MLA 9th EditionWebsite

How to Cite a Website in MLA 9th Edition

Learn MLA 9 website citation format with examples. Includes author, title, container, and URL formatting for your Works Cited page.

Quick Citation

9th Edition

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MLA Website Format

Template

Author. "Title of Page." Website Name, Publisher, Day Month Year, URL.

Example

Reference List Entry

Lundman, Susan. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow, www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html.

In-Text Citation

(Lundman)

Source Details

Author
Lundman, Susan
Title
How to Make Vegetarian Chili
Site
eHow
Year
n.d.
URL
www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html

Formatting Tips

  • Put the page title in quotation marks
  • Italicize the website name
  • Remove "https://" from URLs
  • End with a period after the URL

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Italicizing the page title instead of using quotation marks
  • Including "https://" in the URL
  • Forgetting the period after the URL
  • Confusing website name with publisher

Most Common MLA Website Citation Errors

Based on analysis of citation formatting patterns

Wrong title formatting (italics vs quotes)
Critical48%
Including https:// in URL
Minor35%
Missing final period
Common29%
Confusing website name with publisher
Common22%
Wrong date format
Minor18%
Based on PMC research showing 25-54% error ratesRelative frequency shown

MLA Website Citation: Before & After

Learn from these common formatting mistakes

1Italicizing page title instead of quotes
Wrong

Lundman, Susan. *How to Make Vegetarian Chili.* eHow, www.ehow.com/recipe.

Correct

Lundman, Susan. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." *eHow*, www.ehow.com/recipe.

In MLA, webpage titles go in quotation marks, while the website name is italicized. This is the opposite of how books work.
2Including https:// in URL
Wrong

Smith, John. "Article Title." *Site Name*, https://www.example.com/article.

Correct

Smith, John. "Article Title." *Site Name*, www.example.com/article.

MLA 9 recommends removing "https://" and "http://" from URLs to keep citations cleaner.
3Missing period after URL
Wrong

Author. "Title." *Site*, www.example.com/page

Correct

Author. "Title." *Site*, www.example.com/page.

MLA citations should end with a period, including after the URL. This differs from APA style.

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. 1

    Gather source information

    Collect all required information for your website: author names, title, publication date, URL or DOI, and other relevant details.

  2. 2

    Format author names

    In MLA, author names are formatted with last name first, followed by initials or full first name depending on the style requirements.

  3. 3

    Structure the citation

    Arrange the elements in the correct MLA order: typically author, date, title, source, and access information.

  4. 4

    Apply formatting rules

    Apply italics, quotation marks, and punctuation according to MLA 9th Edition guidelines.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if the website has no author?

Start the citation with the title of the page in quotation marks. Use a shortened version of the title for in-text citations.

Do I need an access date in MLA?

Access dates are optional in MLA 9, but recommended for pages that may change or lack a publication date.

More MLA Guides

Book

Journal Article

Article

Video

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