MLA Format Generator
Fill in your name, instructor, course and date to get a correct MLA 9 heading, running head and centered title on a live paper preview. Then build Works Cited entries for books, websites, journal articles, news articles and YouTube videos.
MLA 9 makes the access date optional; it is added automatically when there is no publication date.
Works Cited list
How to use the MLA Format Generator
- Enter your heading details: your name, instructor, course, date and paper title. Press Apply MLA title case if needed.
- Check the paper preview on the right: heading, running head, centered title and double spacing.
- Press Copy heading and paste it at the top of your document in Word or Google Docs.
- Open the Works Cited tab, choose the source type and fill in the authors and details.
- Press Generate citation, then Add to Works Cited to build an alphabetized list and copy it with italics and hanging indents.
MLA 9 paper format checklist
| Element | MLA 9 rule |
|---|---|
| Font | A legible font such as Times New Roman, 12 pt |
| Margins | 1 inch on all sides |
| Spacing | Double-spaced throughout, including the heading, quotations and Works Cited; no extra space between paragraphs |
| Heading | Upper left of page 1: your name, instructor, course, date (day month year) |
| Title | Centered on the line after the date, in title case, no bold, italics or underline |
| Running head | Last name and page number, top right, ½ inch from the top |
| Paragraphs | First line indented ½ inch |
| Title page | Not needed unless your instructor asks for one |
| Works Cited | New page at the end, "Works Cited" centered, entries alphabetized with a ½-inch hanging indent |
MLA 9 Works Cited patterns
MLA 9 builds every entry from the same core elements in this order: Author. Title of source. Title of container, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location. Leave out any element that doesn't apply. Typical results look like this:
| Source | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Book | Last, First. Title of Book. Edition, Publisher, Year. |
| Web page | Last, First. "Title of Page." Website Name, Publisher, Day Mon. Year, URL. |
| Journal article | Last, First. "Title of Article." Journal, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. #-#. Database, https://doi.org/… |
| News article | Last, First. "Title of Article." Newspaper, Day Mon. Year, URL. |
| YouTube video | Creator or Channel. "Title of Video." YouTube, uploaded by Channel, Day Mon. Year, URL. |
Titles of whole works (books, websites, journals, newspapers, YouTube) are in italics. Titles of parts of a larger work (articles, web pages, videos) go in quotation marks, with the period inside the closing quotation mark.
MLA title case in brief
Capitalize the first and last words and every principal word: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and subordinating conjunctions such as because or although. Keep these lowercase unless they come first or last: articles (a, an, the), prepositions (of, in, to, with, between…), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet) and to in infinitives. The first word of a subtitle after a colon is always capitalized. Example: The Role of Memory in Dickens's Fiction: A Study of Redemption.
Frequently asked questions
What goes in an MLA heading?
In the upper-left corner of the first page, on separate double-spaced lines: your full name, your instructor's name, the course name or number, and the date in day-month-year order (for example 19 October 2026). The title goes on the next line, centered, with no bold, italics, underlining or quotation marks.
What is the MLA running head?
A header in the upper-right corner of every page, half an inch from the top and flush with the right margin, containing your last name, a space and the page number (for example Doe 1). In Word or Google Docs insert it as a page-number header so it updates automatically.
How do I cite a source with two or three authors in MLA 9?
With two authors, reverse only the first name and join them with "and": Doe, Jane, and John Smith. With three or more, give only the first author followed by "et al.": Doe, Jane, et al.
Does MLA 9 require URLs and access dates?
MLA 9 recommends including a URL (or a DOI for journal articles) for online sources. You may leave out http:// or https:// from URLs. Access dates are optional, but recommended when a source has no publication date or may change, so this tool adds one automatically when you leave the date blank.
Which months are abbreviated in the Works Cited list?
Months longer than four letters are abbreviated: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. May, June and July are written in full. In the body text and the heading, months are spelled out.
How do I copy the citation with italics?
Use Copy citation or Copy Works Cited: they copy formatted text, so italics and the hanging indent paste into Word and Google Docs. Use Copy plain text if you are pasting somewhere that doesn't support formatting, then add the italics by hand.
Is this the same as the Citation Generator?
This page focuses on MLA 9 only, with the paper heading and a Works Cited page preview. For APA, Chicago or Harvard, or to build a full multi-style list, use the Citation Generator or Bibliography Generator.