BibTeX to MLA Converter
Paste BibTeX entries and get properly formatted MLA 9th edition Works Cited entries. Works with .bib files from Overleaf, Zotero, Mendeley, and Google Scholar. Free, no signup.
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What to do next
How it works
Step 1
Paste your BibTeX
Copy BibTeX entries from your .bib file, Overleaf, Zotero, Mendeley, or Google Scholar. Paste one or more @article, @book, or @inproceedings entries.
Step 2
Convert to MLA format
CiteMe parses the BibTeX fields and formats each entry according to MLA 9th edition — author last name first, title in quotation marks for articles, italicised for books, container hierarchy, volume, issue, pages, year.
Step 3
Copy your MLA Works Cited entries
Get MLA 9th edition formatted citations. Author Last, First. "Article Title." Journal Name, vol. X, no. Y, Year, pp. Z–Z.
Why use CiteMe for BibTeX to MLA?
MLA 9th Edition
Author format, quotation marks on article titles, italic container names, container hierarchy, volume/number/year — all per the 9th edition MLA Handbook.
All BibTeX Entry Types
@article, @book, @inproceedings, @phdthesis, @mastersthesis, @incollection, @misc — each type mapped to the MLA rule for that source kind.
Works with Overleaf
Convert a LaTeX project's .bib to MLA for journals that require MLA. Keep BibTeX for your LaTeX build; export MLA for submissions.
Unicode & Accents
CiteMe preserves italic/bold from BibTeX markup. Handles Unicode author names, accents, and special characters correctly — including Portuguese, Spanish, German, French.
BibTeX to MLA 9th — example
BibTeX input
@article{smith2024ml,
author = {Smith, John D. and
Johnson, Maria R.},
title = {Machine Learning in
Healthcare Diagnostics},
journal = {Nature Medicine},
year = {2024},
volume = {29},
number = {4},
pages = {123--145},
doi = {10.1038/s41591-024-0001}
}MLA 9th output
In-text: (Smith and Johnson 135)
Works with BibTeX from anywhere
Overleaf
Copy the content of your .bib file directly from the Overleaf editor.
Zotero
Right-click references > Export Items > BibTeX (.bib).
Mendeley
File > Export > BibTeX. Paste the exported file content.
JabRef
Native BibTeX — open your .bib file and copy entries directly.
Google Scholar
Click the cite icon under any result > BibTeX. Copy the entry.
EndNote
File > Export > choose BibTeX filter. Open the .bib file and copy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert BibTeX to MLA format?
Paste your BibTeX entries into CiteMe. The tool parses the BibTeX fields (author, title, journal, year, doi) and formats each entry according to MLA 9th edition — author last name first, article titles in quotation marks, book/journal titles italicised, with container hierarchy, volume, issue, pages, and publication year.
Does this work with BibTeX from Overleaf?
Yes. Copy your BibTeX entries directly from your Overleaf .bib file and paste them here. CiteMe handles all standard BibTeX entry types: @article, @book, @inproceedings, @phdthesis, @misc, @incollection.
Can I convert multiple BibTeX entries at once?
Yes. On the free plan you can convert up to 3 entries per submission. Pro users can paste an entire .bib file — each entry is converted to MLA 9th edition and you can copy the full Works Cited list in one go.
What MLA edition does this follow?
MLA 9th edition, the current standard (published 2021). Key rules applied: author "Last, First" for first author, "First Last" for others; article titles in quotation marks; book/journal titles italicised; container element (journal, site, platform) after the title; volume/number/year formatted per the 9th edition MLA Handbook.
How does MLA differ from APA output?
MLA uses full first names (Smith, John Michael), article titles in quotation marks, container hierarchy (journal, volume, issue), and year at the end. APA uses initials only (Smith, J. M.), no quotation marks on article titles, year after author, and italic journal names. Same source → different format.
Does it include in-text citations?
The output is the Works Cited entry (the full bibliography line). MLA in-text citations follow "(Author Page)" format — e.g., "(Smith 45)". CiteMe shows a side-by-side preview of both formats; copy whichever you need.
What about Works Cited page formatting?
Each converted entry is formatted with hanging indent ready for your Works Cited page. Entries are sortable alphabetically by author last name (the MLA standard ordering).
Keep the bibliography workflow moving
After converting BibTeX to MLA, the next step is usually reformatting to APA or Chicago for a different paper, or extracting BibTeX from a PDF that was sent to you.
Paste BibTeX. Get MLA 9th edition Works Cited entries instantly.
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