Use the templates below to format your papers and annotated bibliographies in MLA 9th style.
Note that some elements (like an appendix) are not necessary for certain papers. Omit pieces of the template when necessary and at the discretion of your instructor.
MLA should be on regular-sized white paper with margins set to 1-inch and paragraphs set to double-spaced. Font type and size should be legible, between 11 and 13 points, and consistent throughout the paper.
Some recommended styles and sizes include but are not limited to: 11-point Calibri, 11-point Ariel, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, and 10-point Computer Modern.
In Google Docs: File → Page setup to check that all margins are set at 1". Format → Line & paragraph spacing to select Double Spaced for the document. Font and font size can be changed in the ribbon menu at the top of the screen.
In Microsoft Word: Layout → Margins → Normal to ensure all margins are set at 1". Paragraph → Spacing → Line spacing dropdown menu, choose Double. Font and font size can be changed in the ribbon menu at the top of the screen.
Important! Check with your instructor if they require a running head for your paper. The running head will be your last name and the page number in the upper right corner of the paper.
If they do NOT, then you only need the page number added to the right side of the header. Your word-processing program will then number each subsequent page.
If they require a running head, it should contain your last name typed in before the page number.
MLA Style requires papers begin with a title page the contains the information about the name of the paper and author(s) before the body of the paper begins. Everything should be double spaced with no extra spaces after you hit enter. Starting from the top of the page, flush with the left margin, you should type in:
Your Name
Professor/Dr. Name
Course Name and Number
Day Month Year
The Title of Your Paper: A Descriptive but Concise Subtitle
Paragraphs should be aligned to the left with the right side uneven (not justified), and the first line of each new paragraph indented by 0.5". Your word-processing program will automatically move words to the next line - do not manually break up or hyphenate a word at the end of a line.
Once you ensure that the paper is left aligned, you can use the tab key to indent at the start of each new paragraph. Or, you can set up your word processing program to automatically indent at the start of each new paragraph.
MLA allows the use of headings to help you organize your paper. In most shorter works, headings should not be necessary. If you need to use headings in your project, follow these basic guidelines.
Level 1 Headings Are For the Main Sections of Your Paper
Level 2 Headings Are For Subsections of Level 1 Sections
Level 3 Headings Are For Any Level 2 Subsections
The Works Cited list should start on a new page after any endnotes. The heading, “Works Cited” should be centered on the first line at the top of the page. Double space between the heading and the first reference. Each entry should start flush to the left. If the reference is more than one line long, it should go into a hanging indent for each subsequent line.
List references alphabetically and doubled spaced. If you are citing more than one work by the same author/s, list them in alphabetical order by title. After the first reference with the Last Name, use three em dashes or hyphens followed by a period to indicate that it is the same name as the one above it. Use a comma instead if you need to include a different role for the person (i.e. editor, director, etc instead of author).
Do not use extra lines to separate individual citations. The hanging indent will indicate a separate citation.
See pages 219-226 of the MLA Handbook 9th ed. for more information on ordering references in your Works Cited page.
Citing or documenting the sources used in your research serves three purposes:
Whenever you paraphrase (to restate someone else's words or ideas in your own words, often in a more concise or simpler form.) or directly quote (to take a statement or written text word for word from someone else and copy it into your text, set apart by quotation marks or in a block quote) something in your paper that comes from an information source found in print, online, or through a personal communication, you need to cite that source at its point of use in your paper. This is done by using the author's name or title of the work (whatever it is listed by in your works cited section) and sometimes a location indicator (Usually a page number, but can also be a section heading or chapter title if no page numbers are available. “Location” refers to where in the original work you are citing information). To keep your paper from becoming monotonous, you can change the way you present your citations by switching between narrative (Using the Author's Name and sometimes the date in the writing of your paraphrase or quote so that it does not need to be included in parentheses at the end of the sentence) (Prose) or parenthetical (Documenting the Author, date, and sometimes the page number in parentheses ( ) in or at the end of your paraphrase/quote) citations (see below).
It is important to add these in-text citations AS YOU WRITE YOUR PAPER so you do not accidentally plagiarize material by forgetting to do it later.
When paraphrasing in the narrative, if it is the first instance that you mention the author, use both the first and last name. If there is a page number or other location indicator, include it in parentheses at the end of the sentence followed by a period. In each subsequent citation of the author, you should use only the last name.
In the parenthetical, use just the last name and a location indicator (if there is one) in parentheses at the end of the statement before the period.
Thomas Mougios found that CK levels were statistically higher in athletes that participated in basketball. (narrative)
In 2007, Mougios' study revealed discrepancies in CK levels based on age. (narrative)
Males consistently had higher upper limits than females (Mougios 14). (parenthetical)
When using a direct quote in the narrative, if it is the first instance that you mention the author, use both the first and last name. If there is a page number or other location indicator, include it in parentheses directly after the quote in the sentence. In each subsequent citation of the author, you should use only the last name and page number.
In the parenthetical, the author's last name and location indicator (i.e. page number) should be in parentheses directly after the end of the quote.
Simmons found that "permanent damage could occur within months of first use" (34) if the dosage was too high. (narrative)
"Our study found middle school children at most risk of regression" (Anderson line 25). (parenthetical)
For large quotations that are longer than 4 lines in your paper, do not use quotation marks. Instead, start a block quotation on the next line and indent the entire block by .5 inch from the left. Provide an introductory statement for the quote followed by the correct form of punctuation (i.e. colon, comma, etc depending on use). If you use the name or title of the source in that introduction, then only include a location indicator in parentheses at the end of the block. No punctuation should come after the parentheses. If you did not use the author's name, include it in the parentheses at the end.
The same rules apply to two authors as for one.
In the narrative, if it is the first instance that you mention the authors, use both the first and last name for both of them. If there is a location indicator, include it in in parentheses a the end of sentence. In each subsequent citation, you should use only the last names.
In the parenthetical, use their last names only connected by "and" followed by the location indicator if there is one.
As Donald Randolf and John Keefe demonstrated in their study... (narrative)
The inconclusive findings may be due to poor research design (Matthews and Burke 205). (parenthetical)
When using a direct quote, be sure to follow this same format, but add the parenthetical information directly after the quote rather than at the end of the sentence.
Harding and Massey hypothesized that "particulate distribution would be uniform" (34) throughout the experiment. (narrative)
"The introduction of a third control had unexpected results" (Jordan and McGuire 56) for the participants. (parenthetical)
For three or more authors in the narrative, you can either list all their names in your prose, or provide the first author's last name followed by "and others" or "and colleagues."
For three or more authors in the parenthetical, list the last name of the first author followed by "et al.".
For corporate authors, shorten the name to the shortest noun phrase by cutting out initial articles and additional information. Do not use abbreviations in your in-text citations.
Ferguson and others argued in favor of a more democratic structure. (narrative)
"Higher doses did not influence efficacy" (Ferguson et al. 124). (parenthetical)
| Number of Authors | In-Text Citations Paraphrasing | In-Text Citations for Quoting |
| One Author | (Jones) | (Jones 231) |
| Two Authors | (Jones and Smith) | (Jones and Smith 132-133) |
| Three or More Authors | (Walters et al.) | (Walters et al. 54) |
|
Group Author shortened
|
Modern Language Association of America (Modern Language Association) |
Modern Language Association of America (Modern Language Association 34) |
When citing multiple works at the same time parenthetically, list them in alphabetical order, separated by semicolons. If there are multiple works by the same author, include the last name with a comma and then the title in alphabetical order.
None of the authors found links between the description of the flower and the struggling life of the child in the story (Davis; Kirkpatrick and Phillips; Reynolds). (parenthetical)
If citing two or more works by the same author in your paper, you need to include the title (or shortened version of the title) in your narrative or in the parenthetical citation. This can be done with:
The title should be shortened to the smallest noun phrase and italicized. If both author and title are in parentheses, separate them with a comma.
In writing a paper that looks at the fictional portrayal of Victorian childhood, we might use two books by Charles Dickens; Hard Times, and Oliver Twist. This is what those citations might look like if used in three different ways:
In Hard Times, Dickens addresses the hardships of Victorian childhood.
We get a sense of how the welfare of children in the Victorian era depended on the goodwill of their caregivers (Dickens, Oliver Twist).
Dickens' opening statement that one "can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts" (Hard Times 1) sets the tone for the destruction of childhood innocence in the school environment.
MLA citations are composed of 3 elements -- Author, Title of the Source, and the Container.
Author
If no author is listed, skip this element and begin the citation with the Title of the Source.
Title of the Source
If no title is available, provide a short and informative description of the work. You may also use text from the work itself if it is the clearest way to identify a titled work.
The Container
Include in your citation whichever elements are available from your source. If information is not available about your container, simply do not include it in your citation.
References (or a List of Works Cited) that correspond to your in-text citations allow others to find the works you used to write your paper. It is how they are able to check that your information is accurate.
MLA Style uses the same basic format for all types of sources. Core elements are listed in a particular order, and containers are used when citing a source that is part of a larger work, such as an article within a journal, a chapter within a book, or an article on a website. Which elements get used depends on what is available for that source. This varies by type of source. If parts of this basic format are not available (such as author or page numbers), omit and move to the next element of the citation.
Professional Hint - gather all the information you need for a reference when you first access the source, even if later on you don't use it. It is much harder to go back and find citation information when you are trying to wrap up your paper than it is to store the information now and format it later. Consider using a citation manager (i.e. EndNote, Zotero) to help you keep all that information safely stored.
The tabs in this box contain samples of sources you might use in your research. We've identified for you where to find the citation elements you need to create your references. They also include examples of references for these types of sources. Additionally, check out this handy Ask the MLA web page where you can search for answers to your MLA citation questions. As always, contact your reference librarian for more detailed help with formatting citations.
MLA citations are composed of 3 elements -- Author, Title of the Source, and the Container.
Author
The Author is the creator of the work you are citing. If no author is listed, skip this element and begin the citation with the Title of the Source.
Title of the Source
The Title of the Source is the name the creator has given the work you are citing. If no title is available, provide a short and informative description of the work. You may also use text from the work itself if it is the clearest way to identify a titled work.
The Container
A container is a work that consists of another work. For example, if you want to cite a particular chapter in the book, you'd start with the author and title of the chapter. The book itself is the container for the chapter.
| Container | Contained |
|---|---|
journal, magazine, newspaper |
article, photo, image, chart, graph |
anthology (aka a collection of something) |
essay, poem, or short story |
| blog | blog Post |
X (formerly known as Twitter) |
X post (tweet) |
Website like Facebook |
post or comment |
Website like Spotify |
song |
CD or album |
song |
Website like YouTube |
video clip or movie |
TV series, podcast, or radio program |
individual episode |
website or app like Instagram |
photo or video clip |
website or app like Libby or Audibly |
digitized book or audiobook |
museum website |
digitized book or audiobook |
art exhibit |
art work |
After citing the title of the chapter you add information about the container.
Elements of the container may include
Include in your citation whichever elements are available from your source. If information is not available about your container, simply do not include it in your citation.
With all the different online sources out there, it can be a bit confusing sometimes on where to look to find the information elements for your citation reference. To help you out, we've assembled a few examples of articles, eBooks and websites with arrows drawn in to show you where you can find the main reference elements of Author, Date, Title, and Source.
Author LastName, FirstName. Book Title. E-book, Publisher, Year.
Guidelines to keep in mind:
List author's in order of appearance on the book cover or title page. For the first or only author, reverse LastName, FirstName. For a second author, add a comma after the first author's FirstName, type "and", and then write out the second author's FirstName then LastName with no comma.
For more than two authors, use the first authors LastName, FirstName followed by a comma and "et al."
All words in the Book Title are italicized and in Title Case .
Include only the publisher name, not the location. Do not include business structure designations (e.g. Inc., LLC).
Book with one author
De Bres, Helena. Artful Truths: The Philosophy of Memoir. University of Chicago Press, 2021.
Book with two authors
Allison, Juliann Emmons, and Ellen Reese. Unsustainable: Amazon, Warehousing, and the Politics of Exploitation. University of California Press, 2023.
E-Book
Stein, Lori, and Ronald H. Isaacs. Let's Eat: Jewish Food and Faith. Stackpole Books, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central,
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/saintanselm-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5059967.
Edited Book
Baron, Sabrina Alcorn, et al., editors. Agent of Change: Print Culture Studies after Elizabeth L. Eisenstein. U of Massachusetts P / Library of
Congress, Center for the Book, 2007.
Chapter in an Edited Book
Lautard, Hugh, and Neil Guppy. "Revisiting the Vertical Mosaic: Occupational Stratification Among Canadian Ethnic Groups." Race and
Ethnic Relations in Canada, edited by Peter S. Li, Oxford UP, 1999.
Author LastName, FirstName. "Article Title." Periodical Title, vol. x, no. x, Day Month Year, pp. x-xx. Database Name, URL/DOI.
Guidelines to keep in mind:
List author's last names in order of appearance in the article or database. For a second author, add a comma after the first author's First name, type "and", and then write out the second author's First Name then Last Name with no comma.
The "Title of the Article should be in Quotations" and in Title Case.
The title of the periodical/journal should be in italics and written in title case. Include the volume number and issue number after the abbreviations (if they are available) as well as the date, whether that be a full date or just the year if that is all that is available.
The second and subsequent lines are indented, or "hanging" indentation.
Article In a Database with DOI
Herbst-Damm, Kathryn L., and James A. Kulik. "Volunteer Support, Marital Status, and the Survival Times of Terminally Ill Patients." Health Psychology, vol. 24, no. 2, 2025, pp. 225-229. APA PsychNet, https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.24.2.225.
Article From an Online Journal
Alpert-Abrams, Hanna. "Machine Reading the Primeros Libros." Digital Humanities Quarterly, vol. 10, no. 4, 2016,
www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/10/4/000268/000268.html.
Print Article
Boggs, Colleen Glenney. "Public Reading and the Civil War Draft Lottery." American Periodicals, vol. 26, no. 2, 2016, pp 1-24.
Online Newspaper Article
Meko, Hurubie. "In C.E.O. Murder Case, a Test of New York's Antiterrorism Laws." New York Times, 26 December 2024,
Accessed 28 December 2025.
Print Newspaper Article
Cook, Lorne. "EU Warns 3 Nations of Legal Action." San Francisco Chronical, 14 June 2017, p. A4.
Entire Website
Author LastName, FirstName. Website Title. Name of publisher/organization affiliated with site, date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.
Webpage
Author. "Webpage Title." Website Title, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.
Guidelines to keep in mind:
If the author of a website or webpage is not immediately evident, check the "about us" or acknowledgement sections of the website. If you are still unable to locate an author, use the group/site name as the author.
Be as specific as possible with the date, including month, day and year.
Webpage on a website with individual author
Aiken, Kristen. "The Best Vegetarian Instant Pot recipes." HuffPost.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/best-vegetarian-instant-pot-recipes_l_5e28b509c5b6d6767fce6c99. Accessed 13
January 2025.
Webpage on a website with group author
"Five Ways to View Coverage of the Coronavirus." American Psychological Association, 24 August 2020.
https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/bird-fl. Accessed 3 October 2020.
Note: If the author and site name are the same, begin your citation with the title of the webpage.
Many databases will provide the DOI for you along with the rest of an article's citation information (title, author, etc.). This is most often located on the first page of the article or in the eBook description.
However, if you cannot find a DOI for your article or book, or if you have a DOI, but don't know what article or book it is for, use the following online DOI Resolver: www.crossref.org. Use the "Search Metadata" box to look up the title of the book/article, or the unidentified DOI. If you are unable to determine the DOI of a work online, you may provide the URL address of the website at the end of the citation. "Retrieved/Accessed from" is no longer used. If the work without a DOI is from an academic database, do not include the URL. Instead leave the reference as you would for the print version.
While DOIs were first introduced in about 2000, they did not become commonly used for another 8-10 years. Therefore, most articles published before 2010 will not have DOIs assigned to them. However, some publishers are starting to assign DOIs to older articles. You should check CrossRef.org to ensure you have the most accurate information.
According to MLA, DOI's are preferred for indicating a sources location over permalinks or URLs. Whenever available, include the DOI over the other two options.
Citation generators are found in all sorts of places these days. There are "stand alone" options that your instructor may recommend such as EasyBib, BibMe, Owl, or even ChatGPT. Some of these require a subscription to work.
You can also find citation generators in databases such as in EBSCO, Proquest, and JSTOR.
They are all AI powered programs that are meant to pull the reference elements out of an online source (or you have to enter the information) and then produce a reference that is formatted according to the citation style you select (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).
However, these programs notoriously get it WRONG!
They cannot always manipulate formatting such as altering titles that are created with all caps, or changing between Title and Sentence format for article titles and Journal names. Sometimes, the generator missing information altogether.
Notice in the EBSCO example above that the generator failed to begin the citation with the author's name.
You may be able to use a citation generator to gather the reference elements for you, but you MUST go back and check that the formatting and order are correct. That's why we have created this guide to help you ensure your citation formatting is correct.
A useful alternative to citation generators are Citation Managers. These are more robust programs that allow you to import or input the reference information elements for each of your sources. It can then be used in conjunction with your word-processing program to correctly insert in-text citations and create a reference page with correctly formatted references at the end of your paper. It is important to always check imported information to ensure it was correctly entered (i.e. not in all caps, or in title case) so that the program can correctly format the citations for you later. Citation Managers do not fix spelling errors and typos!
At Saint Anselm, we have access to both Zotero and EndNote. The staff at the IT Help Desk can load EndNote onto your computer. Zotero is open source software that you can download freely from Zotero.org. Use our Zotero and EndNote guides for more information.
