MLA 9 website citation format
The basic format for citing a website page in MLA 9 is:
Last, First. “Title of Page.” Website Name, Publisher (if different from website name), Day Month Year, URL.
Example:
Hollmichel, Stefanie. “The Reading Brain: Differences Between Digital and Print.” So Many Books, 25 Apr. 2013, somanybooksblog.com/2013/04/25/the-reading-brain.
What to include (and what to leave out)
Author name
Format: Last, First for the first author. If there are two authors, format the second as First Last. Three or more authors: use the first author followed by “, et al.”
If there is no author, start the citation with the title of the page.
Title of the page
Enclose the title of the individual page (article, post, entry) in straight double quotation marks. Capitalize all major words (title case).
Website name (container)
Italicize the name of the website. This is the “container” in MLA 9’s Core Elements framework.
When to omit the website name: If the website name is essentially the same as the page title (e.g., a one-page personal site), you may omit it to avoid redundancy.
Publisher
Include the publisher only if it is different from the website name. For example, The Guardian is published by Guardian News & Media — but most readers identify the source by the website name, so MLA guidance suggests omitting the publisher when it matches or closely resembles the site name.
Publication date
Use the most specific date available: Day Month Year (15 Jan. 2024). Abbreviate all months except May, June, and July. If only a year is visible, use the year. If no date is visible, omit it.
URL
Include the full URL. Do not add a period after the URL. Remove https:// if it makes the URL cleaner, but retain www. if present. Do not include a retrieval/access date unless the content is likely to change and the instructor requires it.
Common website citation examples
A news article
Perez, Sarah. “Twitter Is Now X.” TechCrunch, 24 July 2023, techcrunch.com/2023/07/24/twitter-is-now-x.
A web page with no author
“How Vaccines Work.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 May 2023, cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/conversations/how-vaccines-work.html.
A web page with no date
“MLA Style.” Purdue Online Writing Lab, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_overview_and_workshop.html.
A YouTube video
Cite YouTube videos as a video source type, not as a website. See our How to cite a video in MLA 9 guide.
Access date: when is it required?
MLA 9 makes the “Accessed” date optional for most websites. Include it only when:
- The content is likely to change frequently (e.g., a wiki page, live data dashboard).
- Your instructor explicitly requires it.
- The page has no publication date, making the access date the only temporal anchor.
Format: “Accessed 15 Jan. 2024.” — added after the URL.
In-text citation for a website
Cite the author’s last name and the page number (if applicable) in parentheses:
- With an author: (Perez) or (Perez 12) if pages are numbered.
- No author: Use a shortened form of the title in quotation marks: (“How Vaccines Work”).
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to include the full URL?
Yes. MLA 9 requires the URL (without https://). If your professor’s style guide says otherwise, follow their instructions.
What if the website has no author and no date?
Start with the title of the page and omit the date:
“Title of Page.” Website Name, URL.
How do I cite a blog post?
The same way as a web page. The blog name is the website/container title (italicized). Use the author’s name if visible.