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MLA9 Guide: Articles

A guide to citation using the MLA8 standards

Journal Article Format

  1. Author(s). Note: Use the format Last Name, First Name Middle Name or Initial. If there are multiple authors, use and before the last author's name.
  2. "Title of the Article." Note: Include the title of a shorter work like an article in a journal in quotation marks and use headline-style capitalization.
  3. Title of the Journal, Note: Use italics for the title of a longer work like a journal and use headline-style capitalization.
  4. vol. #,
  5. no. #, Note: If there is no additional number after the volume, only include the volume number.
  6. Publication date,
  7. pp. xxx-xxx.

If accessed online or in a library database...

  • Database, Note: Use italics for names of databases.
  • URL or permalink.

 

Gosine, Kevin, and Emmanuel Tabi. "Disrupting Neoliberalism and Bridging the Multiple Worlds of Marginalized Youth via Hip-Hop Pedagogy: Contemplating Possibilities." Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies, vol. 38, no. 5, 2016, pp. 445-467. Research Gatedoi: 10.1080/10714413.2016.1221712.

Example source: California State University

Examples to use as Models

ARTICLES

FORM: Lastname, Firstname. "Article Title." Journal Title, volume, issue, year, pp. (page numbers). Database Name. Stable ULR or doi.

FORM: Lastname, Firstname. "Article Title." Magazine or Newspaper Title, day month year, pp. (pages). Database Name. Stable URL or doi.

Access dates optional.

An Article from an Online Library Database
Cite articles from library databases (Academic Search Complete, LexisNexis, ProQuest, JSTOR, ScienceDirect) as containers. Provide the database title italicized before the URL or doi. If a doi is not given, use the URL. Access date optional.

Alonso, Alvaro, and Julio A. Camargo. "Toxicity of Nitrite to Three Species of Freshwater Invertebrates." Environmental Toxicology, vol. 21, no. 1, 3 Feb. 2006, pp. 90-94. ScienceDirect, doi: 10.1002/tox.20155.

Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical Journal, vol. 50, no. 1, 2007, pp. 173-96. ProQuest, doi:10.1017/S0018246X06005966. Accessed 27 May 2009.

Magazine or Newspaper Article from a Library Database:

Duplet, Franc. "How to Duplicate the Success of a Business." Successful Jobs, Oct. 2003, pp. 55-58. ABI Complete, search.proquest.com/docview/740336840?accountid=28902.  

An Article in an Online Scholarly Journal
For online-only scholarly journals, provide the author(s) name(s), the article title  in quotation marks, title of the publication in italics, any volume and issue numbers, and the publication year. Include a URL, doi, or a stable link or permalink.

A page range for articles is used for Scholarly Journals. If the journal cited appears exclusively online (i.e. there is no corresponding print) and does not have page numbers, indicate the URL or other location information as need for clarity.  Access dates are optional.

Dolby, Nadine. “Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future Directions.” Social Work and Society: The International Online-Only Journal, vol. 6, no.2, 2008, www.socwork.net/sws/article/view/60/362. Accessed 20 May 2009.

An Article on the Web
Provide the author name, article name in quotation marks, title of the web magazine in italics, publisher name, publication date, URL, AND usually a =n access date.

Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web." A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites, 16 Aug. 2002, alistapart.com/article/writeliving. Accessed 4 May 2009.

Colorful Examples