MLA · 9th Edition
How to Cite a Journal Article in MLA 9th Edition
Master MLA 9 journal article citations. Examples with DOIs, volumes, issues, and page numbers for your Works Cited.
Quick Answer
To cite a journal article in MLA 9th edition, use: Author. "Article Title." Journal Name, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. ##-##. Database, DOI. Put the article title in quotation marks and italicize the journal name. Use "vol." and "no." abbreviations for volume and issue, and "pp." before the page range. If you accessed the article through a database like JSTOR, include the database name (italicized) and the DOI or stable URL as a second container. For in-text citations, include the author's last name and the page number: (Kincaid 621). If the article has no page numbers, use the author name alone. Example: Kincaid, Jamaica. "In History." Callaloo, vol. 24, no. 2, 2001, pp. 620-626. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1353/cal.2001.0069. MLA's container model treats the database as an outer container wrapping the journal. CiteMe pulls article data from CrossRef, PubMed, and Semantic Scholar to build your MLA Works Cited entry with verified metadata.
Quick answer: To cite a journal article in MLA (9th Edition), use this template: Author. "Article Title." Journal Name, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. ##-##. Database, DOI.
Citation template
Full example
Reference / Bibliography
Kincaid, Jamaica. "In History." Callaloo, vol. 24, no. 2, 2001, pp. 620-626. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1353/cal.2001.0069.
In-text citation
(Kincaid 621)
Source breakdown
- author
- Kincaid, Jamaica
- title
- In History
- site
- Callaloo
- year
- 2001
- pages
- 620-626
- url
- https://doi.org/10.1353/cal.2001.0069
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Tips
- ✓Put article titles in quotation marks
- ✓Italicize journal names
- ✓Include page numbers in in-text citations
- ✓Use vol. and no. abbreviations
Common mistakes
- ⚠Italicizing article titles
- ⚠Forgetting page numbers in parenthetical citations
- ⚠Not including the database name
- ⚠Using full "volume" instead of "vol."
Before & after
Using URL when DOI is available
Wrong
Kincaid, Jamaica. "In History." Callaloo, vol. 24, no. 2, 2001, pp. 620-626. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3300567.
Correct
Kincaid, Jamaica. "In History." Callaloo, vol. 24, no. 2, 2001, pp. 620-626. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1353/cal.2001.0069.
MLA 9 prefers DOIs over URLs when both are available. A DOI is a permanent identifier that will always resolve to the article.
Writing out "volume" and "number" in full
Wrong
Kincaid, Jamaica. "In History." Callaloo, volume 24, number 2, 2001, pp. 620-626.
Correct
Kincaid, Jamaica. "In History." Callaloo, vol. 24, no. 2, 2001, pp. 620-626.
MLA uses the abbreviations "vol." and "no." for volume and issue numbers, not the full words.
Italicizing article title instead of journal name
Wrong
Kincaid, Jamaica. In History. Callaloo, vol. 24, no. 2, 2001, pp. 620-626.
Correct
Kincaid, Jamaica. "In History." Callaloo, vol. 24, no. 2, 2001, pp. 620-626.
In MLA, article titles go in quotation marks while the journal name (the container) is italicized.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to include the database in MLA?
Yes, if you accessed the article through a database, include the database name (italicized) and DOI or URL.
How do I cite a journal article with no DOI?
Use the stable URL from the database. If no stable URL exists, include just the database name.
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Related resources
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