Citing online sources has become crucial for academic writing, offering up-to-date information across many disciplines. However, MLA website citation can get quite confusing, especially if there’s no author or publication date. So, what’s the correct MLA format for website MLA citation, and is there a way to
make the process easier? In this practical guide, I’ll walk you through the MLA format for websites, introduce tools like EasyBib and WPS Office to simplify your formatting and polish your papers with ease.
What Are MLA Website Citations and When to Use Them
When I’m working on a research paper or academic assignment, MLA cite websites have become almost essential, especially with how much information there is to find online. MLA provides a structured format for citing digital sources, but figuring out how to format a mla website citation can be overwhelming. I’ll walk you through the core elements of an MLA website citation and explain how I handle tricky cases, so you can cite websites easily on your paper.
Author:
When citing a website in MLA format, the author's last name should always come first, followed by their first name separated by a comma.. This applies only when an individual author is clearly credited for the content on the webpage. However, If the page was written by a large organization or company, the institution name should be listed as the author.
Including the author helps give proper credit and lets my readers know that the sources I have cited are trustworthy. However, if no author is provided, you should skip this step and begin the citation with the title of the webpage instead.
Example (with organization as author): World Health Organization. “Mental Health: Strengthening Our Response.” WHO, 9 June 2023,www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response.
Web Page Title:
The web page title should always come right after the author’s name (if available) and should be in quotation marks. The title should be formatted in title case, only the first word and proper nouns being capitalized.
The page title helps my readers identify the exact content I’m referencing within a larger website. Make sure to type it exactly as it appears on the site, including punctuation or subtitles.
Example: Smith, Rachel. “How Climate Change Affects Coastal Cities.” National Geography News, National Geography Society, 14 Mar. 2024, www.natgeonews.org/climate-coastal.
Name of Website:
After the web page title in quotation marks, MLA format requires the name of the website that’s being cited in italics.
This helps readers distinguish between the specific page I referenced and the main site it is part of. I always double-check that the website name is spelled exactly as shown on the homepage.
Example: Lee, Jordan. “The Science Behind Mental Focus.” Healthline, 23 Jan. 2025, www.healthline.com/science/mental-focus.
Publisher:
In MLA format, if there is a publisher other than the website, their name is supposed to come after the website name and before the publication date. The full name of the company that publishes or maintains the website should be listed, without italics. However, if the publisher is the same as the website title, there’s no need to repeat it.
Including the publisher gives my citations credibility by showing who’s behind the content I’m referencing. I always follow the proper sequence to keep my citation clean and consistent.
Example: Lee, Daniel. “How Volcanoes Work.” Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Institution, 12 Jan. 2025, www.smithsonianmag.com/volcano-science.
Publication Date:
In MLA website citations, the publication date should be written in day month year format (e.g., 5 June 2025) and placed right after the publisher’s name. If no publication date is available, you should just mention “n.d.” which stands for “no date” to show that the source didn’t provide one.
Including the publication date helps my readers understand how current or outdated the information is, which is especially important when citing online content that changes frequently.
Example: Smith, Jane. "The Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Cities." National Geographic, 12 May 2023, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/climate-change-coastal-cities.
URL:
In MLA website citations, the URL appears at the end of the citation without including “https://” or “http://”. Just start from the “www.” or the domain name (like nytimes.com).
The URL directs my readers to the exact web page I have cited in my work, so they can easily verify my information or explore the source further.
Example: Davis, Mark. “Virtual Reality in Healthcare.” HealthTech Today, MedTech Media, 8 Jan. 2025, www.healthtechtoday.com/vr-in-healthcare.
Examples
MLA Example With Author: Lee, Harper. "Why Reading Fiction Matters in the Digital Age." Literary Today, 15 Mar. 2023, www.literarytoday.com/reading-fiction-digital-age.
In-text citation: (Lee)
MLA Example Without Author: "How to Grow Tomatoes in Small Spaces." Gardening Today, 14 May 2023, www.gardeningtoday.com/tomatoes-small-spaces.
In-text citation: ("History of the Electric Guitar")
How to Generate Website Citations Using Tools
Creating MLA-style references manually can get quite tiring, especially if you’re dealing with websites with no authors or publication dates. Citation generators like Scribbr and MyBib streamline the formatting process by automatically generating accurate website citations within seconds. These tools ensure that my Works Cited entries maintain proper formatting, regardless of what I’m citing. I’ll be breaking down how to use these tools effectively so you can focus on your research, instead of tedious
formatting.
1. Scribbr MLA Website Citation Tool
Keeping track of every minor detail of your citations, from author names to publication dates, can get quite frustrating. Scribbr's Citation Generator takes the hassle out of the process, providing quick, accurate MLA citations for any website with just a few clicks. I’ll walk you through the steps you need to format your own citations easily.
Step 1: Visit Scribbr’s Citation Generator and set the Citation Style to “MLA 9th edition”
Step 2: Type out your link or paste it by pressing “Ctrl” + “V”, then press the “Cite” button.
Step 3: Your citation will now appear in the correct MLA format. Simply click "Copy to Clipboard" to copy the citation and paste it directly into your Works Cited page.
2. MyBib MLA Website Generator
MyBib’s Citation Generator makes sure my citations get formatted quickly and in the correct style, without any added stress. In this step-by-step guide, I’ll show you how to generate a properly formatted MLA citation for any website using MyBib, so you never have to deal with the hassle of manual formatting again.
Step 1: Go to MyBib’s Citation Generator and make sure the style is set to ‘MLA 9”, then click on “New Citation” to begin generating your citation.
Step 2: Type out your link or paste it in from your clipboard, then press “Search”, out of the search results pick the website you’re trying to cite.
Step 3: Review the auto-filled citation details and add or edit any missing information, such as edition or volume if there are any and press “Save”.
Step 5: Once everything looks good, select your citation and click the “Copy selected bibliographical entries” button. Your completed MLA citation will be copied to your clipboard, ready to paste into your paper.
3. EasyBib Website Citation Generator
Whenever I’m citing an article, a blog post, or an organizational webpage, EasyBib’s Citation Generator ensures my references are flawless and ready for my Works Cited page. With this easy to follow guide, I’ll guide you step by step on how you can generate your website citations using EasyBib.
Step 1: Go to EasyBib’s Citation Generator. In the search bar, type the URL to your website and press “Search”.
Step 2: Browse the results and select the version you’re using, then click “Cite”.
Step 3: You’ll now see basic citation details of the website such as Article title, URL, and Website title. Review them thoroughly to make sure they’re correct and press “Continue”.
Step 4: Fill in any missing information such as publishing date, publisher if applicable, then click “Complete Citation”.
Step 5: Make sure that MLA9 is selected as your citation format, then click “Copy Citation” to copy the citation to your clipboard.
All of these tools have been extremely reliable whenever I'm working on MLA-style papers. They equip me with everything I need to properly format my Works Cited page and ensure that my paper remains clear, well-structured, and polished. Their intuitive interfaces make the entire process smooth, allowing me to generate accurate citations in just a few simple and easy steps.
Format Website Citations in WPS Office
When I’m citing websites in my MLA paper, I know the importance of authenticity of every little detail. Referencing a website in your paper might seem easy, but once you start dealing with multiple websites with no publishers or publishing dates, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed and feel lost. I use reliable and efficient tools like WPS Office to save my time and eliminate any formatting errors I may have overlooked. WPS Office helps me format everything professionally and ensures that every citation is accurate and properly formatted according to MLA rules.
Advantages
Completely free to use and provides seamless compatibility with Microsoft Office Formats
Built-in MLA citation templates and formatting styles for seamless writing
Reliable paragraph tools for setting hanging indents and proper spacing
Offers smart assistance with its AI-based features for enhanced productivity
Lightweight build ensure fluid performance even on low-end devices
Step-by-Step Guide
WPS Office simplifies the citation process of my writing and makes it more efficient. Whether I’m working on an essay, or a research-based paper, the built-in tools and MLA templates provided by WPS Office ensure my paper stays accurate and polished without the need of any manual formatting. I’ll walk you through the steps you need to take to add website citations into any MLA paper.
Step 1: The first thing you need to do is open the citation generator you used to generate your references. I'll be using MyBib for this step.
Step 2: Select all the references by clicking the check-box, then press the “Copy selected bibliographical entries” button.
Step 3: In the Works Cited Page of your paper and press “Ctrl” + “V” to paste the entries into your paper. After pasting it into your paper, you can adjust the format of the citations including font, the font size, format and serial number easily using WPS Word.
Sourcing website citations in MLA format using WPS Office and a trusted citation generator like MyBib saves me a lot of time and ensures accuracy throughout my papers. With just a few simple and easy steps, I can copy my citations and add them directly into my Works Cited page. It’s an easy, and reliable way to keep my writing polished, professional, and properly formatted every single time.
FAQs
Q1: What should I do when a website doesn't list a publication date?
Simply write "n.d." (no date) where the publication date would normally appear in your citation.
Q2: What's the proper way to cite Instagram or Twitter posts in MLA?
For social media citations, include: @username, the full post text (or description), platform name, date posted, and URL.
Q3: How do I cite a webpage with multiple authors?
List up to two authors (Last, First and First Last). If the number of authors exceeds three, use the name of the first author followed by "et al."
Q4: Should I include the full URL or shorten it?
Use the complete URL but remove "https://" - start with www. You should only shorten links if they're excessively long.
