your department’s handbook.

Referencing your own work? Compare the systems in our UK referencing styles guide, check the humanities alternative in our MHRA referencing guide, and have a UK editor verify your citations through our proofreading service or references and bibliography service. However you work, you get 25+ years of experience, 100% human writing, free Turnitin reports and complete confidentiality — the standard 115,000+ UK students have trusted since 2001.

Frequently Asked Questions on MLA Referencing

1. What is MLA referencing?
MLA is the referencing style of the Modern Language Association, now in its 9th edition. You cite briefly in the text with author and page — (Smith 45) — and give full details in an alphabetical Works Cited list at the end. In the UK it is used mainly in English, media studies and film programmes.

2. What does an MLA in-text citation look like?
Author surname and page number in brackets, with no comma and no ‘p.’: (Smith 45). If you name the author in the sentence, only the page goes in brackets: Smith argues that the form is unstable (45).

3. What does an MLA Works Cited entry for a book look like?
Surname, Firstname. Title of Book. Publisher, Year. For example: Smith, John. Understanding Referencing. Academic Press, 2023. Note that MLA 9 does not include the place of publication.

4. How do I cite a journal article in MLA 9?
Author, article title in quotation marks, then the container: Smith, John. “Reading the City.” Modern Fiction Studies, vol. 58, no. 2, 2016, pp. 210–28. The journal is the container, so its details follow the article title.

5. What is the MLA container system?
MLA 9 builds every entry from nine core elements: author, title of source, title of container, other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date and location. A ‘container’ is whatever holds the source — a journal holds an article, a website holds a page, a streaming platform holds a film. Nested containers (an article in a journal in a database) are listed in sequence.

6. How is MLA different from Harvard referencing?
Harvard cites author and year — (Smith, 2023, p. 45) — while MLA cites author and page with no year: (Smith 45). The end lists differ too: Harvard’s reference list puts the year straight after the author, whereas MLA’s Works Cited puts the date near the end of the entry.

7. How do I cite a website in MLA 9?
Author (if known), page title in quotation marks, website name in italics, publisher if different, date, and the URL without https://: British Film Institute. “Sight and Sound Poll.” BFI, 2022, www.bfi.org.uk. Add an access date at the end when the source has no publication date.

8. How do I cite a source with no author in MLA?
Start the entry with the title, and cite a shortened version of the title in the text: (“Sight and Sound Poll”). The entry is alphabetised by the first main word of the title, ignoring A, An and The.

9. How do I cite two works by the same author in MLA?
Add a shortened title to the in-text citation to show which work you mean: (Smith, Understanding Referencing 45). In the Works Cited list, the second and subsequent entries replace the repeated author name with three em dashes.

10. How do I cite a film or TV episode in MLA?
Title first (or director, if your discussion focuses on them), then the container: episode title in quotation marks, series in italics, contributors, season and episode numbers, distributor and year — with the streaming platform as a second container where relevant. This container logic is why MLA suits media studies.

11. Which subjects use MLA in the UK?
English literature and language programmes with North American links, media studies, film and some comparative literature and American studies departments. Most UK institutions default to Harvard or MHRA, so only use MLA when your handbook names it.

12. Does MLA use footnotes?
Not for citations. MLA permits occasional numbered notes for brief supplementary comments, but all source citations belong in the text in author–page form, matched to the Works Cited list.

13. Can Projectsdeal write my essay with MLA referencing?
Yes. Since 2001 our UK academics have written MLA-referenced essays for English, media and film students — accurate author–page citations and a correctly built Works Cited list, delivered with a Turnitin report.