Do I use quotation marks or italics for the page title?

Page titles go in quotation marks. The website name is italicized. This follows MLA's container system: the website is the container.

How do I cite a web page that is updated regularly?

Use the most recent update date if available. Include an access date at the end of the citation.

How do I handle very long URLs?

Include the full URL. MLA 9 does not allow shortening URLs. You may break a URL across lines only after a slash or before a period.

How to Cite a Website in MLA 9th Edition

General Format

MLA 9 format for a web page: Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Page." *Website Name*, Publisher (if different from website name), Day Month Year of publication, URL. If no author: "Title of Page." *Website Name*, Day Month Year, URL. Access dates are generally not required unless the content has no publication date.

Worked Example

Individual author: Lundman, Susan. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." *eHow*, www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html. Organizational author: United Nations. "Universal Declaration of Human Rights." *United Nations*, www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026. No author: "The History of the Internet." *Internet Society*, 15 Mar. 2021, www.internetsociety.org/internet/history.

Common Mistakes

1. **Not distinguishing between website name and publisher** -- If the publisher is the same as the website name, omit the publisher. Include it only if they differ. 2. **Including "https://" in URLs** -- MLA 9 prefers URLs without the protocol (e.g., www.example.com instead of https://www.example.com), unless the URL does not start with "www." 3. **Forgetting the access date when needed** -- Include "Accessed Day Month Year" if the page has no publication date.