How to Cite MLA In-Text for a Website

If you’re looking for how to cite MLA in-text for a website, you’ve come to the right place. This quick and easy guide will show you everything you need to know about citing sources in MLA style.

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MLA In-Text Citations for Websites

MLA In-Text Citations for Websites

When you’re borrowing information from a website for your research project, it’s important to give credit both in-text and on your Works Cited page. In MLA style, in-text citations include the author’s last name and the page number(s) where the information you’re using can be found in the website. Here’s how to format in-text citations for websites in MLA 8:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Webpage.” Title of Website, Publisher (if different from author), Date published/last updated (if available), URL.

Here’s an example of how an in-text citation for a website would look in MLA 8:

Some people believe that extraterrestrial life exists on other planets (Smith 1).

The Works Cited entry would look like this:

Smith, John. “Is There Life on Other Planets?” The Planetary Society, 20 May 2019, www.planetary.org/articles/is-there-life-on-other-planets/.

How to Cite a Website in MLA Format

When you are gathering book sources, be sure to make note of the following bibliographic items:
-the author name(s),
-the book’s title,
-the publication date,
-the publisher,
-the place of publication.

To have your bibliography or works cited list automatically made for you, check out our free MLA citation maker. Once you’re finished with your citations, we can also help you with creating an MLA cover page and an MLA outline.
In MLA format citing, it is important to include the name of the website as well as the date that you accessed and viewed the material. Basic format to follow:
-Name of website’s owner (if available).
-Title of website.
-Title of individual page or article.
-Date site was published (if available) or last modified. .

MLA Website Citation Format

Websites are common sources for essays, but citing them can be tricky; when you cite a website, you might have to include a date of access because web content can change. Here is the basic format for a website citation in MLA style:

Last Name, First Name. “Title of Page or Article.” Title of Website: Subtitle of Website, Publisher or Sponsor of Website, Date of Publication or Last Update, URL. Date of Access (if applicable).

MLA In-Text Citation Format for Websites

MLA in-text citation format for websites requires you to include the author’s last name and the page number (or just the author’s last name if no page number is given).

Here’s an example:

According to Smith, “APA citation is easy” (p. 1).

If no author is given, you can cite the website by its title:

According to “APA Citation Guide,” “APA citation is easy” (p. 1).

How to Cite a Website in MLA In-Text

Whenever you use information from a website in your paper, you will need to cite it. In-text citations for websites look different than citations for other types of sources, such as books or journal articles. Here is how to format an in-text citation for a website in MLA style:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Webpage.” Title of Website, Publisher or Sponsor of Website, Date Published (if available), URL.

For example:

Simpson, Joe. “How to Cite MLA In-Text for a Website.” The Pen and The Pad, 20 May 2016, http://penandthepad.com/cite-mla-text-website-2347.html.

MLA Formatting and Style Guide

MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook (8th ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.

For more information, please consult the Publication Manual of the Modern Language Association of America, 8th ed. (2020).

MLA In-Text Citations

In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is done by using what is known as parenthetical citation. This method involves placing relevant source information in parentheses after a quote or a paraphrase. Generally, you want to provide the last name of the author and the specific page numbers of the source.

Example:
She stated, “Students often had difficulty using APA style” (Jones 1998, p. 199), but she did not offer an explanation as to why.
In the above example, Jones is the author of the work being quoted, and ‘1998’ indicates that this is the year that the work was published. The ‘p. 199’ part of the citation refers to page 199 in Jones’s book. If you were instead using a Web site, you would omit this information and begin with the date on which you accessed it:

She stated, “Students often had difficulty using APA style” (Jones, 1998), but she did not offer an explanation as to why. (retrieved May 2, 2000).

How to Cite Sources in MLA Format

In-text citations are required when you use someone else’s ideas, theories, or research in your paper. In-text citations usually appear at the end of the sentence, between the last word and the period. They tell your reader where you got the information from and how to find it again if they want to read more.

The basic format for an in-text citation is: (Author Last Name, page number). For example, if you were quoting from a website called “How to Cite MLA In-Text for a Website,” your in-text citation might look like this: (Nordquist, “How to Cite MLA In-Text”).

If you’re quoting from a source that doesn’t have an author listed, you can use the title of the source in place of the author’s last name. For example: (Nordquist, “In-Text Citations”).

Citing Sources in MLA Format

MLA style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook (8th ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.

MLA Format: In-Text Citations

MLA format for in-text citations is derived from the standard set forth in the MLA Handbook, 8th edition (2016). The format for in-text citations varies depending on whether the author’s name is known, or if the source is cited by title.

If the author’s name is known:
Include the author’s last name and the page number(s) associated with the quoted or paraphrased material in parentheses at the end of the relevant sentence or clause.

Example 1: Bruce Johnson writes that “recycled materials are becoming increasingly popular” (37).

Example 2: It has been argued that “recycled materials are becoming increasingly popular” (Johnson 37).

If the author’s name is not known or if there is no author listed:
Include the title of the work and the page number(s) associated with the quoted or paraphrased material in parentheses at the end of the relevant sentence or clause. Shorten titles as needed. If a work has no page numbers, do not include any information about pages.

Example 1: The article “Recycled Materials Are Becoming Increasingly Popular” contains information about recent trends in recycling (3). Note that “The article” has been shortened to “the work.” In this instance, it would be best to introduce material from this source before quoting or paraphrasing it so that your reader knows which work you are referring to. You can also introduce material without using a formal citation by writing something like, “ According to an article I read recently… .” Then you can proceed to quote or paraphrase from that work without including a formal citation. Introducing material in this way allows you to provide some context for your reader and also helps them locate your source more easily if they want to consult it later.
Here is another example: Some argue that “recycled materials are becoming increasingly popular” (“Recycled Materials” 3).