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MLA Citation Guide (9th Edition): Websites (including documents/PDFs posted on websites)

This guide will help you cite sources using the MLA Style 9th edition.

Websites

Webpage/Article on a Website with Individual Author(s)

 

Works Cited List Citation

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article or Page." Website Name, Sponsoring Organization if different from website name, Date of publication or last modified date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year viewed (optional, add if there is no upload/publication date).

Example:

Rich, Sarah. "Inside the Design Process to Protect People’s Health on Public Transit." IDEO, 11 Feb. 2021, www.ideo.com/journal/inside-the-design-process-to-protect-peoples-health-on-public-transit.

In-Text Citation

(Last Name)

Example:

(Rich)

Webpage/Article on a Website with a Group Author

 

Works Cited List Citation

Name of Group/Organization. "Title of Page or Article." Name of Website, Publisher or Sponsoring Organization if different from website name, Date of publication or last modified date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year viewed (optional, add if there is no upload/publication date).

Note: When a work is published by an organization that is also the author, begin the entry with the title. If the author of a work is a division or committee of the organization, list the division or committee as the author, and list the organization as the publisher.

Examples:

IBM Cloud Education. "Types of Artificial Intelligence: Weak AI vs. Strong AI." IBM, 3 June 2020, www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/what-is-artificial-intelligence#toc-types-of-a-q56lfpGa.

"Our History." Bombardier, 2021, bombardier.com/en/who-we-are/our-history.

In-Text Citation

(Group Name) or ("Webpage/Article Title")

Note: If the source has a long title, you may shorten it in your in-text citation by using the first word/phrase from the title.

Examples:

(IBM Cloud Education)

("Our History")

Infographic/Document from a website

 

Works Cited List Citation

Last Name, First Name or Group Name if different from sponsoring organization. Title of Document or Infographic. Sponsoring Organization, Date of publication or last modified date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year viewed (optional, add if there is no upload/publication date), File Type (if not in web format).

Examples:

Posted on Website

Online Shopping During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Statistics Canada, 5 Feb. 2021, www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2020088-eng.htm.

PDF Download

The New Future of Work: Research from Microsoft into the Pandemic’s Impact on Work Practices. Microsoft, Jan. 2021, www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/uploads/prod/2021/01/NewFutureOfWorkReport.pdf. PDF download.

In-Text Citation

(Title of Document Page Number if given)

Note: If the source has a long title, you may shorten it in your in-text citation by using the first word/phrase from the title.

Examples:

(Online Shopping)

(The New Future 11)

Website Written and Published by Individual Author(s)

 

Works Cited List Citation

Author's Last Name, First Name. Name of Website. Publisher or Sponsoring Organization if different from author, Date of publication or last modified date if given, URL. Accessed Day Month Year viewed (optional, add if there is no upload/publication date).

Example:

Ribecca, Severino. The Data Visualisation Catalogue. datavizcatalogue.com. Accessed 3 May 2021.

In-Text Citation

(Last Name)

Example:

(Ribecca)

Website Written and Published by a Group Author

 

Works Cited List Citation

Name of Corporation/Group/Organization. Name of Website. Publisher or Sponsoring Organization if different from author, Date of publication or last modified date, URL. Accessed Day Month Year viewed (optional, add if there is no upload/publication date).

Example:

Legacy of Hope Foundation. Where are the Children. 2021, legacyofhope.ca/wherearethechildren/.

In-Text Citation

(Group Name) 

Examples:

(Legacy of Hope Foundation)

Blog Post

 

Works Cited List Citation

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Blog Post." Blog Name, Day Month Year Posted, URL. Accessed Day Month Year viewed (optional, add if there is no upload/publication date).

Examples:

Godin, Seth. "NFTs Are a Dangerous Trap." Seth's Blog, 6 Mar. 2021, seths.blog/2021/03/nfts-are-a-dangerous-trap/.

Hunt, Paul D. "World Emoji Day 2021: How Emoji Can Help Create a More Empathetic World, For All of Us." Adobe Blog, 15 July 2021, blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2021/07/15/global-emoji-trend-report-2021.

In-Text Citation

(Last Name)

Examples:

(Godin)

(Hunt)

User Comments from Websites

 

Works Cited List Citation

Commenter's Name or Username. Comment on "Title of Original Thread or Page." Website Name, Day Month Year Posted, Time Posted, URL. Accessed Day Month Year viewed (optional, add if there is no upload/publication date).

Example:

GMReader. Comment on "‘All I Can Do Is Speak My Truth’: Filmmaker Michelle Latimer Breaks Her Silence After Indigenous Ancestry Controversy." The Globe and Mail, 10 May 2021, 1:03 p.m., www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/article-all-i-can-do-is-speak-my-truth-filmmaker-michelle-latimer-breaks-her/.

In-Text Citation

(Commenter's Last Name or Username)

Example:

(GMReader)

Tips for Citing Websites

Author

It can sometimes be difficult to find out who the author of a website is. Remember that an author can be a corporation or group, not only a specific person. Author information can sometimes be found under an "About" section on a website.

If there is no known author, start the citation with the title of the website instead.

Date

The best date to use for a website is the date that the content was last updated. Otherwise look for a copyright or original publication date. Unfortunately this information may not be provided or may be hard to find. Often date information is put on the bottom of the pages of a website.

If you do not know the complete date, put as much information as you can find. For example you may have a year but no month or day.

         

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