how to write an article title in an essay mla

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How to Capitalize and Punctuate Titles

Give the full title , including any subtitle, exactly as it is listed in the source, except follow these capitalization and punctuation rules (p. 130).

“Take the title from an authoritative location in the work" (p. 53). For example, in a book, use the title page and not the cover or the heading at the top of a page.

Capitalization of a Title  (pp. 54-55)

Citation Maker cannot correct errors in capitalization or spelling. Use these guidelines.

• Nouns: Shade Trees for Gardens
• Pronouns: Save Our Species
• Verbs: Curious George Rides a Bike ; What Is Literature?
• Adjectives: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
• Adverbs: Only Slightly Corrupt
• Subordinating conjunction (ex: after, although, as, as if, as soon as, because, before, if , that, unless, until, when, where, while): Darkness Before Dawn
• Article at the beginning of a subtitle (a, an, the): The Social Ecology of Human Development: A Retrospective Conclusion
• Article (a, an, the): Murder on the Orient Express
• Prepositions (ex: against, as, between, in, of, to, according to): Murder on the Orient Expres s; The Distance between Us
• Coordinating conjunctions (ex: and, but, for, nor, or so, yet): Romeo and Juliet
• The to in infinitives: How to Draw

Punctuation of a Title 

• Subtitle (p. 61)

Use a colon and a space to separate a title from a subtitle. If the first part of the title ends with a question mark or exclamation point, do not add a colon.

Dennis Banks and Russell Means: Native American Activists Spartan Fit! Thirty Days to a New You

• Long titles (p. 130)

You may shorten very long titles or very long text used in place of a title (such as a tweet). Include enough of the title or text to identify it, and use an ellipsis to indicate it has been shortened. An ellipsis is three periods with a space before each and a space after the last ( . . . ) . Citation Maker will add the period or comma that ends a Title field in a citation.

“I'm NASA astronaut Scott Tingle. Ask me anything about adjusting to being back on Earth after . . . .”

Other punctuation (pp. 59-60, 132)

Only i nclude other punctuation if it is part of the title or subtitle , including the final comma in a series . Citation Maker will correctly add either a comma or a period at the end of the title.

Guide to Gems: Illustrated Guide to the Identification, Properties and Use of Gemstones [Book title does not include a comma after Properties .] Red, White, and Whole  [Book title does include a comma after White .]

Capitalization and Punctuation of an  Untitled  Source 

• Untitled Source (p. 132)

When the source does not have a title, enter a description of that source in the text box called Title . Do not italicize or put in quotes. Capitalize the first word of the description and any proper nouns in it. (Proper nouns name a specific person, place, or organization and are capitalized, such as Glacier National Park.)

Ex: Necklace of silver with turquoise stones

• Untitled Poem Known by Its First Line (p. 55)

Enter the first line exactly as it appears in the poem.

• Untitled Social Media or Online Forum Post (p. 132)

If a post does not have a title but does have text, enter the full text exactly as it appears in the social media post or online forum post. Enclose the text in quotation marks, which Citation Maker will do for you. For longer posts, only copy the first few lines. See Long Titles above.

Italics and Quotation Marks (pp. 66-70)

Generally, titles should be italicized or enclosed in quotation marks. Citation Maker will take care of this part for you.

Title Neither Italicized nor in Quotation Marks  (pp. 71-73, 130)

• Laws, acts, and similar political documents
• Musical compositions identified by form, number, and key
• Conferences, seminars, workshops, and courses
• D ivisions of a work that have a generic label but no title ( afterward , chapter, forward , introduction, preface, scene, etc.)
• Columns and titled categories in periodicals and on websites
• Untitled sources for which you provide a description, including for art, e-mails, text messages, interviews, and social media posts that have no text. 

Title within a Title  (pp. 73-76, 132)

When a title appears within a title, you need to help your reader distinguish between the two titles. To do that, change the formatting for the title that appeared within the title of your source. Enter the title of your source into Citation Maker, and adjust your citation as necessary. Citation Maker cannot do this for you. See pages 73-76 in the MLA Handbook for specific guidance. These are a few common examples. The correct title formatting for the citation follows the colon in these examples:

• Periodical article about the book, Huckleberry Finn , and the article title showed the book title in italics:      “The Flawed Greatness of Huckleberry Finn ”
• Periodical  article about the book, The Age of Innocence , but the article showed the book title in single quotation marks instead of in italics:      “The Age of ‘The Age of Innocence’”
• Periodical  article about a short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and the article showed the short story title in quotation marks:      “A Study of ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’”
• Book about the book, Huckleberry Finn , and the source title showed the book title in italics:      How to Teach Huckleberry Finn
• Book about a short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and the book title showed the short story title in quotation marks:      “The Tell-Tale Heart” and Other Great American Stories  
• Book about a movie, Star Wars , but the book title did not show the movie title in italics:      George Lucas’ Star Wars : A Director’s Study

Title in Another Language

• Latin-based Language (pp. 56-58)

For languages that use the Latin alphabet (Spanish, French, Portuguese, etc.), capitalize only the first word and all proper nouns of the title. In other words, capitalize it like a sentence.

• Non-Latin Language  (pp. 58-59)

For non-Latin languages (Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Russian, etc.), consistently use either the original writing system or a transliteration. A transliteration uses English-language characters to write out the title that was originally written in another language. (That is not the same as translating the title into English.) Capitalize only the first word and all proper nouns.

• Include English Translation (p. 133)

Unless you are writing for an audience familiar with the non-English language, add the English translation in square brackets after the title. If the title is in italics, Citation Maker will produce the square brackets in italics as well. However, the square brackets should not be in italics, so you will need to fix that in your citation.

MLA Handbook . 9th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2021.

The MLA Style Center: Writing Resources from the Modern Language Association . Modern Language Association of America, 2021, style.mla.org.

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How to Write Article Titles in MLA Format

• August 4, 2022

There are a few basic rules to follow when writing article titles in MLA format. They include capitalizing the first letter of any important word in the title, abbreviating the title of the book, and making headings grammatically similar to each other. After you’ve followed these rules, you should be ready to write an excellent title for any article or book. Read on for a few tips.

Capitalize the first letter of every important word in a title

In most cases, it is customary to capitalize the first letter of every important word in citations. This applies to both articles and prepositions, as well as hyphenated words. However, you may opt to lowercase the first letter of hyphenated terms, as long as it doesn’t affect the meaning of the sentence. Here are some examples of titles:

The first letter of every important word in a citation must be capitalized, except for the word “into,” which must be capitalized even though it is the last word in a title. This is likely only stylistically necessary. Otherwise, you can choose to lowercase these words if they are minor or function words. If a title contains only major words, you should capitalize the first letter.

Likewise, titles should be capitalized. The first letter of every important word, except for proper nouns, should be capitalized. Despite the similarities and differences between the different styles, these guidelines generally follow the same basic rule. APA style, Chicago style, and MLA style all capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title. There are also some exceptions, such as in the case of proper nouns, such as ‘he’, “she,” or ‘her.’

Abbreviate the title of a book

If you wish to cite an abbreviated title in an MLA paper, you should always give the full title of the work. In addition, you can omit the subtitle if it is not appropriate. In case of a two-author book, you can either reverse the first author’s name or write the names in the normal order. If you do so, make sure to add the word “and” between both names. When citing the full title of a book in MLA, you should include the full subtitles and italicize it.

The title of a book is the most basic part of an entry in the MLA. It should include the name of the author and publisher, as well as the year of publication. If you are not sure how to properly abbreviate the title of a book in MLA format, the following guide will provide guidance. For example, the first part of the title should be written as Lem, Winnie. In this case, you should not include titles or affiliations if you do not use them.

In MLA format, you should not use any words that are business-related, such as “academic” or “academic.” Using business-related terms such as ‘university’ instead of ‘university’ is fine, but do not use any abbreviations for the title. If you wish to use an abbreviation for the title of a book, you should use the MLA Handbook’s official list of acceptable abbreviations.

Format headings grammatically resemble one another

When writing an academic article, you should use sections as headings. Sections are sometimes referred to as chapters or named parts of a book. Using a period or space after the section name and Arabic number follows MLA’s guidelines for headings. In addition, it is a good idea to maintain a consistent format throughout your paper to make it easier for readers to follow the information you’re giving them.

MLA requires that article titles be italicized, so that the reader will know which part of the article is which. Article titles should also be formatted the same way, and should be the same in the text and Works Cited section. Some of the common mistakes associated with article titles include using the wrong ellipses, if at all possible. The best way to avoid this mistake is to make sure you use the same style for the title in the text and in the Works Cited section.

In addition to writing a title page, you should also include a title on the front of your assignment. Although there are no official guidelines for title pages, the title should contain your name and the name of your instructor, course, and due date. You should also double space after every line and align it in the center of your MLA format paper. Then, write your title in the text.

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ENG 101: Using Keywords to Explore a Topic

• Introduction
• Identify Keywords
• Background Information
• Discovery Box
• Research Starter
• Thinking Tool: Concept Map
• Using Keywords
• Using the Discovery box
• Check Your Knowledge

What is MLA style?

The core elements, works cited: books, works cited: articles, works cited: artwork, works cited: websites, citing generative a.i., works cited: other formats, in-text citations: direct quotations & paraphrasing, formatting: general details, formating: first page, formatting: hanging indent, additional help and handouts.

The  MLA citation style  is a set of writing and citation rules created by the  Modern Language Association . Generally, this style is used by students in the liberal arts and the humanities.

Use the menu at left to quickly find different citation types.

Citations in the 8th edition of the MLA style are all made up of 9 elements, called  core elements .  These are elements common to most citations.  By using the core elements, any item can be cited, regardless of format.  Please play close attention to the punctuation after each element.

When an element is unavailable, it is simply skipped.

A crucial concept for the new MLA style is the concept of  containers . A container is the larger work that includes the source. A chapter is contained in a book; an article is contained in a periodical; an episode of a sitcom is contained in the series, etc.  

Now let's see how these core elements can be used to format the most common types of citations!   Books ,  Articles ,  Websites , and  Other Formats

• How do I cite generative AI in MLA style? The MLA’s method for citing sources uses a template of core elements—standardized criteria writers can use to evaluate sources and create works-cited-list entries based on that evaluation. That new technologies like ChatGPT emerge is a key reason why the MLA has adopted this approach to citation—to give writers flexibility to apply the style when they encounter new types of sources.
• How to cite ChatGPT If you’ve used ChatGPT or other AI tools in your research, describe how you used the tool in your Method section or a comparable area of your paper. You might explain how you used the device in your introduction for literature reviews or other types of essays or response or reaction papers. In your text, provide the prompt you used and any portion of the relevant text generated in response.
• Six Tenets of Postplagiarism: Writing in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton created the six tenets of postplagiarism within the age of A.I.
• One-inch margins should be used on all sides
• Double space your entire paper - header, text, and works cited
• Single space after punctuation marks
• Indent each paragraph five spaces from the left margin (can be done by hitting the tab key one time)
• Use a standard, readable 12-point font (Times New Roman, Arial, etc)

Note: Always follow instructions given by your professor, even if they contradict with MLA guidelines

Last Name & Page Number

• Place your cursor in the header area of your document. Select right alignment.

• Use a standard 12-point font (such as Times New-Roman)
• Use standard numerals (1. 2, 3, etc)
• Utilize the Page Number feature (right) within your Word Processor so the pages number themselves consecutively.

Your Name & Course Info

• Place your cursor in the upper left area of your document (below the header area). Select left alignment.
• Set your document to double spacing.
• Enter your full name. Hit enter.
• Enter your professor's name. Hit enter.
• Enter your course name. Hit enter
• Enter your date in the following format: Day Month Year. Hit enter.
• Place your cursor in the line following the date. Select center alignment.
• Type in your title.  Only italicize or use quotation marks if referring to the title or another work within your title. Do not underline. You may write with Standard capitalization or Title Capitalization; do not write in ALL CAPS. 
• Hit enter after your title. Select left alignment. Hit tab once to indent.
• Begin typing your text. Be sure to maintain double spacing and indent with each new paragraph.

Save time by using Microsoft Word to format the hanging indent:

[1] Select the text you would like to format (you can select your entire list of citations, for example, to format all at once)

[2] From the Home tab in Word, select the arrow next to Paragraph

[3] Next, under Special, select Hanging

[4] Click OK.  Your selected text will now be formatted with a hanging indent.

• Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting & Style Guide This site includes the most recent changes to MLA style.
• MLA Quick Guide See what's new with this quick start guide from the Modern Language Association Style Center website.
• How does the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook compare with the eighth edition? "New to the ninth edition are hundreds of additional example citations and visuals; expanded guidance on formatting papers, citing sources, quoting and paraphrasing, and avoiding plagiarism; and entirely new sections on inclusive language, annotated bibliographies, and notes."
• MLA Sample Paper (pdf file) Everything from page format to in-text citations explained in the comments of this sample paper.
• MLA 9th Edition: The Core Elements & Works Cited Page
• MLA 9th Edition: Format a Paper & In-Text Citations
• MLA 8th Edition: The Core Elements & Works Cited Page
• MLA 8th: Format a Paper & In-Text Citations

Looking for help generating MLA citations? Try these websites...

• Citation Builder : MLA tool from North Carolina State University
• RefMe  is a good tool, but r equires creating a free account.
• EasyBib   is an ad-supported website that includes MLA 8, APA 6 and others.
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• Last Updated: Jun 4, 2024 11:28 AM
• URL: https://library.mc3.edu/eng101keywords

How to Write a Movie Title in an Essay or Article

When you're writing a paper or article in school or at work, you may be in a situation where you need to write a movie title in your writing. But how should you format them? Should you use italics? Or quotation marks? Or maybe both? Or neither…

The first thing to note is that the rules will be different depending on whether you’re writing an article or an essay. In this guide, we'll explain how to write one in an essay or article so that your writing looks professional and polished. Refer to the relevant section, depending on the piece you are creating. 

The main things to know are:

• If you are writing a movie title in an article, the format you use is up to you (or the company you work for). Pick a format and stick to it.
• If you are writing a movie title in an essay, then you should follow your university's or employer's referencing style guidelines. 

Read on for suggestions of different formats for articles, and more in-depth guidance around different university referencing styles.

How to Write a Movie Title in an Article 

Let's begin by exploring why you need a specific format, and examining some key principles and rules around writing a movie title in an article.

Why You Need a Specific Format 

So picture this. You’re writing an article and want to refer to a particular movie - perhaps to illustrate a point, or maybe you’re critiquing it. But you’re unsure how to format it. You don’t want to be marked down for formatting it incorrectly, so you consider leaving it out to avoid the trouble. Not on our watch!

But hold on a sec! Why should you even worry about this? Why do movie titles need to be formatted correctly anyway? Well, it’s simple really. If you don’t differentiate the title from the rest of the text, your readers might not understand you’re referring to a movie title. Imagine, for instance, that you wrote:

I finally got around to watching three billboards outside ebbing missouri.

Can we agree this sentence doesn’t make any sense? With this punctuation (i.e. none) your reader may well believe that you headed out into the night and found a couple of billboards to look at for some time. 

So do you see why it’s important to have some kind of format for writing movie titles? 

Key Principles and Rules

Now here’s the tricky bit: with articles, there’s no hard and fast rule on how to format a movie title in your writing. There are many different options and any of them would be acceptable to use in an article you’re going to publish online or physically. 

So what to do?

Our first advice is to check in with your editor/head of copywriting / your point of reference at the company you work at. They will most likely have a specific format they like to use and will be able to share that with you.

That’s if you are writing for a company.

If you’re self-publishing, say, for example, on your website or Medium.com, then you’re the boss, friend. The conventions you use are completely up to you. 

But here are a few key principles and rules:

• Common conventions are to use italics or quotations marks
• Choose one format and stick with it - not only throughout the article but in everything you write
• Keep an eye out for the correct spelling of the movie. For example, don’t forget the comma in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. 
• Title case is a great way to further demarcate the movie title from the rest of the text to make it abundantly clear that it’s a movie title.

How to Write a Movie Title in an Essay 

Now let's turn our attention towards writing a movie title in an essay.

New scenario. You’re writing an essay for your college or university course. Perhaps you’re using the movie as an example, or maybe you’re critiquing it.

But you don’t want to be marked down for getting it wrong, so you consider avoiding mentioning it altogether. But that would be a shame! Let us help you. 

Here are some general rules to get you started:

• Follow the rules of your school’s academic writing style (APA, MLA, AP, or Chicago.)
• Use title case
• Use italics or quotation marks (depending on the writing style)

Academic Referencing Styles

There are different academic referencing/writing styles in the English language, and these vary depending on the education establishment. Different styles have different rules that govern the way that you might write, punctuate and cite within your essay.

The four most common styles are Associated Press (AP), Chicago, American Psychological Association (APA), and Modern Language Association (MLA).

Of course, there are many more than just four in existence, but these are the prevalent ones. 

But why are there so many different writing styles, we hear you ask? Quite simply, this is to cater to different fields. For instance, the scientific sector places a lot of importance on using recent research, hence the APA style places the date before anything. Humanities tend to use the MLA style which places the author's name first. 

Write a Movie Title in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles

Luckily, the APA, MLA, and Chicago styles all use the same format for movie titles, so it’ll be easy to remember.

These styles all require that you place the movie title in italics. Here are some examples:

• Saving Private Ryan
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 

Do not use any quotation marks! This is not necessary and will be considered incorrect.

You’ll also notice that the title is written in the title case. This means you capitalize certain words in the title. More on that in the next section.

Write a Movie Title in AP style

The AP style is the exception here since it does not use italics to format movie titles. Instead, you’re required to use quotation marks. Let’s use the same examples as above, to make the difference clear:

• “Kill Bill”
• “Saving Private Ryan”
• “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”

Again, here, remember to use title case. 

Write a Movie Title in Title Case

Using title case means that you capitalize certain words in the title. But depending on the writing style you’re using, there are different rules on which words need capitalizing and which ones don't. Mostly, they disagree on whether or not to capitalize minor words.

Read on to find out the rules for each style, to ensure you’re writing it correctly. 

Note that if you’re writing an article, this will again depend on the rules that the company you work for is using, or if you’re writing for your own business, then you can make your own rules. Remember to pick a structure and stick to it. Consistency is key!

• Capitalize the major words.
• Lowercase the articles the, a, and an.
• Capitalize the ‘to’ in an infinitive (e.g., I Want To Eat Cake)
• Capitalize the first and last words (overrides other rules)
• Capitalize all words of four letters or more (overrides other rules)
• Lowercase the second word after a hyphenated prefix

Chicago Style

• Lowercase articles, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions
• Lowercase the second part of Latin species names.
• Lowercase articles, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions.
• Do NOT capitalize ‘to’ in infinitives (e.g., I Want to Eat Cake).

As you can see, all four styles share some common rules but are different in certain small details. 

Incorrect ways to write a movie title

Here are some examples of incorrect ways to write a movie title:

• Saving private ryan
• Eternal SUNSHINE of a Spotless Mind
• “Shawshank Redemption”
• One Flew Over the cuckoo’s Nest

Can you figure out what is wrong with each of these examples? We’ll give you a clue! It has to do with incorrect usage of title cases, block capitals and quotation marks.

A note on reference lists

We just wanted to include a little note here to remind you that when citing a movie in your essay, you should include it in your reference list, or bibliography, depending on the academic writing style you are using. 

Again, the structure of your reference list will vary depending on whether you’re writing in APA, AP, MLA or Chicago, and you can find guidance on this in an official manual for the style (or online).

Other Points of Interest

There are some other things you might be interested in knowing that are related to the topic of how to write a movie title in an essay or article, so we’re detailing those below.

How to write a quote from a movie

So you’ve successfully referenced a movie using the rules outlined above. Now you’d like to quote a line from the movie. Which conventions should you use for this? 

For this, you would use quotation marks. For instance, if you want to quote this famous line from the movie Star Wars , you would write: “May the force be with you.”

Remember that if you’re writing an essay, you might need to also include the reference in your in-text citation. Let us show you a full example of what this would look like:

History was made when General Dodonna said “May the force be with you.” in the iconic movie Star Wars (Lucas, 1977).

How to write the name of an episode of a TV show 

If you wanted to cite a TV series, you would follow the same rules as those for citing a movie - as outlined above. But what if you also wanted to include the name of the episode you’re referring to? 

Similarly to inserting a direct quote from a movie, in this case, we recommend using quotation marks. For example:

Friends , “The One Where Everybody Finds Out.”

If writing an essay, please refer to your academic writing style’s guide to learn about conventions around formatting and using title case.

Where does the word ‘movie’ come from?

Dating back as far as the early 1900s, the word ‘movie’ stems from the term ‘moving picture’.

Before they could be projected onto a screen for wider viewing, the first movies could only be seen by one person at a time, using an Electrotachyscope, Kinetoscope, or Mutoscope.

And there we have it! We hope that this article has helped you better understand the conventions around writing a movie title in your essay or article, so you can feel confident about handing in your essay or turning in your article to your line manager.

To summarize, when you’re writing an article, the rules are pretty much up to you if writing for your own business, or your manager if writing for another company. Check-in with them to find out which conventions are already in place.

If writing an essay, then you should always use the structure set out in the academic writing style’s manual. Find out first of all which style you are expected to use. 

Now that that's done, it's time to get writing! 

Learn More:

• 'Dos and Don'ts': How to Write Them With Proper Grammar
• How to Write a List Correctly: Colons, Commas, and Semicolons
• ‘Right’ vs ‘Write’ vs ‘Rite’ vs ‘Wright’: What’s the Difference?
• How to Write Height Correctly - Writing Feet and Inches
• How to Write a Postcard (Tips and Examples)
• How to Write Comedy: Tips and Examples to Make People Laugh
• How to Write an Inequality: From Number Lines or Word Problems
• How to Write a Monologue: Tips and Examples
• How to Write a Letter to the President (With Example)
• How to Write Like Ernest Hemingway
• How to Write a Follow-Up Email After an Interview
• How to Write a Formal Email
• How to Write a 2-Week Notice Email
• How to Write an Out-of-Office (OOO) Email
• How to Write a Professional ‘Thank You’ Email

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / MLA Format / MLA Journal Article Citation

How to Cite a Journal Article in MLA

This page is a how-to guide for using scholarly journals as sources and citing them correctly in your papers. Academic journals publish scholarly, peer-reviewed articles written by experts in a specific field. This guide will help you understand what journals are and why they are valuable for your research.

Quickly cite a journal article by using our online form here .

Citing a journal article in mla:, the importance of peer-reviewed academic journals, how journals are organized, where to find journal articles.

• In-text citations
• Works cited references
• Citation with one author
• Citation with two authors
• Citation with three or more authors
• Citation with no known author
• Citation Structures and Examples: Web
• Citation Structures and Examples: Print

Our guide will show you how to cite the journal article both in the text and in the Works Cited page following the guidelines of the Modern Language Association Handbook, 9th Edition.

What is an Academic Journal?

Academic or scholarly journals are periodicals published by universities and other research organizations to present the findings of original research conducted in a particular field. These journals contain highly specific knowledge and are written by experts in that field.

Journals are different from other periodicals such as newspapers or magazines, which cover a broad range of topics and are written in easy to read prose.

Because  journals are written by experts for other experts, they can be difficult to read. The writers often use jargon and other complex language that students may not understand. But that doesn’t mean you should not use journals in your research. Journals are where the most recent research is published and provide in-depth information on a topic.

Tip : Reading the abstract and the conclusion first may help you to understand the article as you read.

Journals are good sources for academic research not only because they are written by experts, but because most (but not all) are also reviewed by other experts before the article is published.

Journals that are peer-reviewed have a board of experts in the field that review articles submitted to the journal. The peer reviewers scrutinize every article closely to validate its findings and ensure that the research was done properly. The process of peer review gives credibility to the journal because it means that every article published has been approved by other experts in the field.

Academic journals are organized in volumes and issues.

• Volume: The volume is all of the editions of the journal published in a calendar year.
• Issue(s):   The issues are all the specific editions of the journal published in that year.

Tip : Journals frequently publish issues around a certain theme, so all of the articles in that issue will relate to a certain topic. This means that there may be other articles in a particular issue that you can use for your research. It pays to check the table of contents for the issue when you find an article that fits your needs.

You will need to include the volume and the issue numbers, and the page numbers in your citations so make sure to write those down when you take notes from a journal.

When you are doing scholarly research, you can’t use popular search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. These will lead you to popular sources that may not work for a school paper. You need to search for information using an academic database which will lead you to scholarly articles.

Databases are organized computer-based collections of data that allow researchers to find a large number of articles quickly and easily.

Examples of popular general academic databases include:

• Academic Search Premier
• Google Scholar

Examples of popular academic databases focused on specific subjects:

• MEDLINE, PubMed Central — focus on biomedical and life sciences
• Lexis Web — focus on legal information
• Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) — focus on education

Many of these databases charge fees for use. The good news? Many can be accessed through a school or university library. Check your library’s website to see what databases it subscribes to and how you can access them.

Using a Journal Article in a Paper

You can use information from your research in three ways:

• Paraphrase: Take the information from a specific paragraph or section of the article and rewrite it in your own words.
• Summarize: Write a broad overview of the section or the article in your own words.
• Quote: Repeat the exact words used by the author using quotation marks.

Whenever you quote, paraphrase, or summarize information in your paper, you need to follow that information with an in-text citation and create a corresponding reference for the source (in the Works Cited).

Journal Article In-text Citations

Citations within your text are important. Each in-text citation:

• Alerts your reader that you are using information from an outside source.
• Usually appears in parentheses at the end of a sentence.
• Is short and only has enough information to help the reader find the complete reference listed in the Works Cited page at the end of the paper.

A MLA style in-text citation has two parts (MLA Handbook 227-228):

• If there is no author listed, include a shortened version of the title
• While many online sources do not have a page number, academic journals almost always do, even when they are available online.

In most cases, the in-text citation is at the end of the sentence in parentheses. If you use the author’s name in the text, you don’t have to repeat it in the parenthesis at the end. Do not separate the author’s name and the page number with a comma. See below for examples.

Works Cited References for Journal Articles

A Works Cited page is included at the end of your paper. It lists full references/citations for all of the sources mentioned in your paper via your in-text citations.

MLA Containers

In the 9th edition of the official Handbook, MLA includes a new term for citing references, which was first introduced in the 8th edition — containers (134). Periodicals like journals are considered “containers” because they contain the articles that are part of a larger whole.

The container holds the source article and is crucial in identifying the source. The title of the first container, the journal name, is printed in italics and follows the article name. When accessing journals through a database, the database is considered the second container. This title is also printed in italics.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

Another feature in citing sources is the DOI (Handbook 188) . DOI stands for Digital Object Identifier, which is used to permanently identify an article or document and link to it on the web.

Although a website or database may change names, the DOI will not change and will help your readers locate the document from your citation. Whenever possible, list the DOI in place of the URL. When you have a DOI, you do not need to give the URL of the website. Indicate that a reference is a DOI by adding “https://doi.org/” before the DOI number of your source.

Another way to identify an online location is with a permalink. Permalinks are URLs that are identified as a stable link that the publisher promises not to change.

For journal references, the following elements need to be included in your Work(s) Cited entries: 

• The name of the author or authors. Since journal articles often have more than one author, it is helpful to know when to use et al. in MLA .
• Title of article
• Title of journal (the container)
• Volume and issue number
• Date of publication
• Page numbers
• Database (the 2nd container)
• DOI, permalink, or URL
• Date of access (supplemental, but should be included if the information has no publication date listed)

Citing a Journal Article in MLA (found in databases)

The following are examples of how to cite a journal in MLA 9, both in text and as a full reference in the Works Cited. These were all found via a database.

Note that “Date Accessed” is the day that the journal article was found and read. This information is supplemental and does not always need to be included.

Journal Article Citation With One Author

Cite your source

Journal Article Citation With Two Authors

*Note:  When a source has multiple authors, you should always list them in your citation in the same order they are listed in the source.

Journal Article Citation With Three or More Authors

Journal article citation with no known author, citing a journal article in mla (print).

Citing a journal from a print source requires less information than an online source. For a print source, you need the following information:

• The name of the author or authors for articles with one or two authors. For articles with three or more authors, only the first author’s name is used followed by et al.
• The name of the article in quotation marks
• The name of the journal in italics
• The volume and issue numbers of the journal
• The year of publication
• The page number(s)

View Screenshot | Cite your source

Citing an Online Journal Article (not found using a database)

Some journal articles are accessible online without the use of a database. Citing an online journal article not found in a database requires that you cite the website that you used to access the article as the second container. Do not include the https:// in the web address.

*Note : Since journals are usually stable and credible sources, including an access date is supplemental and not required (“When Should I Include an Access Date for an Online Work”).

• Works Cited

MLA Handbook . 9th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2021.  

“When should I include an access date for an online work?” MLA Style Center , Modern Language Association, 29 Dec. 2016, style.mla.org/access-dates/.

Published October 31, 2011. Updated June 6, 2021.

Written by Catherine Sigler. Catherine has a Ph.D. in English Education and has taught college-level writing for 15 years.

MLA Formatting Guide

MLA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Sample Paper
• MLA 8 Updates
• MLA 9 Updates
• View MLA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all MLA Examples

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If any important information is missing (e.g., author’s name, title, publishing date, URL, etc.), first see if you can find it in the source yourself. If you cannot, leave the information blank and continue creating your citation.

It supports MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, and over 7,000 total citation styles.

To cite a magazine with multiple authors and no page numbers in MLA style, you need to have basic information including the authors, the article’s title, the magazine’s title, the publication date, and the DOI, permalink, or URL. The templates and examples for in-text citations and a works-cited-list entry of a book written by multiple authors are given below:

In-text citation template and example:

For citations in prose, use the first name and surname of the first author followed by “and others” or “and colleagues” for sources with three or more authors. In subsequent citations, use only the surname of the first author followed by “and others” or “and colleagues.” In parenthetical citations, always use only the surname of the first author followed by “et al.”

Citation in prose:

First mention: Han Ong and colleagues…. or Han Ong and others ….

Subsequent occurrences: Ong and colleagues…. or Ong and others ….

Parenthetical:

….( Ong et al.).

Works-cited-list entry template and example:

The title of the article is in plain text and title case; it is placed inside double quotation marks. The title of the magazine is set in italics and title case. Follow the format given in the template and example for setting the day, month, and year.

Surname, First., et al. “Title of the Article.” Title of the Magazine , Publication Date, DOI/permalink/URL.

Ong, Han, et al. “The Monkey Who Speaks.” The New Yorker , 13 Sept. 2021, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/09/13/the-monkey-who-speaks.

Use only the first author’s name in surname–first name order in the entry followed by “et al.”

To cite an online journal or magazine article in MLA style, you need to have basic information including the author, the article’s title, the journal or magazine’s title, the publication date, and the DOI, permalink, or URL. If available, also include a volume and an issue number of the journal or magazine. The templates for in-text citations and a works-cited-list entry of an online journal article and examples are given below for a source with one author:

For citations in prose, use the first name and surname of the author on the first occurrence. In subsequent citations, use only the surname. In parenthetical citations, always use only the surname of the author.

First mention: Elizabeth Garber ….

Subsequent occurrences: Garber ….

….(Garber).

The title of the journal or magazine article is set in plain roman text and title case; it is placed inside double quotation marks. The title of the journal or magazine is set in italics and title case. Follow the format given in the template and example for writing the publication month or season and year.

Surname, First. “Title of the Article.” Journal or Magazine Title , Volume, Issue, Publication Date, DOI/permalink/URL.

Garber, Elizabeth. “Craft as Activism.” The Journal of Social Theory in Art Education , vol. 33, no.1, spring 2013, www.scholarscompass.vcu.edu/jstae/vol33/iss1/6/ .

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Submit an Essay to “Writing with MLA Style”

The Modern Language Association seeks submissions from students of exemplary research papers written in MLA style for publication in “Writing with MLA Style,” a collection of student essays published online annually.

Submissions will first be evaluated for eligibility. Then a committee of teachers will read eligible submissions and select essays for “Writing with MLA Style” according to the criteria below. Separate review committees will be established for submissions from high school and postsecondary writers.

Eligibility

Length: 2,000–3,000 words. Works-cited-list entries do not count toward the word limit.

Language: Essays must be written in English.

Age: Authors of student essays must be at least 13 years of age at the time of submission.

Students: Submissions from high school, undergraduate, and graduate students are welcome. Essays written in the last two years by current students or recent graduates are eligible.

Submissions

Anonymity: Essays should contain no information identifying the student so that the review process is anonymous. Contrary to section 1.3 of the MLA Handbook , exclude identifying information such as the course title or the instructor’s name. Information about students should be provided only on the submission form. (Essays selected for “Writing with MLA Style” will include the students’ names when they are published.)

Format: Essays should be paginated, double-spaced, and submitted as Microsoft Word files or in Word -compatible formats (e.g., doc, docx, rtf). Files should be labeled with a short title (e.g., Reading-Shakespeare). Do not include the student’s name in the file name.

Number of Submissions: A student may submit one paper per year for consideration by the committee.

Deadline: 2 February 2024.  Submissions are closed.

Selection Criteria

Essays should move beyond the traditional five-paragraph-essay format and include the following elements:

• A clear and original argument (thesis statement)
• Ample evidence that supports and further develops the argument
• An awareness of the audience for the paper
• Direct prose
• An accurate explanation of what others have said about the topic and a serious consideration of opposing views
• Judicious use of quotation and paraphrase
• Paragraphs with clear topic sentences
• Clear transitions between paragraphs
• An introduction that presents and contextualizes the argument
• An ending that fits the paper’s conclusions into a larger perspective and answers the question, Why does this matter?
• A works-cited list and in-text citations styled according to the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook

Since these essays will be a resource for teachers who want to help students learn MLA style, submissions containing some of the elements listed below are more likely to be selected for publication:

• A wide range of source formats (books, journal articles, websites, videos, etc.)
• Tables or illustrations with explanatory captions
• A mix of run-in and block quotations

Authors should follow MLA style and format and aim for correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Selected Essays

Notification: Authors of selected essays will be notified by e-mail in spring 2024.

Publication Agreement: Authors of selected essays will be asked to sign a publication agreement. If authors are not at the age of consent of the country in which they reside, a parent or guardian must sign the agreement for them.

Honorarium: Authors of selected essays will receive a $50 USD gift card or equivalent as an honorarium.

Copyediting: Selected essays will be lightly copyedited by an MLA editor before publication.

Questions may be sent to [email protected] .