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MLA Citation Generator for Journal articles
Create MLA 9th edition citations for journal articles 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
Duckworth, Angela, et al. "Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 92, no. 6, 2007, pp. 1087–1101, https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087.
In-text: (Duckworth et al.)
Your Works Cited (0)
- Add citations to build an alphabetised list. It's saved on this device.
MLA journal article example
Duckworth, Angela, et al. "Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 92, no. 6, 2007, pp. 1087–1101, https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087.
In-text: (Duckworth et al.)
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.
Journal article citation in each style
| Style | Reference entry | In-text |
|---|---|---|
| APA | Duckworth, A., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087–1101. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087 | (Duckworth et al., 2007) |
| MLA | Duckworth, Angela, et al. "Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 92, no. 6, 2007, pp. 1087–1101, https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087. | (Duckworth et al.) |
| Chicago | Duckworth, Angela, Christopher Peterson, Michael D. Matthews, and Dennis R. Kelly. "Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 92, no. 6 (2007): 1087–1101. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087. | Duckworth et al., Grit. |
Frequently asked questions
How do I cite a journal article in MLA?
Duckworth, Angela, et al. "Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 92, no. 6, 2007, pp. 1087–1101, https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087. — 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.