MLA · 9th Edition
How to Cite an Article in MLA 9th Edition
Learn to cite magazine and newspaper articles in MLA 9 format with examples for print and online sources.
Quick Answer
To cite a magazine or newspaper article in MLA 9th edition, use: Author. "Article Title." Publication Name, Day Month Year, pp. ##-##. URL. Put the article title in quotation marks and italicize the publication name. Use the day-month-year date format and abbreviate months longer than four letters (Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. — but May, June, and July stay unabbreviated). Include page numbers for print articles with the "pp." prefix. For online articles, add the URL at the end. For in-text citations, include the author name and page number: (Poniewozik 70). If no author is listed, use a shortened title in quotation marks. Example: Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time, 20 Nov. 2000, pp. 70-71. The key difference from journal citations is that magazines and newspapers use full dates instead of volume and issue numbers. CiteMe recognizes periodical types automatically and formats each one according to MLA 9 rules.
Quick answer: To cite a article in MLA (9th Edition), use this template: Author. "Article Title." Publication Name, Day Month Year, pp. ##-##. URL.
Citation template
Full example
Reference / Bibliography
Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time, 20 Nov. 2000, pp. 70-71.
In-text citation
(Poniewozik 70)
Source breakdown
- author
- Poniewozik, James
- title
- TV Makes a Too-Close Call
- site
- Time
- year
- 20 Nov. 2000
- pages
- 70-71
Tips
- ✓Use day-month-year format
- ✓Abbreviate months (except May, June, July)
- ✓Include page numbers for print articles
- ✓Add URL for online articles
Common mistakes
- ⚠Using month-day-year format
- ⚠Not abbreviating months properly
- ⚠Forgetting page numbers in citations
- ⚠Omitting URLs for online articles
Before & after
Using month-day-year instead of day-month-year
Wrong
Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time, Nov. 20, 2000, pp. 70-71.
Correct
Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time, 20 Nov. 2000, pp. 70-71.
MLA uses day-month-year format (20 Nov. 2000), not month-day-year. This is a common mix-up with APA and Chicago styles.
Not abbreviating months
Wrong
Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time, 20 November 2000, pp. 70-71.
Correct
Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time, 20 Nov. 2000, pp. 70-71.
MLA abbreviates months longer than four letters (Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.). May, June, and July are not abbreviated.
Using "p." instead of "pp." for page range
Wrong
Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time, 20 Nov. 2000, p. 70-71.
Correct
Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time, 20 Nov. 2000, pp. 70-71.
Use "pp." for a page range (multiple pages) and "p." for a single page only.
Frequently asked questions
How do I cite an online magazine article in MLA?
Follow the same format but include the URL at the end. Access dates are optional but recommended for pages without publication dates.
What if there's no author listed?
Start with the article title in quotation marks. Use a shortened title in parenthetical citations.
Related resources
Other MLA guides
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