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MLA Citation Generator for Books
Create MLA 9th edition citations for books with the right author order, dates, capitalisation and italics. Copying keeps the italics in Word and Google Docs, and you can build an alphabetised Works Cited. Everything runs in your browser.
Citation generator
MLA 9th edition · Works Cited entry
Obama, Michelle. Becoming. Crown Publishing Group, 2018.
In-text: (Obama)
Your Works Cited (0)
- Add citations to build an alphabetised list. It's saved on this device.
MLA book example
Obama, Michelle. Becoming. Crown Publishing Group, 2018.
In-text: (Obama)
MLA formatting rules the generator applies
- First author inverted (Last, First); two authors joined with “and”; three or more → “et al.”
- Article and page titles in “quotation marks”; containers (journals, websites) in italics.
- Dates written day month year with abbreviated months: 5 Mar. 2024.
- Drop “https://” from URLs; keep DOIs as https://doi.org/….
Tips
- Enter one author per line — as “First Last” or “Last, First”. Wrap organisations in {braces} if they are mistaken for a person.
- Use YYYY-MM-DD dates, or just the year when that is all you have.
- Check proper nouns after sentence-casing (APA) — untick “Fix title capitalisation” to keep your own capitals.
Book citation in each style
| Style | Reference entry | In-text |
|---|---|---|
| APA | Obama, M. (2018). Becoming. Crown Publishing Group. | (Obama, 2018) |
| MLA | Obama, Michelle. Becoming. Crown Publishing Group, 2018. | (Obama) |
| Chicago | Obama, Michelle. Becoming. New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2018. | Obama, Becoming. |
Frequently asked questions
How do I cite a book in MLA?
Obama, Michelle. Becoming. Crown Publishing Group, 2018. — the generator builds this from the fields you fill in.
Does the citation keep its italics when I paste it?
Yes. “Copy citation” places formatted HTML on the clipboard, so Word, Google Docs and most editors keep the italics. Plain-text fields receive an un-italicised version.
What if there is no author or date?
Leave them blank. APA moves the title into the author position and uses “n.d.”; MLA and Chicago start with the title and skip the date.
Which edition does this follow?
APA 7th, MLA 9th and Chicago 17th (notes-bibliography) editions.
Is it free?
Yes — free, no account, no ads in your references. Your saved list stays on your device.