MLA Literature Review Example: Works Cited, In-Text Citations, and Templates

Side-by-side example (same article)

APA 7th: Wyatt, J. (1993). Giving body to the word: The maternal symbolic in Toni Morrison's Beloved. PMLA, 108(3), 474–488.

MLA 9th: Wyatt, Jean. "Giving Body to the Word: The Maternal Symbolic in Toni Morrison's Beloved." PMLA, vol. 108, no. 3, 1993, pp. 474–488.

Notice: Title case everywhere; article in double quotes; journal italicized; vol. / no. / pp. abbreviated; no place of publication; for an online scholarly source, include a DOI when available; otherwise use a stable permalink or URL, subject to assignment requirements.

The 9 Elements of an MLA Entry (use what applies)

1. Author.

2. "Title of Source."

3. Title of Container,*

4. Other contributors (edited by...),

5. Version (edition),

6. Number (vol. / no.),

7. Publisher,

8. Publication date,

9. Location (pages / DOI / URL).

*Container = the larger work holding your source (a journal, a book of essays, a website). A source can have a second container (e.g., a journal article accessed via JSTOR).

5 MLA-Specific Scoring Dimensions

Comparison fields: Dimension Poor signal Strong signal

1 In-text punctuation (Author, 45) or [1] (Author 45) — no comma, no year

2 Works Cited heading "References" or "Bibliography" "Works Cited"

3 Title treatment Mixed sentence/title case Title case throughout; quotes for short works, italics for long

4 Container completeness Journal article listed like a book Volume, issue, date, pages all present

5 Alphabetization By first name or citation order By surname; "A," "An," "The" counted in title sorting

In-Text Citation Rules (MLA)

1. Standard author–page

• (Morrison 45) — no comma, page only

• If you name the author in the sentence: Morrison writes that... (45).

1. Two authors

• (Hamilton and Wyatt 301) — use "and" in parentheses too (unlike APA's &); both names required every time

1. Three or more authors

• (Peterson et al. 22) — in MLA, et al. may be roman or italic depending on your instructor; this Hub uses roman type to match the official Handbook. Used from the first citation.

1. No author (corporate or title)

• (Modern Language Association 12) or ("Beloved" 3) — use a shortened title in quotes

1. Multiple works by same author

• Disambiguate with a shortened title: (Morrison,

  Beloved

  88) vs (Morrison, "Site" 70)

1. Indirect / quotation within a quote

• (qtd. in Peterson 45) — quote cited in another work; cite the visible source only

Works Cited: Common Source Types (MLA 9th)

Book (single author)

AuthorLastName, FirstName. Title in Title Case. Publisher, Year.

(Note: no place of publication—MLA 9th dropped it.)

Journal article (4+ authors → et al.)

AuthorLastName, FirstName, et al. "Article Title in Title Case." Journal Name, vol. X, no. Y, Year, pp. first–last.

Chapter in an edited collection

ChapterAuthor, FirstName. "Chapter Title." Book Title, edited by EditorName, Publisher, Year, pp. first–last.

Website / online source

Author, FirstName. "Page Title." Website Name, Day Month Year, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

Note: MLA requires an access date for online sources without a stable publication date; include Accessed 15 Mar. 2024 at the end. If the source has a DOI, include it in the form doi:xx or https://doi.org/xx—many instructors now prefer this for online scholarly articles.

Format Demonstration Paragraph (placeholder citations)

[Opening] This literature review examines a research question and organizes findings thematically. [Narrative] AuthorA argues in Book Title that the central mechanism is X (22–25). [Parenthetical, multi-source] However, later critics complicate this account (AuthorB 88; AuthorC 140). [Counter-evidence] AuthorD and AuthorE's edited collection challenges the dominant periodization, noting that archival evidence cuts against the standard narrative (AuthorD and AuthorE 302). [Gap] What remains untested is whether the mechanism persists in post-2000 contexts—a gap that matters because the existing scholarship predates recent digital archives.

Format audit

• ✅ (Author page) with no comma

• ✅ et al. in roman type (per official MLA; check your instructor)

• ✅ Multiple sources separated by semicolons, no year

5 Fatal Signals (MLA-specific)

1. "(Author, 45)" with a comma — APA/Hardvard habit. MLA is (Author 45).

2. "References" or "Bibliography" heading — MLA uses "Works Cited".

3. Italicizing et al. as a universal rule — official MLA uses roman type; italics only if your writing-center guide requires it.

4. Article titles in single quotes or italics — MLA uses double quotation marks; reserve italics for books, journals, films.

5. Sentence case ("The history of x") — MLA uses title case for all titles.

Rewrite Checklist (MLA)

1. Change your list heading to "Works Cited".

2. Convert every in-text citation to author + page, no comma; remove all (Author, Year) forms.

3. Audit titles: title case throughout; double quotes for articles/chapters/poems, italics for books/journals.

4. Build each entry with the 9-element container template; include volume, issue, date, and pages for every journal article.

5. Alphabetize by surname; when alphabetizing by title, ignore an initial A, An, or The when alphabetizing by title.

6. For multiple works by one author, add a shortened title in both the in-text citation and (if desired) the Works Cited entry.

7. Add Accessed dates to online-only sources without a fixed publication date; add a DOI if one is available.

8. Run a final check: every in-text citation must appear in Works Cited; every Works Cited entry must be cited at least once.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is MLA the same as Harvard?

No. Both are humanities-friendly, but MLA uses (Author page) with no comma and a Works Cited list; Harvard uses (Author, Year) and "Reference list." MLA's container model also handles nested sources more flexibly.

Do I need a DOI or URL in MLA?

For online works, MLA 9 prefers a DOI, then a permalink, then a URL. Use the form required by your instructor and include page ranges when they help readers understand or locate a paginated work. Always check the assignment guidelines.

How do I cite a literary work I quote repeatedly?

After the first citation, you may omit the author if the work is clear from context, and cite only the page: (45). For two works by the same author, always add the shortened title: (Beloved 88).

Should et al. be italicized?

Not by MLA's official rule—the Handbook uses roman et al. However, some university style sheets (and older habits) italicize it. When in doubt, ask your instructor and be consistent.

Can I reuse this Hub's citations?

No. The demonstration paragraph uses placeholders. Use the MLA mechanics as a model; replace citations with sources from your own research.

Verify the Style Rules Before Submission

Citation styles change, and universities often publish local variants. Use the official guidance below as a starting point, then follow the handbook, department guide, or journal instructions that govern your submission.

• MLA Style Center: MLA Handbook, Ninth Edition

• MLA Style Center: DOI and URL Guidance

Continue Through the Citation-Style Series

• Harvard Literature Review Example

• MLA English Literature Review Example

• Chicago Literature Review Example

• Annotated Literature Review Example Hub

Use Acade for the Next Citation Task

Tell Acade your assignment requirements, source types, verified editions, and current literature review. Ask it to check author-page citations, organize Works Cited entries, and flag missing source details for manual review.

Acade can support citation formatting and reference organization, but it cannot guarantee that a generated entry is correct. You remain responsible for opening the original source, confirming the author, title, edition, date, pages, DOI or URL, and applying the rules required by your institution or publisher.

Format My MLA Literature Review