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Citation Guide (MLA 9th Edition)

How to cite sources according to MLA

Blog Post

Author's Last Name, First Name or Username if their real name isn't provided. "Title of Blog Post." Name of Blog, Blog Network/Publisher if given, Day Month Year, URL. Accessed date.

For in-text citations, use (Author's Last Name)

Works Cited List Example

Naish, Darren. "If Bigfoot Were Real." Tetrapod Zoology, Scientific American Blogs, 27 June 2016, blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/if-bigfoot-were-real/. Accessed 28 June 2016.

In-Text Citation Example (Naish)

 Note: Blog posts have no page numbers, paragraph numbers, or section headings, so this information is left out of the in-text citation.

Social Media Post

Username or First Name, Last Name [@user's handle if known]. "Post word for word, can shorten with ellipsis if necessary...." Social Media Platform, Day Month Year, Time of Tweet, URL. Accessed Date.

For in-text citations, use (Username or Last Name)

Works Cited List Example

Athar, Sohaib [@ReallyVirtual]. "Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM is a rare event." Twitter,  4 Jan. 2013. twitter.com/reallyvirtual/status/64780730286358528?lang=en.

In-Text Citation Example

(Athar [@ReallyVirtual])

Podcast

Last Name, First Name, role. "Title of Podcast Episode." Title of Program, season (if any), episode number (if any), Media Group/Publisher (if any), Date Uploaded, URL. Accessed Date.

Generally, the host of the podcast will be listed as the author.

For in-text citations, use (Last Name)

Works Cited List Example

Best, Ahmed, host. "Recording Artists: Robert Rauschenberg." Getty Art + Ideas, episode 202, Getty Institute, 22 May 2024, https://open.spotify.com/episode/4NCX4ORU26afh2nvU98iGC?si=kt1UEFboR1WlnmzBbawD-A. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.

In-Text Citation Example

(Best)

Videos Uploaded to a Sharing Site (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)

Last Name, First Name of video creator or Username of Creator. "Title of Video." Title of the Hosting Website, uploaded by User, Day Month Year of Publication, URL of video. Accessed Date.

For in-text citations, use (Last Name of Video Creator)

Works Cited List Example

McGonigal, Jane. "Gaming Can Make a Better World." YouTube, uploaded by TED, 17 March 2010, youtu.be/dE1DuBesGYM. Accessed 6 Nov. 2017.

 Note: The Accessed Date is optional but highly recommended in MLA 9th edition. Including it is best practice for using web resources.

In-Text Citation Example (McGonigal)

 Note: Only list the creator if they are different from the uploader. If they are the same, skip that element and begin the citation with the title.

Streaming Video From a Library Database (Kanopy, Netflix, Hulu, etc.)

"Title of Video." Publisher/Production Company, Date. Title of Library Database, URL.

For in-text citations, use ("Title"). If the title is lengthy, you should shorten it to a few identifying words.

Works Cited List Example

"I Am Not Your Negro." Kino Lorber Edu, 2016. Kanopy, otis.kanopystreaming.com/video/i-am-not-your-negro. Accessed 1 Nov. 2017.

 Note: Typically films are cited without an author. 

 Note: The Accessed Date is optional but highly recommended in MLA 9th edition. Including it is best practice for using web resources.

Example

("I Am Not Your Negro")

Image from Website

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Website, Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher/Platform, Date of Publication, URL. Accessed date.

For captions, use: Fig. #. Description from: Citation.

For in-text citations, use (Fig. #) or (Author's Last Name) or  ("Words from Title or Article").

Works Cited Example

 "It All Started with a Fruit." Rob Janoff, contributions by www.fansofapple.com, robjanoff.com/applelogo/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2017.

Caption Example

6 Apple Logos from 1976 to today

Fig. 5. Six Apple logos from 1976 to now from: "It All Started with a Fruit." Rob Janoff, contributions by www.fansofapple.com, robjanoff.com/applelogo/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2017.

 Note: If the citation is included in the caption, you do not need to add it to the Works Cited list.

In-Text Citation Example

(Fig. 5) or ("It All Started With a Fruit")

Comment on a website or web article

Commenter's Username. Comment on "Title." Publisher, date, time, URL. Accessed date.

 Note: List the username as the author. Add the phrase "Comment on" before the title of the article, video, etc. Use the time listed on or near the comment.

For in-text citations, use (Username)

Works Cited List Example

Not Omniscent Enough. Comment on "Flight Attendant Tells Passenger to ‘Shut Up’ After Argument After Pasta." ABC News, 9 Jun 2016, 4:00 p.m., abcnews.go.com/US/flight-attendant-tells-passenger-shut-argument-pasta/story?id=39704050. Accessed 6 Nov. 2017.

In-Text Citation Example

(Not Omniscient Enough)

Emails and Interviews That Take Place over Email

Last Name of the Author of the Message, First Name. E-mail to the Name of the Recipient. Day Month Year of Email.

For in-text citations, use (Last Name of Person Who Sent the Message)

Works Cited List Example

White, Tony. Email to the author. 26 Sept. 2024.

 Note: For email interviews, it is not required to state "Email interview."

In-Text Citation Example

(White)

 Note: If the name of the person who sent the message (or was interviewed) is mentioned in the sentence leading into the quote or paraphrased content, you do not need to repeat it in the in-text citation.

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