🔥 Benefits of Our MLA Reference Generator
- No need to pay. You can use our tool as many times as you want, free of charge.
- Our MLA 9 bibliography generator is convenient. Follow 5 simple steps to get a reference list for your paper.
- It saves you time. Spend it on something you enjoy instead!
✅ How to Use Our Free MLA Reference Generator
You don't need to constantly check MLA style requirements to make a 100% correct reference list. Just follow these 5 simple steps to get it done:
- Select your source type from the list. You can choose a website, book, journal, newspaper, etc.
- Type in the information about the source. Provide the author's name, DOI number, and other relevant data.
- Type in other details if necessary. You can mention additional contributors, website title, date, etc.
- Click the Add button. You can generate several references this way.
- Get the results. Now, you can download an in-text citation or a reference.
You can also leave the link to your source, and our tool will format it automatically. Just check the preview and edit it if needed.
💡️ What Is MLA Style?
MLA stands for Modern Language Association. The main goal of creating MLA format was to make a united writing standard so that it can be easier for writers to prove their point and for readers to trust it.
The style was introduced in 1951 by William Riley Parker, a professor at Indiana University.
Since then, it has undergone some changes, such as getting rid of Roman numbers in 1970. As of today, the latest version of the guidebook is MLA Handbook 9th edition, published in 2021.
arts and humanities, such as cultural studies, language, and literature. Some of its purposes are:
| ✔ | To show the exact location of the information in the source. |
| ✔ | To help readers focus on the text. |
| ✔ | To prove the writer's credibility. |
| ✔ | To prevent plagiarism. |
📚 MLA In-text Citations vs. Works Cited
Both in-text citations and reference lists are used in academic writing to give credit to the author of the original source. However, their length, location, contents, and goals are different.
MLA In-Text Citations Explained
In-text citations are put after a direct or an indirect (paraphrased) quote. According to the MLA format, they include the author's last name and the page which the original text is taken from.
They should be put in parentheses without any other punctuation marks. If the author's name is already stated in the sentence, then it's not necessary to put it in the citation.
MLA Works Cited Explained
The reference list, or Works Cited, includes all names of the sources used in your work organized alphabetically by the last name of the first author of each source. It is the final part of your paper placed on a separate page.
According to MLA format, Works Cited should consist of the following information:
- Author’s name.
- Source's title.
- Container's title in italics.
- Other contributors, if there are any.
- Version.
- Number.
- Information about publisher.
- Publication date.
- Location.
But how about referencing a website or a social media post? Well, this is how you do it:
| 🌐 | To cite a webpage, you need to mention the author’s name, name of the page, website’s name, publication date, and URL. |
| 📲 | To cite a social media post, put together the author’s name, the post, social media’s name, publication date, and URL. |
| ✍️ | If you’re citing a blog post, put into the reference the author’s name, the post’s name, the blog’s name, publication date, and URL. |
✨ MLA References Examples
We’ve gathered some examples of MLA references to help you understand this formatting style even better! Below, you’ll find MLA citation examples of books and online articles.
MLA In-text Citations Examples
📚 Book
One Author
Two authors
📰 Article
Magazine
Newspaper
🌐 Webpage
📲 Social Media
✍️ Blog
MLA References Examples
📚 Book
📰 Article
🌐 Webpage
📲 Social Media
✍️ Blog
For other cases, make sure to refer to the latest MLA Handbook and consult your instructor in case they have special requirements for this format.
We hope this article helped you understand MLA formatting style requirements! You are always welcome to trust your references to our MLA 9 bibliography generator. We also recommend using our thesis statement and essay conclusion generators.
❓ MLA Reference Generator: FAQs
To reference a source in MLA format, you need to provide the following information:
- Author’s name
- Source title
- Other contributors
- Version
- Number
- Publisher and publication date
- Location
To make an in-text citation, provide the author’s last name and the page number after the quote.
Try our MLA reference generator to get a reference list or in-text citations absolutely for free! It is fast and convenient: you don't need to download anything or spend your precious time understanding how it works. Just follow five simple steps to get a reference list for your essay or research paper.
An MLA format reference page lists all the sources cited in an essay or research paper. The purpose of the reference page is to give credit to the authors of the sources used in the text. The reference page is placed at the end of the paper and arranged alphabetically.
To reference a book in MLA, provide the author's name, the book's title, other contributors, version, number, and publishing details. You can also use our MLA reference generator to cite a website, book text, news article, or any other source for your paper.