MLA Journal Article Citations | Format & Examples
Journal articles are common scholarly sources in MLA writing because they’re written by academic experts. Academic journals focus on very specific aspects of history, sociology, art, literature, and other academic disciplines.
MLA requires two forms of documentation for journal articles:
- In-text citations that include the author and page number
- Works Cited entries that include the author, article title, journal title, volume number, issue number, publication date, page range, the academic database (if applicable), and a DOI or stable URL
Use the examples below to learn about the MLA citation format for journal articles, or try QuillBot’s free Citation Generator to create in-text citations and Works Cited entries.
| In-text citation | Works Cited entry |
|---|---|
| Chakravarty writes, “When EDM originated in parts of Europe and the USA, these were underground rave parties meant for the collective union of a cohort that had shared values and interests centred around both production and audienceship of the music” (119). |
Chakravarty, Devpirya. “Popular Musics of India: An Ethnomusicological Review.” Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, vol. 6, no. 3, Dec. 2019, pp. 111-22. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/48710235.
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Basic format for MLA journal citation
MLA Works Cited entries for journal articles include the following elements:
- Author name in inverted format (Last, First Middle or First M.)
- Article title in quotation marks and title case
- Journal title in italics and title case
- Volume and/or issue numbers
- Month or season and year of publication
- Page range where the article appears in the issue
- Name of Academic Database (if applicable)
- DOI or stable link (if available)
The example below includes these elements as well as a hanging indent (all lines after the first line are indented ½ inch).
- If there’s no middle name or middle initial, the Works Cited entry only needs the first and last name.
- If the byline has a middle initial, include it after the author’s first name (e.g., Jackson, Samuel L.)
- If the byline has the full middle name, you should also spell it out in the Works Cited entry (e.g., Parker, Sarah Jessica).
MLA in-text citations for journal articles usually include the author and the page number of the information you’re quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing. For sources without numbered pages or paragraphs, cite the author only. There are two types of in-text citations: narrative and parenthetical.
For an MLA narrative citation, use the author’s name in a signal phrase that includes “according to” or a present-tense verb (e.g., “explains” or “asserts”). Then, place the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence. In the first MLA narrative citation for each source, use the author(s) full name(s).
For an MLA parenthetical citation, place the author and page together in parentheses at the end of the sentence. No punctuation goes between the author and page, and there’s no “p.” before the page number.
| MLA format |
Author. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. #, no. #, month/season year, pp. Xxx-xx. Academic Database, DOI or stable link.
|
| MLA Works Cited entry |
Slide, Anthony. “Early Women Filmmakers: The Real Numbers.” Film HIstory, vol. 24, no. 1, 2012, pp. 114-21. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2979/filmhistory.24.1.114.
|
| MLA narrative in-text citation | According to Anthony Slide, “Like virtually all of the actor’s films, The Saphead is a vehicle for its star, Buster Keaton” (118).
This is an example of a first narrative citation, which includes the author’s full name. |
| MLA parenthetical in-text citation | The Saphead was the first film in which Keaton portrayed a wealthy character (Slide 118). |
MLA format for journal articles with multiple authors
MLA has special guidelines for journal articles and other sources with multiple authors.
- For articles with two authors, include both authors’ full names separated by “and” in the Works Cited entry and in-text citations.
- For articles with three or more authors, use the first author’s full name with “et al.” at the beginning of the Works Cited entry and in parenthetical citations. In narrative citations, use the first author’s name with “and others.”
| 2 authors | Works Cited:
Tyson, Laura D., and Zysman, John. “Automation, AI & Work.” Daedalus, vol. 151, no. 2, spring 2019, pp. 256-71. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/48662040.
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| Narrative in-text citation: According to Tyson and Zysman … (257). | |
| Parenthetical in-text citation: (Tyson and Zysman 258) | |
| 3+ authors | Works Cited:
Chee, Christine L., et al. “Academic Stress of Native American Undergraduates: The Role of Ethnic Identity, Cultural Congruity, and Self-Beliefs. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, vol. 12, no. 1, Mar. 2019, pp. 65-73. APA PsychNet, https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000094.
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| Narrative in-text citation: Chee and others explain that … (67). | |
| Parenthetical in-text citation: (Chee et al. 71) |
DOIs and URLs in Works Cited entries
If an article has a DOI, include it at the end of the Works Cited entry in plain font followed by a period (e.g., https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000094). DOIs in MLA documents should not be active links. MLA prefers a DOI even for articles you access via hard copy.
You can usually find the DOI on the article’s first page or the landing page where you accessed the article from an academic database. You can also usually search for the DOI online.
If an article that you accessed online doesn’t have a DOI assigned, there might be a permalink on the page where you accessed the article. In this situation, end the Works Cited entry with the permalink (e.g., https://www.jstor.org/stable/48563004). If an article has both a DOI and a permalink, the DOI is MLA’s preference.
For articles that you accessed online with no assigned DOI or permalink, end the Works Cited entry with a URL even if it leads to gated content.
MLA print journal article (not accessed online)
Works Cited entries for journal articles that you access via hard copy should not include an academic database, but they should include a DOI if one has been assigned. If no DOI has been assigned, omit the DOI from the Works Cited entry.
The punctuation for MLA print articles also differs slightly from Works Cited entries for articles accessed online. After the page range, use a comma rather than a period before the DOI, or place the period after the page range for articles without a DOI.
MLA online journal article without page numbers
Some journals publish issues and articles on a website and don’t offer PDF or print versions. These articles usually don’t have locator information to include in the Works Cited entry or in-text citations. After the publication date, include a comma, the DOI/permalink/URL, and then a period.
If the article doesn’t have numbered pages or paragraphs, omit this information. In-text citations only need the author(s).
| MLA Works Cited entry |
Burnside, Elkie. “Transforming Writing Rubrics: Assessment and Reflection in Process-Based Courses.” Kairos: Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy, vol. 28, no. 1, fall 2024, https://doi.org/10.7940/M329.1.PRAXISWIKI.BURNSIDE.
|
| MLA narrative in-text citation | Burnside describes a collaborative approach to creating rubrics for writing assignments. |
| MLA parenthetical in-text citation | Involving writing students in the rubric-writing process may improve metacognitive awareness (Burnside). |
Where to find the details for MLA journal article citations
The details that you need for the Works CIted entry are usually located on the article’s first page and the landing page where you access the article.
The first page of a PDF or print version often includes the author(s), publication year, title, volume/issue numbers, and the DOI. These same details are often at the top of the page for a web version, too. When the DOI isn’t in one of these places, you can usually search for the DOI online.
Frequently asked questions about MLA journal article citations
- How do you write a journal or article title in MLA?
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To write a journal article title in MLA, capitalize the following words:
- The first and last word
- The first word after a colon
- All principal words, which include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions
Do not capitalize prepositions (e.g., “before” or “between”), coordinating conjunctions, or “to” when it’s part of an infinitive unless any of these are the first or last word of the title or the first word after a colon.
Also place article titles in quotation marks. For the title of the journal that contains the article, use the same capitalization rules and italics rather than quotation marks.
These guidelines apply to MLA journal article citations and any titles within an MLA document.
MLA journal article reference example Chakravarty, Devpirya. “Popular Musics of India: An Ethnomusicological Review.” Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, vol. 6, no. 3, Dec. 2019, pp. 111-22. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/48710235.You can also use QuillBot’s free Citation Generator to create Works Cited entries and in-text citations for journal articles.
- Do you italicize article titles in MLA?
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Do not italicize article titles in MLA writing. Instead, place article titles in quotation marks (e.g., “Quincy Jones’s Legacy in 14 Essential Songs”).
Do italicize the titles of journals, magazines, and newspapers that contain individual articles (e.g., The New York Times).
These guidelines apply to MLA journal article citations and MLA style prose (e.g., a sentence in an essay that mentions an article title).
QuillBot’s free Citation Generator can help you format journal article titles correctly on a Works Cited page.
- What is a journal article?
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A journal article is a type of scholarly source that is common in academic writing. Journals are periodicals, which means that they are published multiple times per year (like magazines). Each journal is focused on a specific aspect of a larger academic field. For example, within the broader field of nursing, there are scholarly journals about nursing education, intensive care nursing, cardiovascular nursing, and many other subcategories.
Each issue of a journal includes multiple articles by different authors. Journal articles often focus on original research experiments.
If you quote, paraphrase, or summarize journal articles in your writing, follow the format for APA style journal article citations, MLA citations, or whichever citation format you’re using.
You can also use QuillBot’s free Citation Generator to create journal article citations.
