The pattern at a glance
- Basic bookLast, First. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.
- Edited edition of an author's workLast, First. Title of Book. Edited by First Last, edition, Publisher, Year.
- In-text(Last page), e.g. (Lamott 21)
The core elements of an MLA book entry
MLA treats a whole book as a source without a container, so the entry is mostly the author, the title and the publication facts. The title is italic and in title case, with a colon before the subtitle.
"Other contributors" such as editors and translators come right after the title, introduced by "Edited by" or "Translated by". For a classic novel in a scholarly edition, like the Penguin Frankenstein below, the editor matters because the introduction and notes differ between editions.
The version element covers editions: 2nd ed., Rev. ed., or a named version. The publisher is given without corporate words, and university presses are commonly shortened to "U" and "P" in MLA, as in U of Chicago P.
Republished books, multiple authors and ebooks
- Two authors: "Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein." Three or more: first author plus et al.
- Republished classics may add the original year after the title, as an optional element.
- Ebooks from a website or platform add the website as a container and the URL; ebook readers without stable pages are cited like print books.
- Corporate authors that are also the publisher are left out of the author slot; start with the title.
Laying out the Works Cited page for books
Works Cited is alphabetised by the first word of each entry, usually the author's surname. When two books have the same author, MLA gives the name in the first entry and replaces it with three hyphens in the next, ordered by title. Entries that begin with a title are alphabetised by the first significant word, ignoring A, An and The.
Each entry uses a hanging indent of half an inch, double spacing and the font of your paper. Copying with the generator's rich-text button keeps the hanging indent when you paste into Google Docs or Word.
For translated books, add "Translated by" and the translator after the title, in the same position as an editor; for a multivolume work, add the volume in the number element, such as vol. 2.
Page numbers and editions in MLA quotations
Your in-text page numbers must come from the edition listed in Works Cited. If a classmate used another printing of Frankenstein, your page 56 may be their page 61. For widely reprinted works, MLA suggests adding a chapter, act or section number after the page, separated by a semicolon, so readers with any edition can find the passage.
When you quote an editor's introduction rather than the author's text, cite the editor as the author of that part, with the introduction as the source and the book as its container.
Field by field: MLA book entry
Generator book form fields and their MLA elements.
| Field | What to enter | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Authors | Author element, first author inverted. | Title page. |
| Title | Title and subtitle, italic, title case. | Title page. |
| Edition | Version element (Rev. ed., 2nd ed.). | Title or copyright page. |
| Publisher | Publisher element, no Inc. or Ltd. | Title page. |
| Year | Publication date of your edition. | Copyright page. |
| ISBN | For lookup only; not printed. | Back cover. |
MLA book citation examples
Three books checked by ISBN and formatted with the generator's MLA 9 engine.
Classic novel in an edited edition
MLA 9th: Reference entry
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Edited by Maurice Hindle, Rev. ed., Penguin Books, 2003.
In-text citation: (Shelley)
Maurice Hindle edited this revised Penguin edition, so "Edited by" and "Rev. ed." appear after the title. The engine prints "Rev. ed." with a capital R because that is how the edition was entered.
Checked against ISBN record (checked on 25 October 2026). Open Library edition record: "edited with an introduction and notes by Maurice Hindle", Penguin Books, 2003, revised edition.
Book with a subtitle
MLA 9th: Reference entry
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Pantheon Books, 1994.
In-text citation: (Lamott)
The subtitle follows a colon and every major word is capitalised in MLA, while "on" and "and" stay lower case.
Checked against ISBN record (checked on 25 October 2026). Open Library edition record: Pantheon Books, New York, 1994, first edition.
Single author with a middle initial
MLA 9th: Reference entry
Dweck, Carol S. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House, 2006.
In-text citation: (Dweck)
Carol S. Dweck keeps her middle initial in the inverted name: Dweck, Carol S.
Checked against ISBN record (checked on 25 October 2026). Open Library edition record: Random House, 28 February 2006.
Formatted by the same citation engine that runs the generator above (citeproc-js with the official CSL style file). Italics follow the style.
MLA in-text citations for books
Give the author's surname and the page number with no comma between them.
- Parenthetical: (Dweck 7)
- Author in the sentence: Lamott advises writing short assignments (17).
- Two authors: (Graff and Birkenstein 21)
- Novel with chapters: Add the chapter after a semicolon for readers with other editions: (Shelley 56; ch. 5).
MLA book citation mistakes
- Including the city. MLA 9 lists only the publisher.
- Underlining the title. Book titles are italic in typed papers.
- Forgetting the editor of a classic. Scholarly editions differ; name the editor so readers find the same text.
- Year of first publication instead of your edition. The publication date is the year of the edition you used.
MLA book citation FAQ
How do I cite a book in MLA 9?
Last, First. Title of Book. Publisher, Year. Add Edited by, the edition and other contributors after the title when they apply.
How do I cite a book with an editor in MLA?
If the editor edited an author's work, put Edited by First Last after the title. If the book is a collection with no single author, start with the editor: Last, First, editor.
Do I cite the page in the Works Cited entry?
No. Pages of a whole book go in the in-text citation only.
How do I cite an ebook in MLA?
Cite it like the print book. If you read it on a website, add the site as a container and the URL.
Style guides used on this page
Rules on this page were checked against these pages on 25 October 2026.