MLA 9 is the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook, published in 2021. STEM students usually meet it in writing, ethics, science communication or humanities electives rather than in technical modules.
This page explains how MLA in-text citations work, the core elements behind every Works Cited entry, examples for the sources you are likely to use, and how MLA differs from the technical styles you use elsewhere.
MLA 9 in Four Rules
- Cite in the text with the author's surname and page number, no comma: (Grant 87).
- List every source in a Works Cited list, alphabetical by author surname, with hanging indents.
- Build each entry from the core elements, in order, leaving out any that do not apply.
- Use full first names, title case, quotation marks for shorter works and italics for longer ones.
In-Text Citations
MLA uses short parenthetical citations that point to the Works Cited list. The usual form is the author's surname and the page number.
| Situation | Example |
|---|---|
| One author | (Grant 87) |
| Two authors | (Patel and Okafor 114) |
| Three or more authors | (Moreno et al. 236) |
| Author named in sentence | Grant argues that dosing errors are preventable (87). |
| No page numbers (web page) | (Northfield Water Authority) |
| No author | ("How We Test") |
| Two works by the same author | (Osei, "Renal Handling" 150) |
Note that MLA does not put the year in the in-text citation. That is the biggest difference from the author-date styles common in science.
The Core Elements
MLA 9 does not give a separate rule for every source type. Instead, every entry is built from the same list of core elements, in this order, each followed by the punctuation shown.
| Element | Punctuation after | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Author | Full stop | Grant, Helen. |
| 2. Title of source | Full stop | "Renal Handling of Drugs." |
| 3. Title of container | Comma | Journal of Applied Physiology Studies, |
| 4. Other contributors | Comma | edited by Tom Ward and Amy Bell, |
| 5. Version | Comma | 4th ed., |
| 6. Number | Comma | vol. 15, no. 2, |
| 7. Publisher | Comma | Northfield Press, |
| 8. Publication date | Comma | 2023, |
| 9. Location | Full stop | pp. 112-19. |
A "container" is the larger work that holds your source: a journal holds an article, an edited book holds a chapter, a website holds a page. Leave out any element that does not apply, and end the entry with a full stop.
Works Cited Examples
These examples use invented authors, journals and an example DOI to show the format clearly.
Journal Article
Patel, Ravi, and Ngozi Okafor. "Home Walking and Resting Blood Pressure in Older Adults." Journal of Applied Physiology Studies, vol. 15, no. 2, 2023, pp. 112-19, https://doi.org/10.1000/japs.2023.0142.
Three or More Authors
Moreno, Lucia, et al. "Adherence to Exercise Prescriptions in Primary Care." Primary Care Research Review, vol. 8, no. 4, 2022, pp. 233-40.
Book
Grant, Helen. Clinical Pharmacology for Nurses. 4th ed., Northfield Press, 2021.
Chapter in an Edited Book
Osei, Kwame. "Renal Handling of Drugs." Principles of Clinical Pharmacology, edited by Tom Ward and Amy Bell, Northfield Press, 2020, pp. 145-68.
Web Page by an Organization
"How We Test Drinking Water Quality." Northfield Water Authority, 4 May 2024, www.example.org/water-testing.
When an organization is both the author and the publisher, MLA starts the entry with the title and gives the organization only once. In the text, cite it as ("How We Test").
Online Video
"Measuring g with a Simple Pendulum." YouTube, uploaded by Northfield University Physics, 15 Jan. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=example.
How MLA Differs from Technical Styles
| Feature | MLA 9 | APA 7 | IEEE |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-text form | (Grant 87) | (Grant, 2021, p. 87) | [1] |
| Year in text | No | Yes | No |
| List title | Works Cited | References | References |
| List order | Alphabetical | Alphabetical | Numbered in order of citation |
| Author names | Full first names | Initials | Initials before surname |
The habit to break is adding the year. If you write (Grant, 2021) in an MLA essay, the marker will see APA habits at once.
A Worked Example
Text. Exercise is often presented as a cheap alternative to medication, yet Patel and Okafor found that walking lowered blood pressure only in participants who kept to the program (114). Adherence is the real obstacle; in community settings, many patients stopped within weeks (Moreno et al. 236). Public guidance still focuses on testing and monitoring rather than motivation ("How We Test").
Works Cited (alphabetical, hanging indent, double-spaced in your document): the "How We Test" entry is listed under H, then Moreno, then Patel.
Entries that start with a title are alphabetized by the first main word, ignoring "A", "An" and "The".
Formatting the Works Cited List
- Start the list on a new page titled "Works Cited", centered.
- Double-space the whole list, with no extra space between entries.
- Use a hanging indent of 0.5 inch (1.27 cm).
- Abbreviate all months except May, June and July: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.
- Omit "https://" from ordinary URLs if your instructor allows, but keep the full https://doi.org/ form for DOIs.
Citing Technical Sources in MLA
STEM students writing in MLA often need to cite data, figures or standards. The core elements still apply, so think about the source, its container and its publisher.
- Figures you reproduce: label them "Fig. 1" with a caption that includes the source, and list it in Works Cited.
- Tables: label them "Table 1" above the table, with the source in a note below.
- Datasets and reports: treat the agency as author or publisher and give the title, date and URL.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The 9th edition of the MLA Handbook, published in 2021.
No. MLA uses the author's surname and the page number, such as (Grant 87). The date appears only in the Works Cited entry.
Give the first author's name followed by "et al.", both in the text and in the Works Cited entry.
Yes, MLA 9 recommends including a URL or DOI for online sources. You may omit "https://" from URLs, but keep it for DOIs in the https://doi.org/ form.
No, it is optional. Add one for pages without a publication date or for content likely to change.
Writing, ethics, communication and humanities modules often require it, even within science and engineering degrees.