How to Cite a Patent in MLA 9th edition

Inventions, intellectual property, and patent filings.

Example in MLA 9th edition

Page, Lawrence. Method for Node Ranking in a Linked Database. US6285999B1, 4 Sept. 2001, patents.google.com/patent/US6285999B1/en.
In-text (Page)

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.

  • Patent Title
  • Inventor(s)
  • Patent Number
  • Date Issued
  • URL

The patent document header contains the patent number, filing date, and issue date. The assignee (owner) may differ from the inventors listed.

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 Patent 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 Journal Article Newspaper Article Book Chapter Thesis/Dissertation Report Video Podcast/Broadcast Magazine Article Software Dataset 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