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MLA Style Citations

Visit this guide to find examples of MLA style citations for your reference list and information about in-text citations.

Magazine, news, and other articles

Articles published in a variety of sources can be useful in academic papers.

URL Format

In many cases, the online location of a source needs to be listed in the citation. This may include inserting a DOI or a URL. When placing a URL into your citation, make sure to remove the http:// or https:// that usually appears at the beginning.

Paragraph numbers

If your source has paragraphs numbered as part of the document, you can use those, including the label par. or pars.  However, if no numbered section parts are included in the source, do not count paragraphs yourself; simply leave the number out of your in-text reference. For more information about including paragraph numbers, see p. 244 of the MLA Handbook

Magazine article

In-text:

(Nosrat)

Works Cited list:

Nosrat, Samin. “How to Make Perfect Sweet Potatoes Every Time.” The New York Times Magazine, 11 June 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/magazine/sweet-potatoes-tahini-butter-steaming-recipe.html.

News article

In-text:

(Slabaugh)

Works Cited list:

Slabaugh, Seth. “Local Health Dept Releases 'Wear a Mask' Music Video.” Muncie Star Press [Muncie, IN], 5 June 2020, www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2020/06/05/delaware-county-health-dept-releases-wear-mask-music-video/3123004001/.

Webpage on a news website

In-text:

(Willingham and Elkin)

Works Cited list:

Willingham, AJ, and Elkin, Elizabeth. “There's a Severe Shortage of Mental Health Professionals in Rural Areas. Here's Why That's a Serious Problem.” CNN, 22 June 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/06/20/health/mental-health-rural-areas-issues-trnd/index.html.

Blog post

In-text:

(Ostrom)

Works Cited list:

Ostrom, Lindsay. “The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies.” Pinch of Yum, 9 May 2017, www.pinchofyum.com/the-best-soft-chocolate-chip-cookies.

Blog post comment

In-text:

(janice)

Works Cited list:

janice. Comment on “The Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies.” Pinch of Yum, 9 May 2015,11:30 a.m., pinchofyum.com/the-best-soft-chocolate-chip-cookies.

Newspaper Op-ed (opinion article by an author not affiliated with the newspaper)

In-text:

(Fong)

Works Cited list:

Fong, Benjamin Y. "Teaching Racial Justice Isn’t Racial Justice." New York Times, 18 Nov. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/opinion/college-antiracism-teaching.html. Op-ed.

  • For more examples, see the MLA Handbook, p. 321

Newspaper editorial by an editorial board

In-text:

(Editorial Board)

Works Cited list:

Editorial Board. "The Census is on the Verge of Disaster." Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-census-is-on-the-verge-of-disaster/2020/09/12/e777721e-f2b3-11ea-bc45-e5d48ab44b9f_story.html.

  • For more examples, see the MLA Handbook, p. 321