If you've ever stared at a blank "Works Cited" page wondering what goes where, you're not alone. MLA citation format trips up students at every level — from high school freshmen to college seniors. The rules feel fussy, the punctuation matters, and a small mistake can cost you points.
This guide walks you through everything you need to know about building a proper MLA citation page, with clear, real-world examples for the most common source types. By the end, you'll know exactly how to format your Works Cited page and your in-text citations — no guesswork required.
What Is an MLA Citation Page?
An MLA citation page — formally called a Works Cited page — is a formatted list of every source you referenced in your paper. It appears at the very end of your document, on its own page, and follows the guidelines set by the MLA Handbook (currently in its 9th edition).
Think of it as a paper trail: it lets your reader trace every idea, quote, or statistic back to its original source. It also demonstrates academic integrity, showing that you've done real research rather than presenting borrowed ideas as your own.
Works Cited vs. Bibliography — What's the Difference?
A Works Cited page lists only the sources you actually cited in your paper. A bibliography, by contrast, can include sources you consulted but didn't directly quote or reference. In MLA format, you'll almost always use a Works Cited page.
MLA Citation Page Formatting Rules
Before diving into specific examples, get these foundational formatting rules right — they apply to the entire page:
- Title: Center the words "Works Cited" at the top of the page. Do not bold, italicize, or put it in quotation marks.
- Margins: One inch on all sides.
- Font: Times New Roman, 12-point (consistent with the rest of your paper).
- Line spacing: Double-space everything — including between entries.
- Hanging indent: The first line of each entry is flush left; all subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inches.
- Alphabetical order: Sort entries by the author's last name. If there's no author, alphabetize by the first significant word of the title.
- Page numbering: Continue the page numbering from your paper (e.g., if your essay ends on page 5, the Works Cited page is page 6).
MLA Citation Example: The Core Formula
MLA 9th edition uses a flexible "container" system. Most citations follow this general pattern:
Last Name, First Name. Title of Source. Publisher, Year. Medium/URL.
The exact elements shift depending on the source type, but the logic stays the same: who created it → what it's called → where it lives → when it was published.
MLA Citation Page Examples by Source Type
Book
This is the most straightforward MLA citation example you'll encounter:
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 1925.
For a book with two authors, name both in the order they appear on the title page:
Strunk, William, and E.B. White. The Elements of Style. Pearson, 2000.
Web Page Citation MLA Example
Citing websites is where students most often stumble. Here's the standard format for a web page citation in MLA:
Last Name, First Name. "Title of the Web Page." Name of the Website, Publisher or Sponsoring Organization, Date of Publication or Last Update, URL.
And here's a concrete web page citation MLA example:
Frostburg State University. "How to Write a Research Paper." FSU Writing Center, Frostburg State University, 12 Mar. 2023, www.frostburg.edu/writing/research-paper.
Key tips for website citations:
- If no author is listed, start with the title of the article or page.
- Include the full URL but omit "https://".
- Add an accessed date (e.g., "Accessed 10 June 2025") only if the page has no publication date or is likely to change.
Journal Article
Kim, Jisoo. "Climate Anxiety Among College Students." Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 45, no. 2, 2024, pp. 112–130.
YouTube Video
Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. "Loneliness." YouTube, 11 Apr. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3Xv_g3g-mA.
Formatting citations for every source type by hand is tedious. The WriteGenius Citation Generator handles MLA, APA, Chicago, and more in seconds — just paste your source URL or enter the details and it formats everything correctly for you.
In-Text Citation MLA Example
Every time you quote, paraphrase, or summarize a source inside your paper, you need an in-text citation. In MLA format, this is called a parenthetical citation, and it typically appears at the end of the sentence, before the period.
The Basic Format
A standard MLA text citation example looks like this:
(Author's Last Name Page Number)
Notice: no comma between the name and page number. For example:
The novel opens with a meditation on ambition and loss (Fitzgerald 1).
Example In-Text Citation MLA: No Page Number
Websites and many digital sources don't have page numbers. In that case, just use the author's last name:
Research suggests that regular journaling improves emotional regulation (Kim).
If there's no author at all, use a shortened version of the title in quotation marks:
Studies show a rise in remote work adoption post-2020 ("Remote Work Trends").
MLA Citation In-Text Example: Direct Quote
When you quote a source word-for-word, put the quoted text in quotation marks and add the parenthetical right after the closing quotation mark:
As Orwell famously wrote, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" (Orwell 97).
Mentioning the Author in Your Sentence
If you name the author in the sentence itself, you only need the page number in the parenthetical:
Morrison argues that memory is "more important than the event itself" (47).
Common MLA Citation Mistakes to Avoid
- Missing hanging indent: This is the most visually obvious error. Use your word processor's paragraph settings to set a 0.5-inch hanging indent — don't just press Tab on each line manually.
- Comma between author name and page number: MLA uses a space, not a comma. Write (Smith 34), not (Smith, 34).
- Forgetting to italicize container titles: The title of a book, journal, or website (the "container") should always be italicized. Article titles go in quotation marks.
- Wrong alphabetical order: Sort by the author's last name, letter by letter. "MacDonald" comes before "McKenzie."
- Listing sources you didn't cite: Your Works Cited page should only include sources referenced in your paper. Remove anything you read but didn't actually use.
Once your citations are in order, run your full paper through the WriteGenius Grammar Checker to catch any lingering errors in punctuation, spelling, or sentence structure — because a perfectly formatted Works Cited page paired with a polished essay is what really impresses professors.
Quick Reference: MLA vs. In-Text Citation Side by Side
- Works Cited (book): Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Secker and Warburg, 1945.
- In-text (book): (Orwell 97)
- Works Cited (website): Lee, Amanda. "The Science of Sleep." Healthline, 5 Jan. 2024, www.healthline.com/sleep-science.
- In-text (website): (Lee)
Tips for Managing Citations Efficiently
Gathering and formatting citations at the last minute is stressful. Here are a few habits that make the process much smoother:
- Collect citation info as you research. Every time you open a new source, copy the author, title, publication date, and URL into a running doc before you even start reading.
- Use a citation tool early. Don't save citations for the end. The WriteGenius Citation Generator lets you build your Works Cited list as you go, so nothing gets lost.
- Double-check URLs. Web sources disappear. Verify your URLs are still live before you submit.
- Cross-check every in-text citation. Every source mentioned in your paper should have a matching entry on your Works Cited page — and vice versa.
Final Thoughts
MLA citation format isn't as complicated as it first appears — it's really just a consistent system for giving credit where it's due. Once you understand the core pattern (who, what, where, when), most citations practically write themselves.
Master the Works Cited page format, nail your in-text parentheticals, and avoid the common pitfalls outlined above, and you'll be turning in cleaner, more credible academic work every time. When in doubt, use a reliable citation generator, proofread carefully, and remember: the goal of MLA style is clarity and consistency — not perfection for its own sake.