What is MLA 9th edition format?

MLA 9th edition (2021) is the latest version of the Modern Language Association's citation style, used primarily in humanities. It uses a flexible container system with nine core elements: author, title of source, title of container, contributors, version, number, publisher, date, and location.

How do I format a works cited entry in MLA?

A basic MLA works cited entry for a journal article: Author Last, First. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. #, no. #, Date, pp. #–#. DOI or URL. Titles of sources go in quotation marks; container titles (journal names) are italicized.

How do I cite a website in MLA format?

For a website: Author Last, First. "Title of Page." Title of Website, Publisher (if different from website), Date, URL. If there's no author, start with the page title. Access dates are only included when the content may change.

What is the difference between MLA 8 and MLA 9?

MLA 9 adds guidance for citing social media, online videos, and other digital sources. It also clarifies when to include access dates, how to handle missing elements, and when to use descriptive labels. The core container system remains the same.

Is this MLA citation generator free?

Yes. PapersFlow's MLA citation generator is completely free — no ads, no paywall, no account needed. Generate unlimited MLA 9th edition citations.

Tool

Free MLA Citation Generator — MLA 9th Edition Format

Free MLA citation generator for 9th edition. Paste a DOI, URL, or title and get a correctly formatted MLA works cited entry in seconds.

MLA 9 works cited entries from DOI, URL, ISBN, or title

Create MLA citations for journal articles, books, websites, videos, and other online sources with the right container structure and contributor formatting.

Paste a DOI, URL, ISBN, PMID, arXiv ID, or paper title and get an instant MLA 9th edition works cited entry. Handles journal articles, books, websites, videos, and multimedia with the correct container hierarchy, contributor order, and MLA formatting.

MLA 9th edition looks simple until you have to format real sources. The container model means a journal article, an anthology chapter, a website, and a video all require different combinations of core elements in a fixed order. Databases, missing authors, changing web pages, and online media make manual formatting even slower. Many writers also need a generator that can move from one works cited entry to a full MLA bibliography without retyping metadata source by source.

Key Features

MLA 9th Edition Compliant
Publisher-Verified Metadata
Works Cited and MLA In-Text Citations
Books, Websites, Journals, and Media

Start Free Trial Research Tools

Tools

Free APA Citation Generator — MLA, Chicago, Harvard & More Free citation generator for APA 7th edition, MLA 9, Chicago, Harvard, and 10,000+ styles. Paste a DOI, URL, or title — get a perfectly formatted citation in seconds. Academic Paraphrasing Tool — Rewrite Research Text Without Breaking Citations Paraphrase academic writing, methods, and literature review passages while preserving meaning, technical terms, and citation logic. Academic Rewriter Tool — Humanize AI Drafts for Research Papers Rewrite stiff AI-generated or first-pass academic text into cleaner, more natural research prose without losing terminology, caveats, or citations. Academic Translation Tool — Translate Research Writing Without Losing Meaning Translate academic drafts, reviewer responses, abstracts, and literature review notes while keeping technical terms, hedging, and citations intact.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MLA 9th edition format?: MLA 9th edition (2021) is the latest version of the Modern Language Association's citation style, used primarily in humanities. It uses a flexible container system with nine core elements: author, title of source, title of container, contributors, version, number, publisher, date, and location.
How do I format a works cited entry in MLA?: A basic MLA works cited entry for a journal article: Author Last, First. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. #, no. #, Date, pp. #–#. DOI or URL. Titles of sources go in quotation marks; container titles (journal names) are italicized.
How do I cite a website in MLA format?: For a website: Author Last, First. "Title of Page." Title of Website, Publisher (if different from website), Date, URL. If there's no author, start with the page title. Access dates are only included when the content may change.
What is the difference between MLA 8 and MLA 9?: MLA 9 adds guidance for citing social media, online videos, and other digital sources. It also clarifies when to include access dates, how to handle missing elements, and when to use descriptive labels. The core container system remains the same.
Is this MLA citation generator free?: Yes. PapersFlow's MLA citation generator is completely free — no ads, no paywall, no account needed. Generate unlimited MLA 9th edition citations.