How to works cite a website mla format

Author

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MLA Website Citation Basic Format
Article on Website With Author
Article on Website With Unknown Author
MLA Citation Examples for Blog Posts
Social Media Post MLA Citation Example
Look for Other Sources

It can sometimes be difficult to find out who the author of a website is. Remember that an author can be a corporation or group, not only a specific person. Author information can sometimes be found under an "About" section on a website.

If there is no known author, start the citation with the title of the website instead.

Title

Capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title. You do not need to capitalize words such as: in, of, or an. Do not use all-caps (except for words like USA where each letter stands for something), even if the words appear that way on the article.

If there is a colon (:) in the title, include what comes after the colon (also known as the subtitle).

Publisher

The publisher or sponsoring organization can often be found in a copyright notice at the bottom of the home page or on a page that gives information about the site. When the page is authored and published by the same corporation/group/organization, begin your citation with the section title.

According to p. 42 of the MLA Handbook, publisher information may be omitted for:

periodicals (journals, magazines, newspapers)
works published by an author or editor
web sites whose title is the same as the name of the publisher
a web site not involved in producing the work it makes (e.g. user-generated content sites like YouTube)

Date

The best date to use for a website is the date that the content was last updated. Otherwise look for a copyright or original publication date. Unfortunately this information may not be provided or may be hard to find. Often date information is located on the bottom of the pages of a website.

If you do not know the complete date, put as much information as you can find. For example, you may have a year but no month or day.

Access Date

Date of access is optional in MLA 9th edition. If no publication date is included, we recommend including the date you last accessed the site.

Following these MLA 8 website citation examples helps students create accurate entries in works cited lists. Finding website sources for your humanities or art history paper is easy if you remember to evaluate each website carefully. Be sure to evaluate online sources for the reliability and authority of the website’s publishers.

MLA Website Citation Basic Format

MLA citations uses nine core elements within a container system for flexibility. Adapt these MLA website citation examples to fit your sources.

Article on Website With Author

It’s best to use articles with known authors for your sources. This helps establish the authority of the source. Include the access date, if required by your teacher.

Works Cited Format

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article: Subtitle of Article.” Website, Day Month Year, URL.

In-Text Citation

(Author’s Last Name)

Example – Works Cited

Mabillard, Amanda. “Shakespeare on Jealousy.” Shakespeare Online. 10 Aug. 2013, shakespeare-online.com/quotes/shakespeareonjealousy.html.

Example – In-Text Citation

(Mabillard)

Article on Website With Unknown Author

If you find a great article on an established organization’s website, but there is no author listed, use the title of the article as the first element.

Works Cited Format

“Title of Page or Document.” Title of Website, Name of Organization Affiliated with the Website, Date of copyright or date last modified/updated, URL.

In-Text Citation Format

(“First word of the title”)

Example – Works Cited

“San Ildefonso Pottery: 1600 – 1930.” Indian Art and Culture, Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, 21 Aug. 2019, indianartsandculture.org/current&eventID=4063.

Example – In-Text

(“San Illdefonso”)

MLA Citation Examples for Blog Posts

Blog posts can be useful sources for your MLA paper, too. Check with your instructor to make sure these sources are allowed for research purposes.

Works Cited Format

Author’s Last Name, First Name or Username. “Title of Blog Post.” Name of Blog, Blog Network/Publisher if given, Day Month Year, URL.

In-Text Citation Format

(Author’s last name)

Example – Works Cited

Morris, Sylvia. “Shakespeare and the Moon.” The Shakespeare Blog, 23 July 2019, theshakespeareblog.com/2019/07.

Example – In-Text

(Morris)

Ask your teacher if you can add social media posts for works cited sources. If allowed, follow this citation format for works cited and in-text entries.

Works Cited Format

Author Last Name, First Name or Account Name. Description of Post. Social Media Platform, Day Month Year of Post, Time of Post, URL.

In-Text Citation

(Author’s last name)

Example – Works Cited

Dysart, Jane. The Future of Libraries. Facebook, 12 July 2019, 9:40 p.m., www.facebook.com/TheFutureofLibraries.

Example – In-Text

(Dysart)

Notes:

Omit the publisher if the title is the same as the name of the publisher.
Access date is optional. Ask your teacher.
Ask your teacher before including blog posts or social media comments.

Look for Other Sources

Although using websites for your MLA school paper is quick and easy, look for other sources such as scholarly journal articles, articles published by reputable magazine publishers and print books. Find articles with an author’s byline and review their credentials. Always look for sources published by credible sources. Researching can be fun! Enjoy the journey.

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How to works cite a website mla format