MLA Works Cited Page Guide
Learn how to format your MLA works cited page correctly — with examples, spacing rules, layout guidance, and easy-to-understand tips based on the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook.
📘 What Is a Works Cited Page in MLA Format?
A Works Cited page is a list of all the sources you’ve cited directly in your assignment or research paper using MLA style. It appears at the end of your work and gives readers the full details they need to locate your sources.
Each entry should match an in-text citation, following the formatting rules of the MLA Handbook (9th edition) . Unlike a bibliography, which can include background reading or uncited references, the Works Cited page includes only sources that appear in your paper.
Most high school and college assignments that follow MLA format will require a Works Cited page — especially in humanities subjects like English, literature, and cultural studies. If your assignment requires a more comprehensive list, you may need an annotated bibliography instead.
Try our generator to create properly formatted entries with optional annotations, ready for your Works Cited or full bibliography.
🧾 MLA Formatting Rules for Works Cited
MLA style has specific formatting requirements for Works Cited pages. These rules help ensure clarity and consistency across your citations.
- 📄 Start on a new page: Place the Works Cited list on a separate page at the end of your document, with the heading “Works Cited” centred at the top.
- 🧾 Double spacing: Double-space all lines — including within and between entries.
- 📚 Alphabetical order: Organise sources A–Z by the surname of the first author or the first word of the citation.
- ⏎ Hanging indent: Use a hanging indent of 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) for each entry. The first line stays flush left; subsequent lines are indented.
- 📝 Title case: Capitalise all principal words in titles, including nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
- Italics: Italicise the titles of full-length works like books, films, and journals.
- 🌐 URLs and DOIs: For online sources, include the full URL or DOI without “https://” and do not add a period at the end.
Our free MLA bibliography generator applies these formatting rules automatically — but you can still review and customise your entries before saving, printing, or downloading.
📚 Common Source Types in MLA Works Cited
The MLA 9 style guide supports a wide variety of source types. Whether you're citing books, digital media, or personal communications, each has a specific format. Below are the most common categories supported by our MLA Works Cited generator:
📘 Books & eBooks
Cite single-author books, edited collections, translated works, and online eBooks.
📰 Journal & Magazine Articles
Cite scholarly articles, reviews, and pieces from both print and online periodicals.
🌐 Websites & Web Content
Cite web pages, blog posts, institutional sites, FAQs, and other online materials.
🎧 Audio & Visual Media
Cite YouTube videos, podcasts, films, music recordings, and television broadcasts.
🤖 AI & Generated Content
Reference AI-generated outputs such as ChatGPT responses or AI-assisted content.
🎓 Academic & Lecture Materials
Include citations for lecture slides, class handouts, and recorded or personal lectures.
Each source type is formatted according to MLA 9 guidelines. You can choose your source type and subtype directly within our MLA bibliography generator .