MLA Citation for a Web Site: Format, Examples and In-Text Version (MLA 9)

To cite a website in MLA, list the author, the page title in quotation marks, the website title in italics, the date and the URL. Cite the specific page you used, not the site in general. This guide follows the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (2021), the current edition as of October 2026, and shows both the Works Cited entry and the in-text version, with notes for manuscripts and theses.

The format: MLA citation for a web page

A web page entry is built from the same elements in the same order. Each element is followed by the punctuation shown.

1. Author. Last name, first name, followed by a period. A corporate author (an organization) goes in this slot too.
2. “Page title.” In quotation marks, with the period inside the closing mark.
3. Website title, in italics. This is the container that holds the page.
4. Publisher, when one is given in addition to the website title.
5. Date, the publication date shown on the page.
6. URL. The MLA Style Center’s examples show URLs without the https:// prefix. Use a permalink if the site offers one.
7. Accessed day month year. Optional; see the access-date rule below.

Template: Author Last, First. “Page Title.” Website Title, Date, URL. Accessed Day Mon. Year. (website title in italics).

Cite the page, not the site

The MLA Style Center explains that each page you use gets its own entry, and that cross-references “are not suitable for ongoing works, like periodicals and websites” (Handbook section 5.131). Three pages from one site means three entries.

Access date: when to add it

If the page shows a publication date, no access date is needed. For an undated page, you may add one in the form the MLA Style Center uses: Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

Examples

The Works Cited entries below are fictitious examples built to show the pattern. They do not point to real pages or people. Website titles are italicized.

Page with an individual author and a date

Example: Okafor, Dana. “Planning a Reproducible Analysis.” Example Methods Blog, 4 Mar. 2025, examplemethods.org/reproducible-analysis.

Page with an organization as author

When the author is an organization, use its name in the author slot. Example: Example University Library. “Citing Sources Guide.” Example University Library, 12 Jan. 2025, library.example.edu/citing.

Page with no author

Start with the page title. Example: “Submission Checklist for Authors.” Example Journal Site, Example Publishing Group, 2 Feb. 2025, examplejournal.org/checklist.

Undated page

Add an access date at the end. Example: Lindqvist, Mats. “Thesis Formatting Basics.” Example Graduate School, gradschool.example.edu/formatting. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

In-text citation version

The in-text citation points the reader to the first element of the Works Cited entry, in parentheses.

• Individual author: (Okafor)
• Organization as author: (Example University Library)
• No author: use the page title, or a shortened version, in quotation marks: (“Submission Checklist”)

Where a page has numbered paragraphs but no page numbers, MLA guidance such as the Purdue OWL’s uses par. for one paragraph and pars. for a span. For the general mechanics, see the dictionary entry on parenthetical citation and the guide to quoting and citing sources correctly. For two or more authors, see how to MLA cite multiple authors.

Common errors

• Citing the home page instead of the page you used. The entry should name the specific page title and, ideally, its permalink.
• Cross-referencing page entries to a site entry. MLA advises against it for websites.
• Using the website title in place of the page title. The page title goes in quotation marks; the website title goes in italics.
• Dropping the access date on an undated page.

For manuscripts and theses

Web pages change and disappear, so a thesis or manuscript benefits from a stable address. Prefer a permalink where the site offers one, and add an access date for undated or changeable pages. The guide on link rot in citations covers how to keep references checkable over time. If your department or target journal prescribes a variation (for example, keeping the full https:// link for online submission), follow its instructions. For the rest of the list, see MLA Works Cited format; for books, see MLA citation for a book. If you are working in APA instead, see how to cite a website in APA.

Style-guide edition

This guide follows the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (2021), the current edition as of October 2026. The MLA Style Center page on citing web pages follows that edition.

FAQ

How do I cite a website in MLA?

Give the author, the page title in quotation marks, the website title in italics, the publication date and the URL, in that order. Each page you use gets its own entry. Full template and examples are above.

Do I need an access date in an MLA website citation?

Not when the page shows a publication date. For an undated page, the MLA Style Center says an access date may be added, for example Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

Do I include https:// in the URL?

The MLA Style Center’s examples omit it, though it does not state this as a rule. Sources differ on the point, so if your instructor or journal wants a clickable full link, follow that instruction and keep it consistent throughout.

What if the website page has no author?

Begin the entry with the page title in quotation marks and use a shortened form of that title in the in-text citation.

Do I cite the whole website or the individual page?

Cite the page you used. If you use several pages from one site, each gets its own entry.

Sources

• MLA Style Center, “Citing Multiple Web Pages,” https://style.mla.org/cite-multiple-web-pages/, checked 29 Oct. 2026.
• Purdue Online Writing Lab, MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_electronic_sources.html, checked 29 Oct. 2026.
• BCIT Library, MLA 9 guide: Websites (updated 17 Dec. 2025), https://libguides.bcit.ca/mla9/websites, checked 29 Oct. 2026.