How to Cite a Journal Article in MLA 9th Edition

General Format

The standard MLA 9 format for a journal article is: Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." *Title of Journal*, vol. number, no. number, Year, pp. page range. For articles accessed online, add the DOI or URL at the end: Author. "Title." *Journal*, vol. X, no. X, Year, pp. X--X. DOI or URL.

Worked Example

Kincaid, Jamaica. "In History." *Callaloo*, vol. 24, no. 2, 2001, pp. 620--26. Online article with DOI: Dolan, Kerry A., and Chase Peterson-Withorn. "Wealth Inequality in America." *Forbes*, vol. 204, no. 3, 2021, pp. 34--41. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx.

Common Mistakes

1. **Forgetting quotation marks around the article title** -- In MLA, article titles go in quotation marks; only the journal title is italicized. 2. **Using incorrect abbreviations** -- MLA 9 uses "vol." and "no." (lowercase), not "Vol." or "No." 3. **Omitting the page range** -- Always include page numbers when available, preceded by "pp." for a range.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite an article with no author in MLA?

Start with the article title in quotation marks, then continue with the journal title, volume, issue, year, and pages.

Do I include the database name in MLA 9?

Yes. If you accessed the article through a database, include the database name as a second container, italicized, after the page range.

How do I handle articles with page numbers that are not continuous?

Use the first page number followed by a plus sign: pp. 32+.