Mistakes Checklist
Common MLA Article Citation Mistakes
Published studies report citation/reference error rates between 25-54%. Use this page to catch the most frequent formatting failures before submission.
Top mistakes to avoid
- ⚠Using month-day-year format
- ⚠Not abbreviating months properly
- ⚠Forgetting page numbers in citations
- ⚠Omitting URLs for online articles
Wrong vs correct examples
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.
Fix checklist
- ✓Use day-month-year format
- ✓Abbreviate months (except May, June, July)
- ✓Include page numbers for print articles
- ✓Add URL for online articles
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.
Build the corrected citation now
Use the template and guide, then generate the final citation from verified academic sources.