MLA 9th Edition Paper Format Guide: Complete Rules for 2025

MLA Format Explained (9th Edition)

MLA format is the official citation style of the Modern Language Association, last updated in its 9th edition published in 2021. This standardized system guides writers in literature, languages, arts, cultural studies, and film studies on how to credit sources and format academic papers.

MLA format consists of two integrated components. In-text citations appear within your paper's body text, providing brief source identification like (Smith 45) or (Morrison 112-113). The Works Cited page at your paper's end lists complete publication details for every source cited in your text, alphabetized by author's last name or title.

MLA 9th Edition Paper Setup

1. Page Layout:

• Font: Readable, 12pt (Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial)
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Line spacing: Double-space everything (entire paper, no exceptions)
• Alignment: Left-aligned, ragged right edge
• Paragraph indent: 0.5 inch (Tab key) for all paragraphs
• Header: Your last name and page number, top right corner

2. First Page (No separate title page in MLA):

• Your name (top left)
• Instructor name (next line)
• Course number (next line)
• Date (next line, Day Month Year format: 15 December 2025)
• Title (centered, next line after date)
• Text starts immediately after the title

3. Works Cited Page:

• New page at the end of the paper
• "Works Cited" centered at top (not bold, not italics)
• Entries double-spaced
• Hanging indent: first line flush left, subsequent lines indent 0.5 inch
• Alphabetized by author's last name or title (if no author)

MLA In-Text Citation Formats

Basic Author-Page Citations

MLA uses author-page format with no punctuation between author and page, no "p." or "pp." before page numbers.

1. Author in parentheses:
The novel explores this theme throughout (Hemingway 45).

2. Author in sentence:
Hemingway explores this theme throughout the novel (45).

3. Multiple pages:
The character develops across several chapters (Morrison 23-28).

4. Two authors:

• Parenthetical: (Smith and Jones 156)
• Narrative: Smith and Jones argue this point (156).

5. Three or more authors:

• All citations: (Martinez et al. 89)
• Narrative: Martinez et al. demonstrate this (89).

Quotes and Block Quotes

• Short quote (under 4 lines of prose or 3 lines of poetry):
  Fitzgerald writes, "So we beat on, boats against the current" (180).
  
  
• Long quote (4+ lines of prose, 3+ lines of poetry):
  Indent entire quote 0.5 inch, no quotation marks, citation after final period:
  Fitzgerald concludes with a meditation on the American Dream and its inherent contradictions, suggesting that the pursuit itself may be more significant than its achievement. The final image captures both hope and futility. (180)
  
  
• Poetry (3+ lines):
  Indent, preserve line breaks with slashes for short quotes:
  Frost writes, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference" (18-20).

Special Citation Situations

• No page numbers (websites, ebooks without page #s):
  Just use author: (Smith) or Smith argues...
  
  
• Same author, multiple works:
  Use shortened title: (Hemingway, Sun 23) and (Hemingway, "Hills" 45)
  
  
• No author? Use title:
  Article: ("Understanding Literature" 12)
  Book: (Literary Handbook 89)
  
  
• Corporate/organization author:
  (Modern Language Association 34) or the Modern Language Association explains (34).
  
  
• Indirect source:
  Original author qtd. in the source you read:
  Johnson argues this point (qtd. in Smith 67).
   List Smith in Works Cited—the source you actually read.
  
  
• Multiple works in one citation:
  (Fitzgerald 34; Hemingway 78; Morrison 102)

MLA Works Cited Page Formats

Works Cited Setup

1. New page at the end of the paper
2. "Works Cited" centered at top (regular font, not bold/italics)
3. Double-space all entries
4. Hanging indent: First line flush left, next lines indent 0.5 inch
5. Alphabetize by author's last name or title (if no author)
6. Title Case for all titles

Core MLA Format Pattern

Most entries follow this container concept:

Author. "Title of Source." Title of Container, Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Date, Location.

Elements appear in this order when available. Omit unavailable elements.

Book Citations

• Single author:
  Morrison, Toni. Beloved. Knopf, 1987.
• Two authors:
  Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic. Yale UP, 1979.
• Three or more authors:
  Johnson, Mark, et al. Literary Theory Today. Norton, 2024.
• Editor instead of author:
  Smith, John, editor. Modern American Poetry. Oxford UP, 2023.
• Translated book:
  Camus, Albert. The Stranger. Translated by Matthew Ward, Vintage, 1989.
• Book chapter or essay:
  Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. "Paranoid Reading and Reparative Reading." Touching Feeling, Duke UP, 2003, pp. 123-151.
• Ebook:
  Morrison, Toni. Beloved. Knopf, 1987. Kindle.

Journal/Magazine/Newspaper Articles

1. Journal article (print):
Smith, John. "Modernist Poetry and Urban Space." PMLA, vol. 134, no. 2, 2024, pp. 245-267.

2. Journal article (online with DOI):
Martinez, Rosa. "Digital Humanities Methods." Literary Studies, vol. 45, no. 3, 2024, pp. 89-104, doi:10.1234/ls.2024.03.

3. Magazine article:
Johnson, Sarah. "The Rise of Young Adult Literature." The Atlantic, 15 Nov. 2024, pp. 34-42.

4. Newspaper article:
Chen, Michael. "Book Sales Reach Record High." The New York Times, 20 Dec. 2025, p. A1.

5. Online article:
Williams, Karen. "Understanding Shakespeare's Sonnets." Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2024, lithub.com/shakespeare-sonnets.

Website and Online Sources

1. Webpage:
Author Last, First. "Page Title." Website Name, Publisher/Sponsor, Day Month Year, URL.

2. Real format:
Smith, John. "Understanding Romantic Poetry." Poetry Foundation, 5 Sept. 2024, www.poetryfoundation.org/romantic-poetry.

3. No author (use title):
"Modernism in Literature." Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Aug. 2024, www.britannica.com/modernism.

4. No date:
Johnson, Mary. "Literary Devices." Writing Center, www.writingcenter.edu/devices. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.

5. Blog post:
Garcia, Luis. "Close Reading Techniques." The Literary Blog, 15 Nov. 2024, literaryblog.com/close-reading.

Other MLA Sources

Film/Movie:
The Great Gatsby. Directed by Baz Luhrmann, Warner Bros., 2013.

TV episode:
"The Night of the Gun." The Wire, created by David Simon, season 3, episode 9, HBO, 2004.

YouTube video:
CrashCourse. "Symbolism in The Great Gatsby." YouTube, 12 May 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxxx.

Podcast episode:
Martinez, Rosa, host. "Understanding Faulkner." Literary Conversations, episode 47, 8 Sept. 2024, literarypodcast.com/ep47.

Interview:
Morrison, Toni. "On Writing Beloved." Interview by Jane Smith. Paris Review, no. 128, 1993, pp. 83-92.

Social media post:
@ShakespeareLit. "New interpretation of Hamlet's soliloquy." Twitter, 10 Dec. 2024, twitter.com/ShakespeareLit/status/xxxxx.

Personal interview:
Smith, John. Personal interview. 15 Nov. 2024.

MLA Header and Title Format

Page Header (Every Page)

Format: Last name and page number, top right corner, 0.5 inch from top

Example:
                                                                Martinez 1

Set up in Word:

1. Insert, then go to Header and then Blank
2. Type your last name, space, and Insert Page Number
3. Right-align
4. Applies to all pages automatically

First Page Format

Top left corner (double-spaced):
Your Full Name
Professor Full Name
Course Name and Number
Day Month Year (15 December 2025)

Next line, centered:
Paper Title in Title Case (Not Bold, Not Italicized, Not Underlined)

Next line:
Paper text begins, indented 0.5 inch

No separate title page in MLA. Everything starts on page 1.

MLA Title Capitalization Rules

Title Case (use for all titles in Works Cited):

Capitalize:

• First word
• Last word
• All major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

Don't capitalize (unless first/last word):

• Articles: a, an, the
• Coordinating conjunctions: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet
• Prepositions: in, on, at, to, by, from (regardless of length)

Examples:
? The Catcher in the Rye
? "A Rose for Emily."
? To Kill a Mockingbird
? "Hills Like White Elephants."

Subtitles:
Capitalize the first word after a colon:
Understanding Literature: A Reader's Guide.

Common MLA Formatting Mistakes

Mistake 1: Adding "p." or "pp." Before Page Numbers

• Wrong: The novel explores this (Hemingway p. 45).
• Right: The novel explores this (Hemingway 45).
• Rule: MLA never uses "p." or "pp." in citations.

Mistake 2: Comma Between Author and Page

• Wrong: The author argues this point (Smith, 67).
• Right: The author argues this point (Smith 67).
• Rule: No punctuation between author and page number.

Mistake 3: Wrong Date Format

• Wrong: December 15, 2025 or 15/12/2025
• Right: 15 December 2025
• Rule: Day Month Year format, no commas.

Mistake 4: Creating a Title Page

• Wrong: Making a separate title page like APA
• Right: Heading info on page 1, top left
• Rule: MLA doesn't use separate title pages for student papers.

Many of these mistakes come from mixing MLA with APA formatting rules, especially title pages, dates, and citation structure

Mistake 5: Wrong Title Capitalization

• Wrong: the catcher in the rye or The Catcher In The Rye
• Right: The Catcher in the Rye
• Rule: Title case, don't capitalize articles, conjunctions, short prepositions (unless first/last word).

Mistake 6: Not Using Hanging Indent

• Wrong:
  Smith, John. "Title of Article." Journal Name, vol. 12,
  no. 3, 2024, pp. 45-67.
• Right:
  Smith, John. "Title of Article." Journal Name, vol. 12,
       no. 3, 2024, pp. 45-67.
• Rule: In Word, go to Paragraph, set Special to Hanging, and choose 0.5?.

If you’re switching between styles, review our APA vs MLA Format Guide.

Mistake 7: Italicizing Quotation Marks

• Wrong: "The Road Not Taken."
• Right: "The Road Not Taken."
• Rule: Quotation marks for short works (articles, poems, chapters). Italics for long works (books, journals, films). Never both.

Mistake 8: Using URL Instead of Clean Domain

• Wrong: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/12345/poem-title?query=search
• Right: www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/12345/poem-title
• Rule: Remove "https://" and tracking parameters. Keep a clean URL.

MLA 9th Edition Major Changes

Switched from 8th to 9th edition? Know these updates:

Container concept expanded:

• More flexibility for digital sources
• Better handling of streaming platforms
• Clearer guidance for social media

Publisher names simplified:

• "University Press" to "UP."
• "Alfred A. Knopf" to "Knopf."
• Shorter, cleaner entries

URL formatting:

• Remove "https://" from URLs
• Keep www. when present
• Include access dates only for undated sources

Source type flexibility:

• Less rigid about categorizing sources
• Focus on elements present, not source type
• Easier to cite unusual sources

Inclusive language:

• Gender-neutral pronouns accepted
• More flexible about language usage
• Updated for modern communication

MLA Paper Checklist

MLA Punctuation and Abbreviations

Abbreviations in Works Cited:

• University Press to UP
• Editor/Edited by to ed./edited by
• Translator/Translated by to trans./translated by
• Volume to vol.
• Number to no.
• Pages to pp. (only in Works Cited, not in-text)

Months:

• January to Jan.
• February to Feb.
• August to Aug.
• September to Sept.
• October to Oct.
• November to Nov.
• December to Dec.
• (May, June, July not abbreviated)

Quotation marks with other punctuation:

• Periods and commas: Inside quotation marks
• Correct: "The Road Not Taken."
• Colons and semicolons: Outside quotation marks
• Correct: "The Road Not Taken"; however...
• Question/exclamation marks: Depends on meaning
• Part of a quote: "Where are you going?"
• Your question: Did he write "The Road Not Taken"?

Ellipsis in quotes:

• Use three periods with spaces: . . .
• Use brackets for editorial clarification: [. . .]
• Don't use ellipses at the beginning or end of quotes

Downloadable Resources

MLA Paper Template
Pre-formatted document with correct header, margins, spacing

MLA Citation Quick Guide
One-page reference for in-text citations and Works Cited

MLA Works Cited Examples
25+ source types formatted correctly

MLA Container Guide
A one-page guide explaining MLA containers and how to cite them correctly in MLA 9.

Master MLA 9th Edition

MLA formatting follows predictable patterns. Learn the core rules, author-page citations, Works Cited hanging indents, Title Case, and apply them consistently.

Most mistakes stem from common APA habits (such as adding dates to citations) or outdated MLA 7 rules. Use this guide as a reference, double-check every entry, and verify hanging indents before submission. You may also refer to our Citation Style Guide to understand different citation styles and prevent citation errors in your academic work