Composition & Creative Writing · Grade 11 · Quick reference
MLA & APACitation
Grades 7–12 · CollegeMLA 9 · APA 72 pages
MLA 9 core elements, in-text citations, works-cited entries and first page · APA 7 reference pattern, in-text citations, reference entries and student title page · MLA and APA side by side
1MLA works cited2MLA in-text3MLA first page4APA references5APA in-text6APA title page · MLA vs APA
1MLA 9 Works Cited: Core Elements & Entries
| Source | Works Cited entry (MLA 9) |
|---|---|
| Book | Whitlock, Clara A. Burhs and Books: King Alfred’s Wessex. Ridgeline Press, 2019. |
| Journal article (DOI) | Hale, Margaret, and Peter Ostrander. “Longships and Burhs: The Defense of Wessex.” Wessex Historical Quarterly, vol. 12, no. 3, 2021, pp. 45–61, https://doi.org/10.5555/whq.2021.0312. |
| Web page | Brandt, Thomas. “How the Burhs Were Built.” Old Wessex Notes, 6 May 2024, www.oldwessex.example/burhs. |
| Online video | Calder History. “Alfred at Athelney.” YouTube, 3 Mar. 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXAMPLE123. |
| Bible (KJV online) | King James Bible Online, www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/. |
| Classic, e-book (public domain) | Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Edited by Frank Woodworth Pine, Henry Holt, 1916. Project Gutenberg, www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20203. |
Print Bible: The Bible. Authorized King James Version, Oxford UP, 1998. MLA publications use an en dash in ranges (45–61); a typed hyphen is fine in student papers.
| # | Core element | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Author | . | Whitlock, Clara A. |
| 2 | Title of source | . | “How the Burhs Were Built.” |
| 3 | Title of container | , | Old Wessex Notes, |
| 4 | Other contributors | , | Edited by F. W. Pine, |
| 5 | Version | , | King James Version, |
| # | Core element | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Number | , | vol. 12, no. 3, |
| 7 | Publisher | , | Ridgeline Press, |
| 8 | Publication date | , | 6 May 2024, |
| 9 | Location | . | pp. 45–61. · a DOI or URL. |
Use the elements that apply, in this order. A part of a larger whole names its container in italics.
Details that matter
- Authors: two, Hale, Margaret, and Peter Ostrander; three or more, Brandt, Thomas, et al.
- Title case; “quotes” for a part, italics for a whole.
- Months over four letters abbreviated: Mar., Sept.
- URLs without https://; DOIs keep it.
2MLA In-Text Citations
| Situation | Citation |
|---|---|
| One author | (Whitlock 42) · Whitlock argues … (42). |
| Two authors | (Hale and Ostrander 50) |
| Three or more | (Brandt et al. 12) |
| No author | short title: (“How the Burhs”) |
| No pages | (Brandt) · video: (Calder History 00:04:10–00:05:02) |
| Situation | Citation |
|---|---|
| Classic | (Thucydides 1.22): book and chapter |
| Poem · play | (lines 1–2), then (9) · (Ham. 3.1.56) |
| Bible | first (King James Bible Online, Ps. 119.105); then (Ps. 119.105) |
| Indirect | (qtd. in Whitlock 88) |
| Two sources | (Whitlock 42; Brandt) |
Rules
- Author and page, no comma, no p.
- Period after the parentheses: “…in books” (Franklin).
- Block quotation: over four lines of prose or three of poetry; indent ½ in; no quotation marks.
- Bible: Gen., Exod., Ps., Prov., Isa., Matt., Rom., Rev.
3MLA First Page & Works Cited Page
First page (numbers on the mock)
- 1 Last name and page number, top right, ½ in from the top, every page.
- 2 Heading at top left: name, teacher, course, date. No title page unless asked.
- 3 Title centered, title case; no bold, italics or quotation marks.
- 4 Indent paragraphs ½ in; double-space everything.
- 5 1 in margins; Times New Roman or another readable font, 12 pt.
Works Cited page
- New page; Works Cited centered, plain type.
- Alphabetize by the first word (skip A, An, The).
- Double-space; hanging indent ½ in.
- Every citation points to an entry; every entry is cited.
- Keep each source’s own title style: “quotes” or italics.
4APA 7 References: Pattern & Entries
| Source | Reference (APA 7) |
|---|---|
| Book | Whitlock, C. A. (2019). Burhs and books: King Alfred’s Wessex. Ridgeline Press. |
| Journal article (DOI) | Hale, M., & Ostrander, P. (2021). Longships and burhs: The defense of Wessex. Wessex Historical Quarterly, 12(3), 45–61. https://doi.org/10.5555/whq.2021.0312 |
| Web page | Brandt, T. (2024, May 6). How the burhs were built. Old Wessex Notes. https://www.oldwessex.example/burhs |
| Online video | Calder History. (2025, March 3). Alfred at Athelney [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXAMPLE123 |
| Bible (KJV online) | King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1769) |
| Classic, e-book (public domain) | Franklin, B. (1916). Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (F. W. Pine, Ed.). Henry Holt. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20203 (Original work published 1791) |
The pattern: Author. (Date). Title. Source. A video’s uploader is its author. Leave out a site name that repeats the author.
Authors and dates
- Last name, initials: Whitlock, C. A.
- & before the last author; list up to 20.
- Date after the author: (2019). (2024, May 6). (n.d.)
Titles
- Books, pages, videos: italic, sentence case (first word, first word after a colon, proper nouns).
- Articles: sentence case, plain.
- Journals: Title Case, volume italic: 12(3).
Links
- DOI as https://doi.org/…, else the URL.
- No period after a URL or DOI.
- No “Retrieved from” unless the page is meant to change.
5APA In-Text Citations
| Situation | Citation |
|---|---|
| One author | (Whitlock, 2019) · Whitlock (2019) |
| Quotation | (Whitlock, 2019, p. 42); pp. 42–43 |
| Two authors | (Hale & Ostrander, 2021) · Hale and Ostrander (2021) |
| Three or more | (Brandt et al., 2023), from the first time |
| Situation | Citation |
|---|---|
| Group author | (Wessex Heritage Society [WHS], 2022), then (WHS, 2022) |
| No date | (Brandt, n.d.) |
| No author | (How the Burhs Were Built, 2024): title case |
| No pages | (Brandt, 2024, para. 4) · video (Calder History, 2025, 4:10) |
| Situation | Citation |
|---|---|
| Classic | (Franklin, 1791/1916) |
| Bible | (King James Bible, 1769/2017, Psalm 119:105) |
| Personal talk, email | (P. Ostrander, personal communication, March 2, 2026); not in References |
| Two sources | (Brandt, 2024; Whitlock, 2019) |
Author and year, with a comma; a page for every quotation. 40 words or more: an indented block, no quotation marks. Religious works have no author; give chapter and verse with a colon.
6APA Title Page & Format · MLA vs APA
Student title page (numbers on the mock)
- 1 Page number top right on every page; no running head.
- 2 Title bold, centered, in the upper half.
- 3 Name, affiliation, course, instructor, due date, centered.
- 4 1 in margins; double-spaced; 11 pt Calibri, Arial or Georgia or 12 pt Times New Roman.
Body and References
- Page 2 repeats the title, bold, centered; indent paragraphs ½ in.
- Headings: 1 centered bold; 2 flush left bold; 3 flush left bold italic.
- References on a new page, bold, centered; alphabetical; hanging indent ½ in.
| MLA 9 | APA 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| In the text | (Whitlock 42) | (Whitlock, 2019, p. 42) |
| In the list | Whitlock, Clara A. … 2019. | Whitlock, C. A. (2019). … |
| Titles | Title Case | Sentence case (journals Title Case) |
| List · first page | Works Cited · heading block | References · title page |
| Links | no https:// (DOIs keep it) | full https:// URL or DOI |
| Used in | literature, languages, humanities | social sciences, education, nursing |
Use the style your teacher names. Example sources are fictional, except the KJV and Franklin (public domain). The Grade 11 course also teaches Chicago for history contests.