Check out our Citing Sources Guide for helpful resources on how to cite your sources in APA, MLA, and Chicago formats. Purdue OWL and Excelsior College OWL also have helpful guides for each style with examples. Always check with your instructor on what style they want you to use and if there are any specific modifications they would like.

If you're still unsure of how to cite something, contact a librarian.

MLA Format for a Journal Article

Last, First, and First Last. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. #-#. DOI.

Example

Gottvall, Maria, et al. "Post‐migration Psychosocial Experiences and Challenges Amongst LGBTQ+ Forced Migrants: A Meta‐synthesis of Qualitative Reports." Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 79, no.1, 2023, pp. 358–71. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15480

Notes

• The first author's name is structured as last name, first name. Following authors are listed as first name last name.
  • If there are 3 or more authors, only list the first author followed by et al. (Latin for "and others").
• The title of the article is in Title Case
  • Refer to this page for information on titles within titles
• The title of the journal is in italics and Title Case
• The volume number is noted with vol.
• The issue number is noted with no.
• Only the year is included for academic journal articles
• Page numbers are noted with pp.
  • Omit the first sets of repeated digits. Pages 225 to 251 would be notated as pp. 225-51
  • A single page is notated as a single p.
• The DOI can be formatted as a link (https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15480) or as a number (DOI: 10.1111/jan.15480). If there is no DOI, use a permalink from the Library Search item record or the database you found it in.
• Create a half-inch hanging indent

DOI stands for Direct Object Identifier. It is a number that identifies a specific journal article like an ISBN identifies a book. We use these numbers to help others find the sources you have cited even if they do not have access to it through the same database as you.

A DOI will appear as a link starting with https://doi.org/ or as just a series of numbers (and occasional letters). It always starts with 10.

Use the DOI as the link to the source in your bibliography or reference list.

If there is no DOI, find the permalink. This is indicated with an icon of two chain links or will be included in the auto-generated citation in the database or website you are using. It usually has "plink" or "perma" included in the URL or is much shorter than the link at the top of your browser.

Use the link at the top of your browser as a last resort for citations.