Common questions about MLA referencing

In-text citations

List each source alphabetically by author and separate by semicolons.

Citation format	Example
Template	(Author page; Author page)
Paraphrasing	. . . along with other studies (Arnavas 78; Grosvenor 53-54; Groves 14).

When referencing two works published in the same year by the same author, distinguish each article by adding the first few words of the title. First, create the Works Cited list entries and then create the corresponding in-text citations.

In-text citations

• Add the first words or the short form of the title to the author after a comma.
• Italicise whole works.
• Enclose parts of works in quotation marks (" ").

Citation format	Example
Whole works	(Speed, Clueless 34) (Speed, Transnational 56)
Parts of works	(Smith, "Fantasy" 65) (Smith, "Regionality and civilizations" 215) Bozkurt (“GenAI et al”) argues that generative artificial intelligence [GenAI] has raised ethical concerns related to authorship and copyright laws that ... Generative artificial intelligence [GenAI] has highlighted the need for specialised literacy skills in educational settings that include ... (Bozkurt “Tell me your prompts”).

Works cited

Liste alphabetically by title.

Reference format	Example
Template	Author. “Title of Article.” Journal Name, volume, issue, year, page range. Database, doi/URL.
Works cited entry	Bozkurt, A. “GenAI et al.: Cocreation, authorship, ownership, academic ethics and integrity in a time of generative AI.” Open Praxis, vol. 16, no. 1, 2024, pp. 1-10. DOAJ, https://doi.org/10.55982/openpraxis.16.1.654. Bozkurt, A. “Tell me your prompts and I will make them true: The alchemy of prompt engineering and generative AI.” Open Praxis, vol. 16, no. 2, 2024, pp. 111-118. DOAJ, https://doi.org/10.55982/openpraxis.16.2.661

Occasionally you’ll need to create citations and references when key information is missing. In such cases, there are several solutions you can use to adapt the reference.

The following examples illustrate how to reference a website post or page when some reference information is unavailable. For guidance on referencing other materials such as books or journal articles, please refer to the specific section in FedCite dedicated to those materials.

Missing element	In-text citation	Works Cited list
Nothing missing	(Author). or  Author states/compares … (Walsh). or Jemma Walsh … Only add a paragraph number if they are numbered on the webpage e.g., par. 6.	Author. “Title of Post or Page.” Website Name, date, URL. Walsh, Jemma. “Hunter Page-Lochard Interview.” National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, 2023, www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/spear-hunter-page-lochard
No author	(“Title of Post or Page.”). (“Hunter Page-Lochard Interview”). Give the first two to three words of the title around parts of works. Use initial capital letters for all major words.	“Title of Post or Page.” Website Name, date, URL.  “Hunter Page-Lochard Interview.” National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, 2023, www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/spear-hunter-page-lochard
No date	No effect on the in-text citation.	Skip the year if unavailable. Include the date of access. Author. “Title of Post or Page.” Website Name, URL. Accessed Day Month Year. Walsh, Jemma. “Hunter Page-Lochard Interview.” National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/spear-hunter-page-lochard. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
No title	No effect on the in-text citation.	Give a brief descriptive title in your own words in sentence case. Author. “Short description of Post or Page.” Website Name, date, URL. Walsh, Jemma. “Hunter Page-Lochard Interview.” National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, 2023, www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/spear-hunter-page-lochard
No author and date	(“Title of Post or Page”). “Hunter Page-Lochard Interview”).	“Title of Post or Page.” Website Name, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.  “Hunter Page-Lochard Interview.” National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/spear-hunter-page-lochard. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
No author and title	(“Short description of Post or Page.”). (“Interview with actor Hunter Page-Lochard”).	“Short description of Post or Page.” Website Name, Date, URL. “Interview with actor Hunter Page-Lochard.” National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/spear-hunter-page-lochard.
No author, date and title	(“Short description of Post or Page.”).  (“Interview with actor Hunter Page-Lochard”).	“Short description of Post or Page.” Website Name, URL. Accessed Day Month Year. “Interview with actor Hunter Page-Lochard.” National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/spear-hunter-page-lochard. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
No source *Citing from a source with so few credentials may not be suitable in a piece of academic writing.	Follow instructions for personal communication.	Cite as personal communication or find a substitute.
No pagination	(Author). or Author states/compares … (Walsh). or Jemma Walsh … Web posts or pages do not usually have numbered pages like other sources e.g., pdf documents, journal articles, books, etc. Only add a paragraph number if they are numbered on the webpage e.g., (Walsh par. 6) or Jemma Walsh … (par. 6).	Author. “Title of Post or Page.” Website Name, date, URL.  Walsh, Jemma. “Hunter Page-Lochard Interview.” National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, 2023, www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/spear-hunter-page-lochard

A secondary or indirect citation is where you refer to a source that you haven't read but which is cited in another source.

You should avoid secondary citations wherever possible. Only use them when you can't find and read the original (primary) source. You should also only use a secondary citation if you're using a direct quotation or if there is significant importance to the original source.

Reading the original source is good academic practice; it gives you the full context without any reinterpretations.

Consult the Works Cited list provided in the secondary source to identify the original source so that you can find it - ask a librarian if you need help with this.

In-text citations

• Include the abbreviation 'qtd. in' at the start of the in-text citation. This makes it clear that you have used an indirect source.
• When quoting directly, include the page number indicating where the quotation appears in the indirect source.

Citation format	Example
Template	(qtd. in Author page)
Direct quote	Hilferty describes the nature of teacher professionalism as "an evolving idea that responds to political, social & historical contexts" (qtd. in Meldrum and Peters 109).

Works Cited

• Include only the indirect source in your Works Cited list.
• Do not include the original source, as your Works Cited list should only include works you have read yourself.

It can often be difficult to find elements of the reference on a web page or document, because they are all arranged and formatted differently.

First, identify the type of source you are looking at. If it doesn’t fit a particular category, reference it as a web document.

Author

• Authors of web documents can be individual people or group authors such as an organisation.
• If the group author is the same as the website or publisher, omit it in the author element of the work cited entry.
• The authors can often be found on the front page of the document. If they are not there, the next couple of pages often have the details about the document and the authors may be found there.
• If you are not sure who the authors are, see if there is a suggested citation or reference and use the authors given there.

Date

• Even if the publication date is in the title of the document, (e.g. in annual reports), check for the date in the document information, as sometimes a document is published before this date. For example, strategic plans are usually published before the date they apply to.
• The date is usually on the first couple of pages in the information about the report. It may be a copyright date, or in very small font.
• Sometimes the date is in the header or footer on each page.
• If you cannot find a date anywhere, use an accessed date after the URL. e.g. accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

Title

The title is usually on the first page of the document.

Publisher

If the group author is the same as the website or publisher, omit it in the author element of the work cited entry.

URL

• Give the URL of the actual document (omit the https://).
• If the link you used to access the document downloaded it, use the link for the webpage you accessed it from.

Author

• The author of a web page could be a person or a group, such as an organisation or government department.
• The author information can sometimes be in the ‘About’ section of the website. 
• It may be under the web page title, or sometimes at the bottom of the page.
• A group author can often be found at the very top of the page. Sometimes they will have a logo with organisation’s name.

Date

• The date can sometimes be particularly difficult to find.
• The best date to use for a webpage is the date it was last updated. Otherwise look for the date it was originally published.
• This information can sometimes be found under the title of the page but is often down the very bottom of the page and can be in very small text.
• If you cannot find a date anywhere, use an accessed date after the URL. e.g. accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

Title

• The title is the specific title of the web page you are referencing.
• This may be the main heading on the web page or on the web page menu. 

Website name

• This is usually at the very top of the web page and is the same for each page on the website.
• If the group author is the same as the website or publisher, omit it in the author element of the work cited entry.

URL

Copy and paste the URL from the browser bar (omit the https://).