MLA Citation Maker

Creating accurate MLA citations is a crucial part of academic writing. Whether you are crafting a research paper, essay, or thesis, proper citation demonstrates academic integrity and helps you avoid plagiarism. 

While manually formatting MLA citations can be tedious and prone to error, tools like the MLA Citation Maker offer a seamless, user-friendly way to generate accurate citations.

This guide will explore what the MLA Citation Maker is, how to use it, tips for outlining citations, and examples to refine your citation skills.

MLA Citation Maker

What is the MLA Citation Maker?

The MLA Citation Maker is an online tool designed to help users create accurate Modern Language Association (MLA) citations quickly and effortlessly. Whether you’re citing books, journal articles, websites, or other sources, this tool simplifies the process, ensuring that you follow MLA guidelines. The tool generates both in-text citations and full references for your Works Cited page, making it an invaluable resource for students, researchers, and writers.

How to Use the MLA Citation Maker

Using the MLA Citation Maker is simple and intuitive. The steps below outline how you can create citations for various sources:

  1. Access the Tool: Visit the MLA Citation Maker tool, provided by Study Corp.
  2. Select the Citation Style: Choose MLA citation from the list of citation styles.
  3. Enter Source Information: Input the required details, including the author’s name, title of the source, publication date, publisher and URL. 
  4. Generate Citation: After entering the necessary information, click the ‘Generate Citation’ button. The tool will automatically format the details according to MLA style.
  5. Copy Citation: Once the citation is generated, you can copy it and paste it into your bibliography or Works Cited page.

Outlining Tips and Examples

To ensure your MLA citations are well-structured, here are some tips and examples of how to outline them properly. The table below compares MLA citations for various source types.

Source TypeKey ElementsExample Citation
BookAuthor(s), Title (italicized), Publisher, Year of PublicationSmith, John. History of the World. Penguin Books, 2019.
Journal ArticleAuthor(s), Title (in quotes), Journal Name (italicized), Volume, Issue, Year, PagesJohnson, Emma. “Climate Change and Ecosystems.” Environmental Studies, vol. 32, no. 4, 2022, pp. 145-167.
WebsiteAuthor(s), Title (in quotes), Website Name (italicized), Date Published, URLBrown, Mark. “The Future of Technology.” Tech Innovations, 10 Aug. 2023, www.techinnovations.com/future.

Bad & Better Examples Starters

Creating citations can sometimes be tricky. Here are examples of poorly formatted citations and their improved versions.

Bad Example:
John Smith. “History of America.” New York Times. 2009. www.nytimes.com/historyamerica

Better Example:
Smith, John. “History of America.” New York Times, 2009, www.nytimes.com/historyamerica.

Bad Example:
Emma Johnson. Environmental Studies. “Global Warming.” vol 32, 4, 2020, p. 45-66.

Better Example:
Johnson, Emma. “Global Warming.” Environmental Studies, vol. 32, no. 4, 2020, pp. 45-66.

Conclusion

The MLA Citation Maker simplifies the complex task of citation creation by ensuring that you follow the latest MLA guidelines. Whether you’re citing a book, journal, or website, this tool saves time and effort, while improving the accuracy of your citations. Mastering MLA citation rules not only enhances the professionalism of your work but also helps maintain academic integrity. As you continue your academic journey, remember that accurate citation is key to showcasing credible research.

FAQ

1. Can I use MLA Citation Maker for free? Yes, most MLA Citation Makers are free to use and accessible online.

2. Is the citation generated guaranteed to be accurate? The MLA Citation Maker follows the latest MLA guidelines, but it’s always best to double-check the citation before submitting.

3. Can I create in-text citations using the MLA Citation Maker? Yes, the tool generates both in-text and full Works Cited citations.

4. Can I use the MLA Citation Maker for other citation styles? This particular tool focuses on MLA style, but there are other citation makers available for APA, Chicago, and other styles.

References

  1. Modern Language Association. MLA Handbook. 9th ed., MLA, 2021.
  2. Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL). “MLA Formatting and Style Guide.” Purdue University, 2023, https://owl.purdue.edu.
  3. Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. 3rd ed., MLA, 2008.
  4. The Study Corp. “MLA Citation Maker.” The Study Corp, 2024, https://tools.thestudycorp.com/citation-maker-mla.