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OED here means the Oxford English Dictionary, the historical dictionary of English, not the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Office of Enrollment and Discipline. The short answer: in MLA 9 an OED entry goes in the works-cited list with the entry word first and the dictionary title second; in Chicago 18 it is normally cited in a footnote only and left out of the bibliography; in APA 7 you follow APA’s published pattern for an online dictionary entry. The patterns, examples and placement rules are below, taken from the APA Style handout and named university library guides, all listed under Sources.
The format
An OED entry usually has no named author, so the entry word leads in MLA and the dictionary name leads in Chicago. The elements, by style:
- MLA 9 (works-cited entry, no author): “Title of Entry.” Title of Dictionary, Publisher, Date of Publication or last update, DOI or URL. If the entry has a DOI, put it last, starting https://doi.org/. MLA 9 recommends a DOI, stable link or URL (Columbia College library guide; Douglas College library guide).
- Chicago 18 (note): Name of Dictionary, “entry word,” date as displayed, DOI or URL. Add the edition if the dictionary gives one (University of Iowa Libraries guide).
- APA 7 (reference-list entry): APA’s own online dictionary pattern is Author. (Year). Entry word. In Dictionary title. URL. APA’s published example is its own dictionary of psychology, which names a group author (APA Style, Common Reference Examples, section 10.3).
Examples
Examples 1 and 2 are the entries shown in the library guides named in each heading; example 3 applies APA’s pattern to an invented dictionary and entry, so it is not a real source.
MLA 9, works-cited entry
Shown in the Douglas College guide for the online OED, no author (the access date closes the entry because the guide includes one):
“Zeitgeist.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, 2018, www.oed.com/view/Entry/232756?redirectedFrom=zeitgeist#eid. Accessed 16 Oct. 2021.
That guide’s URL form is the older oed.com/view/Entry address. If the entry you are citing shows a DOI, MLA 9 guidance is to end the entry with it as an https://doi.org/ link rather than a plain address.
Chicago 18, footnote
Shown in the University of Iowa Libraries guide for an OED entry reached through a library database:
1. Oxford English Dictionary, “wotcher (int.),” March 2026, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/5242743550.
The date is the month and year displayed for the entry. The same guide’s shortened-note pattern for an online dictionary (Merriam-Webster, “perseverance.”) is the dictionary name plus the entry word, so a later note for this entry reads: Oxford English Dictionary, “wotcher.”
APA 7, reference-list entry (pattern applied to an invented source)
Example Dictionary Press. (2020). Sample entry. In Example dictionary of terms. https://example.org/sample-entry
In-text citation version
- MLA: with no author, cite the shortened entry title in quotation marks: (“Zeitgeist”). If a page number cannot be determined, leave it out (Douglas College and Columbia College guides).
- Chicago: the footnote is the citation. Number it at the point of use; later references use the shortened form above.
- APA: the general APA rule applies: parenthetical (Author, year), narrative Author (year), and a page or paragraph locator when you quote directly. Use the author element that your reference-list entry begins with.
For how the same author-date logic works for web material, see how to cite a website in APA.
Where the OED goes in a manuscript or thesis
- Chicago notes-bibliography: well-known dictionaries and encyclopedias are normally cited only in the notes and are not given a bibliography entry; less common reference works do get one (Iowa Libraries and Red Deer Polytechnic guides; the Red Deer guide points to CMOS 14.130 for less common reference works). See where a Chicago footnote number goes after a quote and how Turabian handles the works-cited list.
- MLA: the entry belongs in the works-cited list because the in-text citation points to it.
- APA: the entry belongs in the reference list. For the difference between the two lists, read is APA works cited or references.
Common errors
- Putting the OED in a Chicago bibliography. Notes-bibliography guides treat well-known dictionaries as note-only.
- Inventing an author. An MLA entry with no author starts with the entry title, not the dictionary name or the publisher.
- Dropping the DOI or stable link. MLA 9 recommends one, and a DOI goes last when there is one.
- Adding a page number that does not exist. For an online entry without page numbers, MLA in-text citations omit it.
- Confusing the OED with other abbreviations. Search results for “OED” also return the USPTO office of that name, which has nothing to do with citing a dictionary.
Style-guide edition
As of October 2026 the current editions are APA 7th (2020), MLA 9th (2021) and Chicago 18th (2024). The Iowa Libraries Chicago guide points to the 18th edition. OED Online’s “Cite” link at the top of an entry exports a citation to citation tools in MLA or Chicago format (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library). Compare any export with the patterns above and your style edition before pasting it into a manuscript.
Citing other kinds of sources? See how to cite a book by two authors and AMA citation style.
FAQ
Do I put the OED in my Chicago bibliography?
Normally no. Chicago 18 treats well-known dictionaries as cited in the notes only; less common reference works get a full bibliography entry.
Can I export an OED citation instead of typing it?
Yes, in MLA or Chicago format, using the “Cite” link at the top of an OED Online entry. Check the result against your style edition.
Does an MLA entry for the OED need an access date?
Include one when the online work lacks a publication date or is likely to be revised or deleted (MLA Handbook, 9th ed., p. 211, as cited in the Douglas College guide).
Which edition of each style does this page use?
APA 7th, MLA 9th and Chicago 18th, the current editions as of October 2026.
Sources
- APA Style, Common Reference Examples (official PDF, section 10.3 Online Dictionary Entry), https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-examples.pdf, checked 2026-10-29.
- University of Iowa Libraries, Citation Help, Chicago: Dictionaries and Encyclopedias, https://guides.lib.uiowa.edu/citationhelp/chicago/reference, checked 2026-10-29.
- Red Deer Polytechnic Library, Chicago 18th edition, Encyclopedias and Dictionaries (page updated Aug 25, 2026), https://guides.rdpolytech.ca/chicago18/citation/referencework, checked 2026-10-29.
- Columbia College (BC) Library, MLA 9th edition, Encyclopedias and Dictionaries (updated May 14, 2026), https://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/MLA9/encyclopedias, checked 2026-10-29.
- Douglas College Library, MLA 9th edition, Encyclopedias and Dictionaries (updated Oct 28, 2026), https://guides.douglascollege.ca/MLA-9/Encyclopedias, checked 2026-10-29.
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library, Guide to the OED (updated Dec 2, 2024), https://guides.library.illinois.edu/oxfordenglishdictonary, checked 2026-10-29.
