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How to Cite Something in MLA Format
MLA formatting refers to the writing style guide produced by the Modern Language Association. If you’re taking a class in the liberal arts, you usually have to follow this format when writing papers. In addition to looking at MLA examples, it helps to know the basics of the style guide.
Parenthetical Citations
MLA requires parenthetical citations within the document. This means you must include source information inside parentheses placed after a quotation or paraphrase from a source. Each parenthetical citation must have the page number where you found the information you used. It may also have the author’s or creator’s name. Do not use a comma to separate the name and the date.
In-text Citations
The format for in-text citations depends on the format of the source material. For print material like books and journals, you need the author’s name and publication date. If the source has two authors, use and to join them and the term “et al.” if it has more than two authors. You can also reference the authors in the document and include only the page number in parentheses.
Citations for Nonprint Material
If you use nonprint materials as sources, you have to cite them. However, you don’t have to include page numbers with the in-text citations. You do have to include information like the name of the work, the creator’s name and the year of publication on the Works Cited page.
When you complete the Work Cited page, each source requires additional information. For images, you need to include contributors, the reproduction number and URL where you located the image online. Movies must list the director’s name and distributor. A TV series needs the episode title and number, series title, season number and network. Pieces of music should include the title of the track and album and the record label.
Works Cited List
When you use MLA format, you must have a Works Cited page that lists all of the sources you used for the paper. This page goes at the end of the document on a separate page. You list all of the sources in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name. Make sure the page is double-spaced and that you follow the specific guidelines for formatting each entry.
Citation Generators
If you don’t have access to printed MLA style guides or don’t understand how to format your sources, you can turn to a citation generator. There are several citation generators available online for free or as part of a subscription service. You can also find them in word processing programs.
To use a citation generator, you enter information about each source. The program automatically formats the sources for the works cited page. You can also select the places in the document to add in-text citations.
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MLA Citation Guide (9th Edition): Magazine Articles
- What Kind of Source Is This?
- Advertisements
- Books, eBooks & Pamphlets
- Book Reviews
- Class Handouts, Presentations, and Readings
- Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
- Government Documents
- Images, Artwork, Charts, Graphs & Tables
- Interviews and Emails (Personal Communications)
- Journal Articles
- Magazine Articles
- Newspaper Articles
- Primary Sources
- Religious Texts
- Social Media
- Videos & DVDs
- In-Text Citation
- Works Quoted in Another Source
- No Author, No Date etc.
- Works Cited List & Sample Paper
- Annotated Bibliography
- Powerpoint Presentations
On This Page: Magazines
Magazine article from a library database - one author, magazine article from a library database - two authors, magazine article from a library database - unknown author, magazine article from a website, magazine article in print - one author, magazine article in print - two authors, magazine article in print - unknown author, in-text citation for two or more authors/editors, citing three or more authors, abbreviating months.
In your works cited list, abbreviate months as follows:
January = Jan. February = Feb. March = Mar. April = Apr. May = May June = June July = July August = Aug. September = Sept. October = Oct. November = Nov. December = Dec.
Spell out months fully in the body of your paper.
How Can I Tell if it's a Magazine?
Photo courtesy of Flickr by Manoj Jacob. Available under a Creative Commons license.
Not sure whether your article is from a magazine? Look for these characteristics:
Popular magazines:
- Main purpose is to entertain, sell products or promote a viewpoint.
- Appeal to the general public.
- Often have many photos and illustrations, as well as many advertisements.
- Author may or may not have subject expertise.
- Name and credentials of authors often NOT provided.
- Articles tend to be short –less than 5 pages
- Unlikely to have a bibliography or references list
Trade magazines:
- Main purpose is to update and inform readers on current trends in a specific industry or trade.
- Audience is members of a specific industry or trade or professors and students in that trade or industry
- May have photos and numerous advertisements, but still assume that readers understand specific jargon of the profession.
- Usually published by an association.
- Authors are professionals working in the specific industry or trade.
Articles may also come from journals or newspapers.
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. Page Numbers. Name of Database.
Note: While MLA 9th edition recommends including URLs, Columbia College Library recommends that URLs be left out when citing a work found in a library database. This is because most URLs from library databases will stop working after the session ends. If your instructor requires a URL, look for the "Permalink" icon in the article description and place the URL generated after the name of the database.
Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. Page Numbers. Name of Database.
Note: Only the first author's name appears in "Last Name, First Name" format. The second author's name appears in "First Name Last Name" format.
"Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. Page Numbers. Name of Database.
Note: If the author is unknown, begin the citation with the title of the article.
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of publication, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited .
Note: If the magazine article has two authors, follow the same author format as shown in the sections on Magazine Article From a Library Database - Two Authors or Magazine Article in Print - Two Authors (i.e. Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name)
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. Page Numbers.
Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. Page Numbers.
"Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. Page Numbers.
If there are three or more authors, cite only the name of the first author listed with their Last Name, First Name followed by a comma et al.
Example: Smith, James, et al.
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Purdue Online Writing Lab College of Liberal Arts
MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications)
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MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook (9 th ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.
The MLA Handbook highlights principles over prescriptive practices. Essentially, a writer will need to take note of primary elements in every source, such as author, title, etc. and then assort them in a general format. Thus, by using this methodology, a writer will be able to cite any source regardless of whether it’s included in this list.
However, this guide will highlight a few concerns when citing digital sources in MLA style.
Best Practices for Managing Online Sources
Because online information can change or disappear, it is always a good idea to keep personal copies of important electronic information whenever possible. Downloading or even printing key documents ensures you have a stable backup. You can also use the Bookmark function in your web browser in order to build an easy-to-access reference for all of your project's sources (though this will not help you if the information is changed or deleted).
It is also wise to keep a record of when you first consult with each online source. MLA uses the phrase, “Accessed” to denote which date you accessed the web page when available or necessary. It is not required to do so, but it is encouraged (especially when there is no copyright date listed on a website).
Important Note on the Use of URLs in MLA
Include a URL or web address to help readers locate your sources. Because web addresses are not static (i.e., they change often) and because documents sometimes appear in multiple places on the web (e.g., on multiple databases), MLA encourages the use of citing containers such as Youtube, JSTOR, Spotify, or Netflix in order to easily access and verify sources. However, MLA only requires the www. address, so eliminate all https:// when citing URLs.
Many scholarly journal articles found in databases include a DOI (digital object identifier). If a DOI is available, cite the DOI number instead of the URL.
Online newspapers and magazines sometimes include a “permalink,” which is a shortened, stable version of a URL. Look for a “share” or “cite this” button to see if a source includes a permalink. If you can find a permalink, use that instead of a URL.
Abbreviations Commonly Used with Electronic Sources
If page numbers are not available, use par. or pars. to denote paragraph numbers. Use these in place of the p. or pp. abbreviation. Par. would be used for a single paragraph, while pars. would be used for a span of two or more paragraphs.
Basic Style for Citations of Electronic Sources (Including Online Databases)
Here are some common features you should try to find before citing electronic sources in MLA style. Not every web page will provide all of the following information. However, collect as much of the following information as possible:
- Author and/or editor names (if available); last names first.
- "Article name in quotation marks."
- Title of the website, project, or book in italics.
- Any version numbers available, including editions (ed.), revisions, posting dates, volumes (vol.), or issue numbers (no.).
- Publisher information, including the publisher name and publishing date.
- Take note of any page numbers (p. or pp.) or paragraph numbers (par. or pars.).
- DOI (if available, precede it with "https://doi.org/"), otherwise a URL (without the https://) or permalink.
- Date you accessed the material (Date Accessed). While not required, saving this information it is highly recommended, especially when dealing with pages that change frequently or do not have a visible copyright date.
Use the following format:
Author. "Title." Title of container (self contained if book) , Other contributors (translators or editors), Version (edition), Number (vol. and/or no.), Publisher, Publication Date, Location (pages, paragraphs and/or URL, DOI or permalink). 2 nd container’s title , Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location, Date of Access (if applicable).
Citing an Entire Web Site
When citing an entire website, follow the same format as listed above, but include a compiler name if no single author is available.
Author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number (if available), Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available), DOI (preferred), otherwise include a URL or permalink. Date of access (if applicable).
Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site . Version number, Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available), URL, DOI or permalink. Date of access (if applicable).
The Purdue OWL Family of Sites . The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl. Accessed 23 Apr. 2008.
Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory . Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003, www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/. Accessed 10 May 2006.
Course or Department Websites
Give the instructor name. Then list the title of the course (or the school catalog designation for the course) in italics. Give appropriate department and school names as well, following the course title.
Felluga, Dino. Survey of the Literature of England . Purdue U, Aug. 2006, web.ics.purdue.edu/~felluga/241/241/Home.html. Accessed 31 May 2007.
English Department . Purdue U, 20 Apr. 2009, www.cla.purdue.edu/english/. Accessed 31 May 2015.
A Page on a Web Site
For an individual page on a Web site, list the author or alias if known, followed by an indication of the specific page or article being referenced. Usually, the title of the page or article appears in a header at the top of the page. Follow this with the information covered above for entire Web sites. If the publisher is the same as the website name, only list it once.
Lundman, Susan. “How to Make Vegetarian Chili.” eHow , www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html. Accessed 6 July 2015.
“ Athlete's Foot - Topic Overview. ” WebMD , 25 Sept. 2014, www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/athletes-foot-topic-overview.
Citations for e-books closely resemble those for physical books. Simply indicate that the book in question is an e-book by putting the term "e-book" in the "version" slot of the MLA template (i.e., after the author, the title of the source, the title of the container, and the names of any other contributors).
Silva, Paul J. How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing. E-book, American Psychological Association, 2007.
If the e-book is formatted for a specific reader device or service, you can indicate this by treating this information the same way you would treat a physical book's edition number. Often, this will mean replacing "e-book" with "[App/Service] ed."
Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince , translated by W. K. Marriott, Kindle ed., Library of Alexandria, 2018.
Note: The MLA considers the term "e-book" to refer to publications formatted specifically for reading with an e-book reader device (e.g., a Kindle) or a corresponding web application. These e-books will not have URLs or DOIs. If you are citing book content from an ordinary webpage with a URL, use the "A Page on a Web Site" format above.
An Image (Including a Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph)
Provide the artist's name, the work of art italicized, the date of creation, the institution and city where the work is housed. Follow this initial entry with the name of the Website in italics, and the date of access.
Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV . 1800. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid. Museo Nacional del Prado , www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-family-of-carlos-iv/f47898fc-aa1c-48f6-a779-71759e417e74. Accessed 22 May 2006.
Klee, Paul. Twittering Machine . 1922. Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Artchive , www.artchive.com/artchive/K/klee/twittering_machine.jpg.html. Accessed May 2006.
If the work cited is available on the web only, then provide the name of the artist, the title of the work, and then follow the citation format for a website. If the work is posted via a username, use that username for the author.
Adams, Clifton R. “People Relax Beside a Swimming Pool at a Country Estate Near Phoenix, Arizona, 1928.” Found, National Geographic Creative, 2 June 2016, natgeofound.tumblr.com/.
An Article in a Web Magazine
Provide the author name, article name in quotation marks, title of the web magazine in italics, publisher name, publication date, URL, and the date of access.
Bernstein, Mark. “ 10 Tips on Writing the Living Web. ” A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites , 16 Aug. 2002, alistapart.com/article/writeliving. Accessed 4 May 2009.
An Article in an Online Scholarly Journal
For all online scholarly journals, provide the author(s) name(s), the name of the article in quotation marks, the title of the publication in italics, all volume and issue numbers, and the year of publication. Include a DOI if available, otherwise provide a URL or permalink to help readers locate the source.
Article in an Online-only Scholarly Journal
MLA requires a page range for articles that appear in Scholarly Journals. If the journal you are citing appears exclusively in an online format (i.e. there is no corresponding print publication) that does not make use of page numbers, indicate the URL or other location information.
Dolby, Nadine. “Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future Directions.” Social Work and Society: The International Online-Only Journal, vol. 6, no. 2, 2008, www.socwork.net/sws/article/view/60/362. Accessed 20 May 2009.
Article in an Online Scholarly Journal That Also Appears in Print
Cite articles in online scholarly journals that also appear in print as you would a scholarly journal in print, including the page range of the article . Provide the URL and the date of access.
Wheelis, Mark. “ Investigating Disease Outbreaks Under a Protocol to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. ” Emerging Infectious Diseases , vol. 6, no. 6, 2000, pp. 595-600, wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/6/6/00-0607_article. Accessed 8 Feb. 2009.
An Article from an Online Database (or Other Electronic Subscription Service)
Cite online databases (e.g. LexisNexis, ProQuest, JSTOR, ScienceDirect) and other subscription services as containers. Thus, provide the title of the database italicized before the DOI or URL. If a DOI is not provided, use the URL instead. Provide the date of access if you wish.
Alonso, Alvaro, and Julio A. Camargo. “ Toxicity of Nitrite to Three Species of Freshwater Invertebrates. ” Environmental Toxicology, vol. 21, no. 1, 3 Feb. 2006, pp. 90-94. Wiley Online Library , https://doi.org/10.1002/tox.20155. Accessed 26 May 2009.
Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical Journal, vol. 50, no. 1, 2007, pp. 173-96. ProQuest , https://doi.org/10.1017/S0018246X06005966. Accessed 27 May 2009.
E-mail (including E-mail Interviews)
Give the author of the message, followed by the subject line in quotation marks. State to whom the message was sent with the phrase, “Received by” and the recipient’s name. Include the date the message was sent. Use standard capitalization.
Kunka, Andrew. “ Re: Modernist Literature. ” Received by John Watts, 15 Nov. 2000.
Neyhart, David. “ Re: Online Tutoring. ” Received by Joe Barbato, 1 Dec. 2016.
A Listserv, Discussion Group, or Blog Posting
Cite web postings as you would a standard web entry. Provide the author of the work, the title of the posting in quotation marks, the web site name in italics, the publisher, and the posting date. Follow with the date of access. Include screen names as author names when author name is not known. If both names are known, place the author’s name in brackets.
Author or compiler name (if available). “Posting Title.” Name of Site , Version number (if available), Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), URL. Date of access.
Salmar1515 [Sal Hernandez]. “Re: Best Strategy: Fenced Pastures vs. Max Number of Rooms?” BoardGameGeek , 29 Sept. 2008, boardgamegeek.com/thread/343929/best-strategy-fenced-pastures-vs-max-number-rooms. Accessed 5 Apr. 2009.
Begin with the user's Twitter handle in place of the author’s name. Next, place the tweet in its entirety in quotations, inserting a period after the tweet within the quotations. Include the date and time of posting, using the reader's time zone; separate the date and time with a comma and end with a period. Include the date accessed if you deem necessary.
@tombrokaw. “ SC demonstrated why all the debates are the engines of this campaign. ” Twitter, 22 Jan. 2012, 3:06 a.m., twitter.com/tombrokaw/status/160996868971704320.
@PurdueWLab. “ Spring break is around the corner, and all our locations will be open next week. ” Twitter , 5 Mar. 2012, 12:58 p.m., twitter.com/PurdueWLab/status/176728308736737282.
A YouTube Video
Video and audio sources need to be documented using the same basic guidelines for citing print sources in MLA style. Include as much descriptive information as necessary to help readers understand the type and nature of the source you are citing. If the author’s name is the same as the uploader, only cite the author once. If the author is different from the uploader, cite the author’s name before the title.
McGonigal, Jane. “Gaming and Productivity.” YouTube , uploaded by Big Think, 3 July 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkdzy9bWW3E.
“8 Hot Dog Gadgets put to the Test.” YouTube, uploaded by Crazy Russian Hacker, 6 June 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBlpjSEtELs.
A Comment on a Website or Article
List the username as the author. Use the phrase, Comment on, before the title. Use quotation marks around the article title. Name the publisher, date, time (listed on near the comment), and the URL.
Not Omniscient Enough. Comment on “ Flight Attendant Tells Passenger to ‘Shut Up’ After Argument Over Pasta. ” ABC News, 9 Jun 2016, 4:00 p.m., abcnews.go.com/US/flight-attendant-tells-passenger-shut-argument-pasta/story?id=39704050.
Home / Guides / Citation Guides / MLA Format / How to Cite a Magazine Article in MLA
How to Cite a Magazine Article in MLA
Magazine: A publication that is issued periodically and contains items such as articles, essays, poems, or pictures.
Note that magazines are different from journals in that journals only contain scholarly articles that are peer-reviewed and relate to a specific academic field. If you are looking for the format for citing a journal article, this guide on citing a journal in MLA can help.
How to cite magazine articles published and found in print
Cite your source
How to cite magazine articles found on a website
Note: When citing sources reproduced online from their in-print version, it is not necessary to include online information such as the website publisher or the date of electronic publication.
Published October 31, 2011. Updated May 18, 2021.
MLA Formatting Guide
MLA Formatting
- Annotated Bibliography
- Bibliography
- Block Quotes
- et al Usage
- In-text Citations
- Paraphrasing
- Page Numbers
- Sample Paper
- Works Cited
- MLA 8 Updates
- MLA 9 Updates
- View MLA Guide
Citation Examples
- Book Chapter
- Journal Article
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- View all MLA Examples
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To create an in-text citation for a magazine found in print:
Place the author’s last name and the page number of the quote in parenthesis after the borrowed quote or information. Example: “Time spent with family or friends is more important now than ever” (Garcia 120).
To create an in-text citation for a magazine found on a website:
Place the author’s last name in parenthesis after the borrowed quote or information. No page number is needed. Example: “Every day I was excited to see my dad, the way you’re excited to be around a new friend” (Rothbart).
MLA is the style most often used in literature, language, history, art, and theater subjects.
No matter what citation style you’re using (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) the EasyBib Citation Generator can help you create the right bibliography quickly.
To cite a magazine with multiple authors and no page numbers in MLA style, you need to have basic information including the authors, publication date, title of the article, magazine name, and the URL. The templates for in-text citations and works cited list entries of a magazine article written by multiple authors along with examples are given below:
In-text citation template and example:
For citations in prose, use the first name and surname of the first author followed by “and others” or “and colleagues.” In subsequent citations, use only the surname of the first author followed by “and others” or “and colleagues.” In parenthetical citations, always use only the surname of the first author followed by “et al.”
Citation in prose:
First mention: Katherine Zoepf and colleagues . . . or Katherine Zoepf and others . . .
Subsequent occurrences: Zoepf and colleagues . . . or Zoepf and others . . .
Parenthetical:
. . . ( Zoepf et al.)
Works cited list entry template and example:
The title of the article is in plain text and title case; it is placed inside quotation marks. The title of the magazine is set in italics. Follow the format given in the template and example for setting the date, month, and year.
Surname, F., et al. “Title of the Article.” Magazine Name , Publication Date, URL.
Zoepf, Katherine, et al. “Shopgirls: The Art of Selling Lingerie.” The New Yorker , 15 Aug. 2019, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/12/23/shopgirls .
Use only the first author’s name in surname–first name order in the entry, followed by “et al.”
To cite an online journal or magazine article in MLA style, you need to have basic information including the author, publication date, title of the article, journal or magazine title, volume and issue numbers, and the URL. The templates and examples for in-text citations and works cited list entries for an online journal article (with one author) are given below:
For citations in prose, use the first name and surname of the author in the first occurrence. In subsequent citations, use only the surname. In parenthetical citations, always use only the surname of the author.
First mention: Roger Dawkins . . .
Subsequent occurrences: Dawkins . . .
. . . (Dawkins)
The title of the journal or magazine article is in plain text and title case; it is placed inside quotation marks. The title of the journal or magazine is set in italics.
Surname, F. “Title of the Article.” Journal or Magazine Title , vol. #, no. #, Publication Date, URL.
Dawkins, Roger. “How We Speak When We Say Things About Ourselves in Social Media: A Semiotic Analysis of Content Curation.” M/C Journal , vol. 18, no. 4, 2015, www.journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/999 .
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MLA Citation Guide (MLA 8th Edition): Magazine Articles
- Advertisements
- Books, eBooks & Pamphlets
- Business Reports from Library Databases
- Class Notes & Presentations
- Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
- Government Documents
- Images, Charts, Graphs, Maps & Tables
- Interviews and Emails (Personal Communications)
- Journal Articles
- Legal Resources
- Magazine Articles
- Newspaper Articles
- Religious Texts
- Social Media
- Videos & DVDs
- When Creating Digital Assignments
- When Information Is Missing
- Works Quoted in Another Source
- In-Text Citation
- Works Cited List & Sample Paper
- Annotated Bibliography
- Citation Software
On This Page
Magazine article from a library database - one author, magazine article from a library database - two authors, magazine article from a library database - unknown author, magazine article from a website, magazine article in print - one author.
- Magazine Article in Print - Two or More Authors
Magazine Article in Print - Unknown Author
In-text citation for two or more authors/editors.
- Citing Three or More Authors
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of Publication, pp. page numbers. Name of Database.
Note : While MLA 8th edition recommends including URLs, Seneca Libraries recommends that URLs be left out when citing a work found in a library database. Library databases require a login causing most URLs to stop working after the session ends.
Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name, and Third Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of Publication, pp. Page numbers. Name of Database.
Note : Only the first author listed appears in "Last Name, First Name" format. Authors' names are separated by a comma. Before the last author to be listed, add the word "and."
"Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of Publication, pp. Page numbers. Name of Database.
Note: If the author is unknown, begin the citation with the title of the article.
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of publication, URL. Accessed access date.
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of Publication, pp. Page numbers.
Magazine Article in Print - Two Authors
Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of Publication, pp. Page numbers.
"Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of Publication, pp. Page numbers.
How to Cite When You Have Three or More Authors
If you have three or more authors cite only the name of the first author listed with their Last Name, First Name Middle Name followed by a comma et al.
Example: Smith, James, et al.
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Citation guides
All you need to know about citations
How to cite an online magazine article in MLA
To cite an online magazine article in a reference entry in MLA style 9th edition include the following elements:
- Author(s) name: Give the last name and name as presented in the source (e. g. Watson, John). For two authors, reverse only the first name, followed by ‘and’ and the second name in normal order (e. g. Watson, John, and John Watson). For three or more authors, list the first name followed by et al. (e. g. Watson, John, et al.)
- Title of the article: Titles are italicized when independent. If part of a larger source add quotation marks and do not italize.
- Title of the magazine: Container titles are italicized and followed by a comma.
- Date of publication: Give the day, month and year of publication. All months, excluding June and July, are abbreviated as three letters (e.g. 9 Aug. 2019.)
- URL: Copy URL in full from your browser, include http:// or https:// and do not list URLs created by shortening services.
Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of an online magazine article in MLA style 9th edition:
Author(s) name . " Title of the article ." Title of the magazine , Date of publication , URL .
Take a look at our works cited examples that demonstrate the MLA style guidelines in action:
An article from the digital version of a science magazine
Glausiusz, Josie . " Better planet: Can a maligned pesticide save lives ?" Discover Magazine , 20 Nov. 2007 , www.discovermagazine.com/2007/nov/can-a-maligned-pesticide-save-lives .
An article from the digital version of a technology magazine
Pollack, Martha E . " Intelligent technology for an aging population: The use of AI to assist elders with cognitive impairment ." AI Magazine , 15 June 2005 , www.aaai.org/ojs/index.php/aimagazine/article/view/1810 .
This citation style guide is based on the MLA Handbook (9 th edition).
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MLA Magazine Citation
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How to cite a magazine in a bibliography using MLA
The most basic entry for a magazine consists of the author’s name(s), article title, magazine’s name, publication date, and page number(s). When available, also include the magazine’s publication season, a volume number, or issue number. Remember, don’t capitalize seasons in the date field when using MLA (winter 2020 not Winter 2020).
Last Name, First Name. “Article Title.” Magazine Name , Publication Date, pp. #-#.
Smith, John. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” Time , 21 Jan. 2009, pp. 21-23.
For magazines with seasons and volume or issue numbers, format the entries with the volume number, issue number, and publication details after the magazine name:
Last Name, First Name. “Article Title.” Magazine Name , vol. #, no. #, season Year, pp. #-#.
Smith, John. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” Time , vol. 1, no. 4, winter 2009, pp. 21-23.
The first author’s name should be reversed, with a comma placed after the last name and a period after the first name (or any middle name). The name should not be abbreviated and should be written exactly as it appears on the title page. Titles and affiliations associated with the author should generally be omitted. A suffix, such as a roman numeral or Jr./Sr. should appear after the author’s given name, preceded by a comma.
For a magazine article written by two authors, list them in the order they appear on the article title page. Reverse only the first author’s name and write the other names in normal order. Separate author names with a comma and place the word “and” before the last author’s name.
Smith, John, and Jane Doe. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” Time , 21 Jan. 2009, pp. 21-23.
For books with three or more authors, only include the first author, followed by a comma and the abbreviation “et al.”
Smith, John, et al. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” Time , 21 Jan. 2009, pp. 21-23.
Place the full article title in double quotation marks and use headline-style capitalization. Unless there is internal punctuation included in the article title, place a period after the title within the quotations. Next, state the name of the magazine in italics. Separate any additional fields such as date or page(s) with commas. End the citation entry with a period.
The date of the magazine article should be written in the international format (e.g., day-month-year). Except for May, June, and July, abbreviate month names (using the first four letters for September and the first three letters for all other months), followed by a period. Magazine publication dates vary and may be a complete date, a period spanning two months, a season, or just a month and year. Give whatever date information is available.
Smith, John. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” Time , Jan.-Feb. 2009, pp. 21-23.
Smith, John. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” Time , winter 2009, pp. 21-23.
Smith, John. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” Time , Jan. 2009, pp. 21-23.
Include the page numbers on which the article appears, followed by a period. Cite all inclusive page numbers—if the article spans pages that are not consecutive, cite only the first page, followed by a plus sign.
Smith, John. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” Time , 21 Jan. 2009, pp. 21+.
If no page numbers are available, omit the page number(s) field.
Smith, John. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” Time , 21 Jan. 2009.
Next, if necessary, cite the location details for the source container of the magazine article (e.g., database name and URL, website name and DOI, etc.). Italicize the container name if it is a database or website title containing the smaller work, the magazine article. If the article was published online, you may choose to include the web address of the page, but MLA prefers you include that online location, in order of preference, by using the DOI, permalink, or URL. MLA recommends using the DOI when it’s available because they are more reliable locators than URLs. DOIs are also more concise. When wondering whether to include a URL in your works-cited list or bibliography, follow the guidelines of your instructor, school, or publisher.
According to MLA’s 9th edition updated in 2021, you may usually leave out http:// or https:// from URLs unless you want to hyperlink them or unless instructed otherwise. When in doubt, ask your instructor. If a DOI is available, use that instead of the URL. For DOIs, use http:// or https:// before the DOI: https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxx.xxxx.xxxx. Use a period after the DOI.
Smith, John. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” Time , 21 Jan. 2009, time.com/01-21-2009/obama-inaugurated-as-president.html.
Smith, John. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” Time , 21 Jan. 2009, https://doi.org/12.3456/012.2009.1112.
Smith, John. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” Time , 21 Jan. 2009, LexisNexis , www.lexisnexisdatabase.com/time/archives/obama-inaugurated-as-president.
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As per the MLA handbook, while citing any source without page numbers, that part pertaining to the page numbers is omitted both in-text and at the works-cited-entry level. Many online magazines do not use page numbers.
Last Name, First Name. “Title of the article.” Name of the magazine , Publication Date, URL.
Brune, Evan. “Arms of Independence: Guns of the American Revolution.” American Rifleman, 2 July 2021, www.americanrifleman.org/content/arms-of-independence-the-guns-of-the-american-revolution/.
There are no major differences between the works-cited entry of a print magazine and an online magazine in MLA style. A print magazine is represented more like a print journal article. This means page numbers are included. An online magazine includes the URL in place of a page number.
Below are examples of a print magazine and online magazine in MLA style.
Author’s Surname, First Name. “Title of the Magazine Article.” Name of the Magazine , Date, pp. #–#.
Author’s Surname, First Name. “Title of the Magazine Article.” Name of the Magazine , Date, URL.
Boesler, Matthew. “Rising Beef, Pork, and Egg Costs Make Food Inflation Hard to Escape.” Bloomberg Businessweek , 18 Feb. 2022, p. 12.
Garber, M. “Comedy, or TED Talk?” The Atlantic , 26 Jan. 2016, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/01/the-triumph-of-soap-box-comedy/427104/ .
- The magazine name is given in italics.
- Abbreviate the month in the date field (except May, June, and July).
- If URL is given, include it after the magazine name.
- Do not add “https:” before the URL.
MLA Quick Citation Guide
- In-Text Citations
Formatting Notes
- Articles from Databases
Online (only) Journals, Magazines & Newspapers
- Citing E-books & Online Books
- Online (Streaming) Film, Video, & Audio
- Citing Other Online Resources
- Citing Print Resources
- Citing Art, Films, Television, & Music
Unless directed otherwise by your instructor, when using MLA 8 Style for your paper, follow these steps for formatting your citations:
- Start your works cited list on a separate page at the end of your paper
- Double space all of your citations, but don't add extra spaces between citations. Spacing should be consistent for the whole list.
- Use a hanging indent for each citation by indenting the second line and any following lines of a citation.
The Purdue Owl site has a helpful page with more detailed information about formatting:
- MLA Works Cited Page: General Format
Due to some limitations on this guide's design, many of the examples do not use double spaces and hanging indents (they don't work well with responsive design). Any color-coded images of citations, however, do show citations with standard MLA style spacing and indents.
Articles From Databases
Journal article from a database.
- Author's name format: Last name, First name.
Mabbott, Cass. “The We Need Diverse Books Campaign and Critical Race Theory: Charlemae Rollins and the Call for Diverse Children's Books.” Library Trends , vol. 65, no. 4, 2017, pp. 508–522. Project Muse, doi:10.1353/lib.2017.0015. Accessed 12 June 2018.
Newspaper Article
- Author. "Title of Article." Publication Title, Date, edition [if available], volume [if available], issue [if available], page numbers [if available]. Title of Database . URL. Date of access [optional, but recommended].
Shapiro, Nina. "Immigrants Use Washington State to Sneak into Canada for Asylum." The Vancouver Sun , Jun 10, 2017. ProQuest , search.proquest.com/docview/1908014469?accountid=14902. Accessed 18 June 2018.
Zimmer, Carl. “New Study Links Kennewick Man to Native Americans.” The New York Times , 19 June 2015, Late ed., p. A14. Nexis Uni . advance.lexis.com/api/permalink/726480d3-412a-469b-aed0-4e826eac6f71/?context=1516831. Accessed 29 Nov. 2017.
Magazine Article
- Author. "Title of Article." Title of the Online Magazine , publication date, page numbers [if available]. Title of Database , URL, Date of access [optional, but recommended].
Lester, A. (2018, Mar 01). "In Her Prime." Vogue , 1 Mar., 2018, pp. 208, 378-378, 379, 436, 437. ProQuest. search.proquest.com/docview/2023597417?accountid=14902. Accessed 5 Apr. 2018.
Some online articles you read you may have found in the open web rather than through a database. The citation format for these is basically the same as that for online articles from databases, but you don't need to include the database name. It can also be harder to find a DOI or permalink, so you may end up using longer URLs.
Online (only) Journal
- Author. "Title of Article." Title of Journa l, volume number, issue number, date of publication. URL [or DOI or permalink, if available]. Date of access.
Dąbrowska, Katarzyna Mikulska. "'Secret Language' in Oral and Graphic Form: Religious-Magic Discourse in Aztec Speeches and Manuscripts." Oral Tradition , vol. 25, no 2, 2010. doaj.org/article/01c16abc33e84e41ad3264a0400df166. Accessed 14 Feb. 2017.
Online Magazine / Newspaper
- Author. "Title of Article." Title of the Online Magazine , publisher name [if available], publication date, URL [or DOI or permalink, if available]. Date of access.
Goldstein, Jessica M. "Hi, It's Us, All the Fourteen-Year-Old Girls in America." McSweeney's Internet Tendency , 5 Dec. 2017, www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/hi-its-us-all-the-fourteen-year-old-girls-in-america. Accessed 12 Feb. 2018.
Twenge, Jean M. "Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?" The Atlantic , Sept. 2017, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/. Accessed 2 July 2018.
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- URL: https://libguides.libraries.wsu.edu/QuickCiteMLA
MLA Citation Guide (MLA 9th Edition): Magazine Articles
- Getting Started
- Books, eBooks & Pamphlets
- Business Reports from Library Databases
- Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
- Government Documents
- Images, Charts, Graphs, Maps & Tables
- Interviews and Emails (Personal Communications)
- Journal Articles
- Magazine Articles
- Newspaper Articles
- Religious Texts
- Social Media
- Videos & DVDs
- When Information Is Missing
- Works Quoted in Another Source
- In-Text Citation
- Works Cited List & Sample Paper
- Annotated Bibliography
- Citation Software
How Can I Tell if it's a Magazine?
Photo courtesy of Flickr by Manoj Jacob. Available under a Creative Commons license.
Not sure whether your article is from a magazine? Look for these characteristics:
Popular magazines:
- Main purpose is to entertain, sell products or promote a viewpoint.
- Appeal to the general public.
- Often have many photos and illustrations, as well as many advertisements.
- Author may or may not have subject expertise.
- Name and credentials of authors often NOT provided.
- Articles tend to be short –less than 5 pages
- Unlikely to have a bibliography or references list
Trade magazines:
- Main purpose is to update and inform readers on current trends in a specific industry or trade.
- Audience is members of a specific industry or trade or professors and students in that trade or industry
- May have photos and numerous advertisements, but still assume that readers understand specific jargon of the profession.
- Usually published by an association.
- Authors are professionals working in the specific industry or trade.
Articles may also come from journals or newspapers.
Note : For your Works Cited list, all citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent.
A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.
Access Date
For all content found on the Web, you must list the date you first viewed the resource. This comes last in a citation. The exception to this rule is that you do not list access dates for content found in library databases.
Authors/Editors
An author can be a person but can also be an organization, or company. These are called group or corporate authors.
Database Names
The name of the database will usually appear at the top of the search screen. Note that ProQuest and EBSCOhost are NOT database names, they are database providers. The name of the database will appear separately.
If you have used the function to search multiple databases at once and therefore do not know the individual database name, enter the name of the database provider (e.g. ProQuest) as the database.
The format of all dates is: Date Month (shortened) Year. E.g. 5 Sept. 2012.
Page Numbers
If no page number is listed, write n. pag. in the Works Cited list.
If the entire article is only one page, do not include a page number in the in-text citation.
If the article appears on non-consecutive pages (e.g., the article starts on page 5 then continues on page 12), write the first page number and a plus (+) sign. E.g., 5+
Capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title. You do not need to capitalize words such as: in, of, or an.
If there is a colon (:) in the title, include what comes after the colon (also known as the subtitle).
Magazine Article From a Library Database - One Author
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of Publication, pp. page numbers. Name of Database.
Magazine Article From a Library Database - Two Authors
Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name, and Third Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of Publication, pp. Page numbers. Name of Database.
Note : Only the first author listed appears in "Last Name, First Name" format. Authors' names are separated by a comma. Before the last author to be listed, add the word "and."
Magazine Article From a Library Database - Unknown Author
"Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of Publication, pp. Page numbers. Name of Database.
Note: If the author is unknown, begin the citation with the title of the article.
Magazine Article From a Website
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of publication, URL. Accessed access date.
Magazine Article in Print - One Author
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of Publication, pp. Page numbers.
Magazine Article in Print - Two Authors
Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of Publication, pp. Page numbers.
Magazine Article in Print - Unknown Author
"Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of Publication, pp. Page numbers.
In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors
How to cite when you have three or more authors.
If you have three or more authors cite only the name of the first author listed with their Last Name, First Name Middle Name followed by a comma et al.
Example: Smith, James, et al.
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- Last Updated: Dec 7, 2022 10:58 AM
- URL: https://libguides.orangecoastcollege.edu/mla
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Last Name, First Name. “Article Title.” Magazine Name, Publication Date, pp. #-#. Smith, John. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” Time, 21
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