How to Cite a Website in MLA 9th Edition

Citing websites in MLA format is one of the most frequent tasks students face, yet it is also one of the most error-prone. Web sources come in every shape: some list a clear author and publication date, while others are anonymous, undated, or nested inside a larger organizational site. The MLA Handbook (9th ed.) addresses this complexity through its core elements system, a flexible framework that applies to every source type rather than relying on rigid templates for each format. This guide walks through the core elements as they apply to websites, with worked examples for individual authors, organizational authors, missing information, social media, and more.

If you want to skip the manual formatting, you can paste any URL into the AllCitations MLA 9 generator and get a correctly formatted entry in seconds. But understanding the rules yourself is essential for handling the edge cases that trip up automated tools.

The MLA Core Elements System

Unlike APA, which provides a distinct template for each source type, MLA 9th edition uses a single set of core elements that you fill in (or skip) depending on what information is available. The nine core elements, in order, are:

1. Author.
2. "Title of Source."
3. Title of Container,
4. Other contributors,
5. Version,
6. Number,
7. Publisher,
8. Publication date,
9. Location.

For a typical webpage, the entry follows this pattern:

Author. "Title of Page." Title of Website, Publisher, Day Month Year, URL.

Several key principles apply:

• Author can be a person, multiple people, or an organization. If the author and the website name are the same, begin with the title of the page instead and omit the duplicate name.
• Title of the source (the specific page) goes in quotation marks. If the page has no title, provide a brief description without quotation marks.
• Title of the container (the website itself) is italicized. The MLA Handbook treats the website as the "container" that holds the individual page.
• Publisher is the organization responsible for the site. If the publisher name is essentially the same as the website title, omit the publisher to avoid redundancy (MLA Handbook, p. 42).
• Publication date should be as specific as the source provides. MLA uses the day-month-year format (e.g., 15 Mar. 2025). If no date is available, you may omit this element entirely.
• Location for a web source is the URL. MLA 9 recommends including the URL but notes that your instructor may have a different preference. Omit "https://" from the beginning of the URL unless doing so makes it unclear.

For a broader overview of how MLA compares to APA, see our guide on APA vs. MLA: Which Citation Style Should You Use?.

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Worked Examples

Below are eight worked examples covering the most common website citation scenarios in MLA 9. Each example includes both the works-cited entry and the corresponding in-text citations.

1. Webpage with an Individual Author

When a specific person is credited as the author of a webpage, place their name in last-name-first format in the author position.

Works-cited entry:

Carr, Thomas. "The 5 Safest Ways to Use Public Wi-Fi." Consumer Reports, 8 May 2024, www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/internet-safety/safest-ways-to-use-public-wi-fi/.

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Carr)
• Narrative: Carr recommends several strategies for staying safe on public networks.

Note that MLA in-text citations typically include only the author's last name. Add a page number when one is available, but most web sources do not have page numbers.

2. Webpage with Two Authors

When a webpage has two authors, list both names in the works-cited entry. The first author appears in last-name-first format; the second author appears in first-name-last-name format, connected by "and."

Works-cited entry:

Nguyen, Patricia, and Roberto Castellano. "Social Media and Teen Mental Health." Healthline, 12 Sept. 2024, www.healthline.com/health/social-media-teen-mental-health.

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Nguyen and Castellano)
• Narrative: Nguyen and Castellano examine the relationship between social media use and adolescent well-being.

3. Webpage with Three or More Authors

For three or more authors, list only the first author followed by "et al." in both the works-cited entry and in-text citations (MLA Handbook, p. 22).

Works-cited entry:

Whitfield, Karen D., et al. "Sleep and Academic Performance in College." National Sleep Foundation, 3 Jan. 2024, www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-academic-performance.

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Whitfield et al.)
• Narrative: Whitfield et al. report that consistent sleep schedules predict academic success more reliably than total sleep duration.

4. Organization as Author

When a webpage is authored by an organization rather than a named individual, the organization takes the author position. However, if the organization name matches the website title, begin the entry with the page title to avoid repeating the same name.

Works-cited entry (organization differs from site title):

National Institute of Mental Health. "Anxiety Disorders." National Institutes of Health, Apr. 2024, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders.

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (National Institute of Mental Health)
• Narrative: The National Institute of Mental Health identifies several evidence-based treatments for anxiety.

Works-cited entry (organization matches site title):

"Mpox (Monkeypox)." World Health Organization, 27 Sept. 2024, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/monkeypox.

Since the World Health Organization is both the author and the website name, the entry begins with the page title.

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: ("Mpox (Monkeypox)")
• Narrative: The World Health Organization's page "Mpox (Monkeypox)" outlines current transmission risks.

5. No Author

When no author is identified, begin the entry with the title of the page in quotation marks.

Works-cited entry:

"All 50 States and Their Capitals." USAGov, 12 Feb. 2024, www.usa.gov/states-and-territories.

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: ("All 50 States")
• Narrative: The page "All 50 States and Their Capitals" lists each state alongside its capital city.

When using a shortened title in parenthetical citations, place it in quotation marks (because the full title appears in quotation marks in the works-cited entry) and use title case.

6. No Date

Many webpages do not display a publication or update date. In MLA 9, simply omit the date element. There is no "n.d." equivalent in MLA as there is in APA.

Works-cited entry:

NASA. "Mars Exploration Program." NASA, www.mars.nasa.gov/.

Because NASA is both the author and the website, you could also format this as:

"Mars Exploration Program." NASA, www.mars.nasa.gov/.

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: ("Mars Exploration Program")
• Narrative: NASA's "Mars Exploration Program" page provides an overview of current and past missions.

7. Social Media Post

MLA 9 treats social media posts as short works within the platform container. Use the full text of a short post (or the first words of a long post) as the title, in quotation marks. Include the platform as the container, the date, and the URL.

Works-cited entry:

Obama, Barack [@BarackObama]. "Congratulations to the astronauts who made history today." X, 15 Sept. 2024, x.com/BarackObama/status/1234567890.

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Obama)
• Narrative: Obama congratulated the crew in a post on X.

For posts from organizational accounts where the organization name matches the platform account name, begin with the post text as the title.

8. Page within a Larger Site (Nested Container)

When a page exists within a specific section of a larger website, the section may act as a second container. MLA 9 allows you to nest containers when additional context is helpful.

Works-cited entry:

Robbins, Megan. "Understanding Childhood Anxiety." Child Psychology Today, Psychology Hub, 10 Mar. 2025, www.psychologyhub.com/child-psychology-today/childhood-anxiety.

Here, Child Psychology Today is the immediate container (a blog or section), and Psychology Hub is the broader website that publishes it.

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Robbins)
• Narrative: Robbins explains how childhood anxiety manifests differently across developmental stages.

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Special Cases

When the Publisher and Website Title Are the Same

This situation arises frequently with websites like the BBC, CNN, and similar organizations where the publisher and the site share the same name. In these cases, omit the publisher to avoid redundancy. The MLA Handbook specifically addresses this on page 42: "If the title of the Web site and the publisher are the same or similar, do not list the publisher."

When to Include an Access Date

MLA 9 no longer requires an access date for most web sources. However, if the page has no publication date and the content could change over time, including an access date is a good practice. Place it after the URL: "Accessed 1 Apr. 2026." Your instructor or publisher may also require access dates as a matter of course.

URLs and DOIs

MLA 9 recommends including URLs in works-cited entries but acknowledges that some instructors prefer to omit them. When you include a URL, remove the "https://" prefix unless doing so would cause confusion. If the source has a DOI, use the DOI in place of the URL, formatted as a full hyperlink (e.g., doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx). A DOI is more stable than a standard URL and is always preferred when available.

Permalinks and Shortened URLs

If a source provides a stable permalink, use that instead of the URL from your browser's address bar. Avoid using third-party URL shorteners (like bit.ly) because they obscure the destination and may expire. The goal is to give your reader a reliable path to the source.

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Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Italicizing the page title instead of the website title. In MLA, the title of the specific page goes in quotation marks, while the title of the website (the container) is italicized. This is the opposite of how many students initially format their entries. A simple rule: short works (pages, articles, poems) get quotation marks; larger works (websites, books, journals) get italics.

Including "https://" in the URL. MLA 9 convention is to omit the protocol prefix. Write "www.example.com/page" rather than "https://www.example.com/page." The only exception is if removing the prefix makes the URL ambiguous or nonfunctional.

Using "n.d." for missing dates. MLA does not use the "n.d." convention that APA uses. If no date is available, simply omit the date element from the entry. Do not write "n.d." or "no date."

Repeating the organization name as both author and website title. When the author and website name are identical, start the entry with the page title instead. Repeating the same name creates clutter and does not follow MLA conventions.

Forgetting to put the date in day-month-year format. MLA uses the international date format: 15 Mar. 2025. Months longer than four letters are abbreviated (Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.). May, June, and July are not abbreviated.

Placing the URL in angle brackets. Older MLA editions required angle brackets around URLs. MLA 9 does not. Simply list the URL without any surrounding punctuation.

You can explore all the citation styles supported by AllCitations on our citation styles page.

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Quick-Reference Table

The following table summarizes the key variations at a glance:

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