FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Everything you need to know about the generator, MLA 9, exports, and privacy.
- What is MLA 9th Edition?
- MLA 9 is the current edition of the Modern Language Association Handbook, published in 2021. It is primarily used for papers in the humanities and arts. MLA 9 refined the Core Elements framework introduced in MLA 8, added guidance for AI-generated content, and clarified formatting rules throughout.
- Is this generator really free?
- Yes, completely. No account, no credit card, no watermark on exports. There is no "pro" tier. Every feature — all 16 source types, all export formats, the bibliography manager, offline mode — is free with no limits.
- Do I need to create an account?
- No. Your bibliographies are stored directly in your browser's localStorage. Nothing is sent to a server. You don't even have the option to create an account — the product is intentionally login-free.
- What source types does the generator support?
- Website, book, journal article, newspaper, magazine, video, podcast, social media post, image or artwork, film or TV episode, government document, interview, lecture, AI-generated content, dataset, dissertation, and conference paper — 16 types in total.
- Does the generator support AI content citations?
- Yes. We have a dedicated source type for AI-generated content with fields for the prompt, tool name (e.g. ChatGPT), version, company (e.g. OpenAI), and generation date — all per MLA 9's current guidance on citing AI tools.
- How does autocite work?
- Paste a URL and we fetch the page through a CORS proxy, then extract metadata from Open Graph tags, JSON-LD, oEmbed (for YouTube/Vimeo), and standard HTML meta tags. The extracted data populates the form fields automatically. You can review and edit before adding the citation.
- Can I autocite by DOI or ISBN?
- Yes. Paste a DOI and we query the CrossRef API to retrieve full bibliographic metadata. Paste a 10- or 13-digit ISBN and we query OpenLibrary, falling back to Google Books if no record is found.
- Does the generator work offline?
- Yes. After the first page load, the generator is cached as a Progressive Web App. Manual entry, the live preview, bibliography management, and all export formats (clipboard, .txt, .docx, .bib, .ris, print) work without an internet connection. Only autocite (URL, DOI, ISBN) and Google Docs export require the network.
- What export formats are available?
- Copy to clipboard (rich text and plain text), download .txt, download .docx (Microsoft Word with proper formatting), export .bib (BibTeX for LaTeX), export .ris (for citation managers like Zotero and Mendeley), print to PDF (MLA 9 paper layout), and send to Google Docs.
- Can I manage multiple bibliographies?
- Yes. The bibliography manager lets you create, rename, switch between, and delete projects. Each project is stored separately in localStorage. You can have up to 50 projects with 500 sources each before approaching browser storage limits.
- Can I reorder my Works Cited entries?
- Yes. Drag and drop entries to reorder them, or toggle the alphabetize button to sort by MLA 9's sort key (author last name, then title for author-less sources). Toggling alphabetize off restores your custom order.
- What is a Works Cited page vs a Bibliography?
- In MLA style, "Works Cited" lists only the sources you actually cited in your paper. A "Bibliography" can include sources you consulted but didn't directly cite. MLA style uses "Works Cited" — that's what this generator produces.
- What is an in-text citation?
- An in-text citation is the parenthetical reference that appears in the body of your paper, like (Smith 42). It corresponds to a full Works Cited entry at the end of the paper. The generator produces both the Works Cited entry and the in-text citation together.
- Is my data private?
- Yes. Every source record and bibliography is stored only in your browser. We never transmit your source data to a server. The only outbound data is the URL you submit for autocite (sent to our CORS proxy) and cookie-free analytics pings to Plausible (no personal data). See the privacy page for full details.
- Which version of MLA does this generator use?
- MLA 9th Edition only. We do not support MLA 8 or earlier editions. If your assignment requires MLA 8, most MLA 9 citations will still be valid — but check with your instructor, as the editions share the same Core Elements framework.
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