81 MLA: Citing Articles
Sarah Bailey; Kara Blizzard; Doris Wagner; and Christina Frasier
You might use multiple different types of articles in your research. Some of the most common types are journal articles, news articles, and magazine articles. For online works, especially journal articles, you may come across a digital object identifier (DOI), which is a unique series of numbers and letters assigned to the article by the publisher. DOIs are more stable than URLs, so if a work has one, you should use it instead of a URL in your works cited list entry.
The examples show each element of an article citation.
Article Citation Examples
Now we can look at examples of different types of article citations.
Journal Article
A journal article might be located in a library database or on a publisher’s website, or in some cases, in a print issue of the journal. The format will help determine which elements you should include in the citation. The following example is for an article in a library database that has a digital object identifier (DOI).
Antonie, Luiza, et al. “Full-Time and Part-Time Work and the Gender Wage Gap.” Atlantic Economic Journal, vol. 48, no. 3, 2020, pp. 313-326. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11293-020-09677-z.
The example above includes these citation elements:
| Citation Element | Example |
|---|---|
| Authors. | Antonie, Luiza, et al. |
| Title of Source. | “Full-Time and Part-Time Work and the Gender Wage Gap.” |
| Container 1, | Atlantic Economic Journal, |
| Number, | vol. 48, no. 3, |
| Publication Date, | 2020, |
| Location 1. | pp. 313-326. |
| Container 2, | EBSCOhost, |
| Location 2. | https://doi.org/10.1007/s11293-020-09677-z. |
News Article
Just like a journal article, a news article might be in a library database, on a publisher’s website, or in a print issue of the publication. The following example is for an article on a publisher’s website.
Chaya, Lynn. “Keanu Reeves Reminisces About Growing Up in Toronto After Induction Into Canada’s Walk of Fame.” Edmonton Journal, 20 Dec. 2021, https://edmontonjournal.com/news/keanu-reeves-reminisces-about-growing-up-in-toronto-after-induction-into-canadas-walk-of-fame.
The example above includes these citation elements:
| Citation Element | Example |
|---|---|
| Author. | Chaya, Lynn. |
| Title of Source. | “Keanu Reeves Reminisces About Growing Up in Toronto After Induction Into Canada’s Walk of Fame.” |
| Container, | Edmonton Journal, |
| Publication Date, | 20 Dec. 2021, |
| Location. | https://edmontonjournal.com/news/keanu-reeves-reminisces-about-growing-up-in-toronto-after-induction-into-canadas-walk-of-fame. |
Magazine Article
Some magazines have volume or issue numbers, like journals, while others might just give a month or season of publication. In your citation, you should include whichever elements are available for the article. The example below is for a print issue of a journal that gives the months and year of publication rather than an issue number.
Estroff Marano, Hara. “An Element of Protection: Magnesium is a Mineral Essential to Mental Health.” Psychology Today, May-Jun. 2016, pp. 29-30.
The example above includes these citation elements:
| Citation Element | Example |
|---|---|
| Author. | Estroff Marano, Hara. |
| Title of Source. | “An Element of Protection: Magnesium is a Mineral Essential to Mental Health.” |
| Container, | Psychology Today, |
| Publication Date, | May-Jun. 2016, |
| Location. | pp. 29-30. |
MLA Style Citation Tutorial, 9th ed. by Sarah Bailey; Kara Blizzard; and Doris Wagner, CC BY-SA 4.0