How to Cite a Website in MLA 9 (Format and Examples)

The quick answer: in MLA 9, cite a website as Last name, First name. “Title of Web Page.” Name of Website, Publisher, Day Month Year, URL. Leave out the publisher if it is the same as the website name, and add an access date at the end if the page has no date. In your essay, the in-text citation is just the author’s last name in brackets, like (Lee).

Short on time? Our free citation generator builds MLA, APA and Harvard citations for you. Read on to understand each part, so you can check the result before you hand it in.

MLA website citation at a glance

Put together: Lee, Jordan. “How Sleep Affects Memory.” Study Smart Blog, 14 Mar. 2025, www.example.com/sleep-memory.

The examples on this page are illustrations of the format, not real sources.

How to build the citation, step by step

1. Author. Write the last name, a comma, then the first name, and end with a full stop. If there is no named person, skip to the title.
2. Title of the page. Put the article or page title in quotation marks, with a full stop inside the closing quote.
3. Website name. Write it in italics, followed by a comma.
4. Publisher. Add the organisation responsible for the site only if its name is different from the website name.
5. Date. Use day, month, year (14 Mar. 2025). MLA shortens month names longer than four letters, so May, June and July stay in full.
6. URL. Copy the address and remove https:// at the start. End with a full stop.
7. Access date (optional). If the page shows no date, or it is likely to change, add “Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.” at the end.

Examples for common situations

Two authors

Lee, Jordan, and Sam Patel. “Ten Tips for Exam Week.” Campus Life Hub, 2 Sept. 2025, www.example.com/exam-week.

Three or more authors

Lee, Jordan, et al. “Building a Study Timetable.” Study Smart Blog, 8 Jan. 2026, www.example.com/timetable.

No author

“Understanding Weighted Grades.” Example University Library, 5 Feb. 2026, www.example.edu/weighted-grades.

Organisation as author and publisher

When an organisation wrote the page and also runs the site, MLA tells you to start with the title rather than repeat the name. Start with the title, as in the “no author” example.

No date on the page

Lee, Jordan. “How to Take Better Notes.” Study Smart Blog, www.example.com/notes. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

In-text citations for websites

• Use the author’s last name: (Lee).
• Websites usually have no page numbers, so leave them out.
• Two authors: (Lee and Patel). Three or more: (Lee et al.).
• No author: use a shortened title in quotation marks, such as (“Understanding Weighted Grades”).
• If you name the author in your sentence, you do not need the bracket at all: Lee explains that…

Formatting the Works Cited page

• Title the page Works Cited, centred, at the top of a new page.
• List sources alphabetically by the first word of each entry (usually the author’s last name, or the title if there is no author).
• Double-space the whole list.
• Use a hanging indent of 0.5 in (1.27 cm): the first line sits at the margin and the following lines are indented.

Common mistakes

• Mixing up quotation marks and italics. The page title goes in quotation marks; the website name goes in italics.
• Repeating the website name as publisher. If they are the same, write it once.
• Leaving https:// in the URL. MLA 9 recommends removing it.
• Writing dates the US way. MLA uses day month year: 14 Mar. 2025, not March 14, 2025.
• Mixing styles. Do not combine MLA and APA rules in one paper. Not sure of the differences? See APA vs MLA vs Harvard.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an access date in MLA 9?

It is optional. MLA recommends adding one when the page has no publication date or is likely to change. Your teacher may ask for it either way, so check your assignment brief.

Should I include the full URL?

Yes, include the address, but drop the https:// at the start. If a source has a DOI, MLA prefers the DOI over the URL.

How do I cite a whole website instead of one page?

Start with the author or organisation if there is one, then put the website name in italics, the publisher if different, the date if shown, and the URL.

How is APA different?

APA puts the year straight after the author and uses sentence case for titles. Our guide on how to cite a website in APA walks through it.

Before you submit, run your essay through the word counter to check you are within the limit.

Related guides

• How to Cite a Website in Harvard Style (With Examples)
• How to Cite a Website in APA 7th Edition (With Examples)
• APA vs MLA vs Harvard: Which Citation Style Should You Use?

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