How to Cite a Journal Article in MLA 9th edition

Academic journals, peer-reviewed articles, and research papers.

Example in MLA 9th edition

Watson, James D., and Francis H. C. Crick. “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.” Nature, vol. 171, no. 4356, Apr. 1953, pp. 737-38, https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0.
In-text (Watson and Crick)

What MLA 9th edition includes

These are the details of the example above that the style prints, so they are the ones to collect for your own source.

  • Article Title
  • Journal Name
  • Author(s)
  • Volume
  • Issue
  • Pages
  • Date Published
  • DOI

The DOI is usually near the article title or in the page footer. If accessing through a database, the article record contains volume, issue, and page numbers.

The formatting comes from the style's own file, so check the finer points against your guide. What to check by hand in MLA 9th edition.

A Journal Article in other styles

APA 7th edition Chicago 18th edition (notes and bibliography) Harvard (Cite Them Right 12th edition) IEEE Vancouver

Other sources in MLA 9th edition

Website Book Newspaper Article Book Chapter Thesis/Dissertation Report Video Podcast/Broadcast Magazine Article Software Dataset Patent Legal Case Legislation Bill Regulation Hearing Standard Treaty Conference Paper Manuscript Review Book Review Classic Work Reference Entry Dictionary Entry Encyclopedia Entry Periodical Collection Interview Speech Song Musical Score Graphic Figure Map Performance Event Pamphlet Preprint Document Post Blog Post Personal Communication Generative AI