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MLA Citation Style & Formatting

About Citing Articles in MLA 9

Most libraries now have most of their magazine, newspaper, and journal subscriptions exclusively online through their databases, although some are still available on the library shelves in print. Articles from online publications are increasingly available to students as well, and how you cite each of these depends on you recognizing the difference between these types of resources. How can you tell what's what and how to cite it?

  • If you went to the library website and found an article that you read online in a library database (e.g. ProQuest, EbscoHost, JSTOR, etc.), then this is a database article and you use the Library Database Article Template.
  • If you searched on the open internet (such as Google) and located your article without the use of a library database, then this is an article from the internet and you would use the Internet Article Template.
  • If you physically have a newspaper, magazine, or journal in your hands, whether it be a from the newsstand or something you found on the shelves at the library, these are considered PRINT articles and you use the Print/Physical Article Templates.

Library Database Articles Template

Magazine, newspaper, or journal article general format:   Author. “Article Title.” Publication Title, vol.#, no.#, Day Mon. Year published, pp.#-# (page numbers). Database Name, URL (optional) or doi#.
Examples:  

Magazine article:

Updike, John. “Nan, American Man.” The New Yorker, 3 Dec. 2007, pp. 84-85. Literature Resource Center.

Newspaper article:

Hulse, Carl. “Congress Passes Bill to Keep Government Running.” New York Times, 1 Oct. 2009, pp.A1. General OneFile.

Journal article:

Moellendorf, Darrel. “Treaty Norms and Climate Change Mitigation.” Ethics & International Affairs, vol.23, no.3, Fall 2009, pp. 247-66. Academic OneFile, doi: 10.111/j.1747-7093.2009.00216.x.

Internet Article Template

Magazine, newspaper, or journal article general format:   Author name. “Article Title.” Publication Title, vol.#, no.# (if available), Day Mon. Year published, URL.
Example:  

Magazine article:

Jensen, Cheryl. "Fastening Seat Belts: The 3 Seconds that Save Lives." Consumer Reports, Aug. 2016, www.consumerreports.org/ car-safety/fastening-seat-belts-3-seconds-that-save-lives/.

Newspaper article:

Okie, Susan. “Fighting H.I.V., a Community at a Time.” New York Times, 26 Oct. 2009, nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27hiv.html.

Journal article:

Magalas, Laura, and Thomas G. Ryan. “A New Rendition of an Old Classic: The Young Writers Program as a Writing Workshop.” International Journal of Progressive Education, vol.12, no.2, June 2016, www.inased.org/v12n2/ijpev12n2.pdf.

Print/Physical Article Template

Magazine, newspaper, or journal article general format:   Author. “Article Title.” Publication Title, vol.#, no.#, Day Mon. Year published, pp.#-# (page numbers).
Examples:  

Magazine article:

Brown, Carolyn M. “More Bang for the Buck: Moving to Georgia Saved the Salmon Family Thousands in Education Costs and Property Taxes.” Black Enterprise, Jan. 2007, pp.62-63.

Newspaper article:

Sterngold, James. "Prisons' Budget to Trump Colleges.'" San Francisco Chronicle, 21 May 2007, p.A1.

Journal article:

Brandtzaeg, Per. “Why We Develop Food Allergies.” American Scientist, vol.95, no.1, Jan.-Feb. 2015, pp.28-35.