MLA · 9th Edition
How to Cite a Book in MLA 9th Edition
Master MLA 9 book citations with our complete guide. Examples for single and multiple authors, editions, and e-books.
Quick Answer
To cite a book in MLA 9th edition, use: Author. Title of Book. Publisher, Year. Italicize the book title and apply title case — capitalize all major words, which is the opposite of APA's sentence case. For in-text citations, include the author's last name and the page number without a comma: (Gladwell 45). MLA 9 no longer requires the city of publication, simplifying the format from earlier editions. For two authors, use "and" (not an ampersand): Smith, John, and Jane Doe. For three or more authors, list the first author followed by "et al." in the Works Cited entry: Gladwell, Malcolm, et al. For e-books, add the format: Kindle ed. Example: Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown and Company, 2008. Always include page numbers in in-text citations when referencing a specific passage. CiteMe searches Google Books and OpenAlex to pull accurate book metadata and format your MLA citation correctly.
Quick answer: To cite a book in MLA (9th Edition), use this template: Author. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.
Citation template
Full example
Reference / Bibliography
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown and Company, 2008.
In-text citation
(Gladwell 45)
Source breakdown
- author
- Gladwell, Malcolm
- title
- Outliers: The Story of Success
- publisher
- Little, Brown and Company
- year
- 2008
Generate this citation now
Skip the theory — generate your MLA citation now.
Tips
- ✓Italicize the book title
- ✓Use title case for all major words
- ✓Include page numbers in in-text citations
- ✓Do not include the publisher location
Common mistakes
- ⚠Using sentence case instead of title case
- ⚠Forgetting page numbers in in-text citations
- ⚠Including city of publication (not required in MLA 9)
- ⚠Putting the title in quotation marks
Before & after
Sentence case instead of title case
Wrong
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: the story of success. Little, Brown, 2008.
Correct
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown, 2008.
MLA uses title case (capitalize all major words). This is different from APA which uses sentence case.
Missing page numbers in citation
Wrong
(Gladwell)
Correct
(Gladwell 45)
MLA in-text citations should include page numbers when citing specific passages. Omit only for general references to entire work.
Including city of publication
Wrong
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers. New York: Little, Brown, 2008.
Correct
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers. Little, Brown, 2008.
MLA 9 no longer requires the city of publication. This changed from earlier editions.
Frequently asked questions
How do I cite a book with two authors in MLA?
List the first author last name first, then "and" and the second author in normal order: Smith, John, and Jane Doe. Title. Publisher, Year.
How do I cite an e-book in MLA?
Add the e-book format or platform at the end: Author. Title. Publisher, Year. Kindle ed.
Generate this citation now
Skip the theory — generate your MLA citation now.