What details do I need to cite a journal article in MLA (9th edition)?

You’ll need: Author(s), Year, Article title, Journal name, Volume & issue, Page range, DOI. With those, Folio formats the citation automatically.

What does MLA (9th edition) look like in-text for a journal article?

Like this: (Smith and Lee). The full entry then appears in your reference list.

Can Folio do this for me automatically?

Yes — paste a DOI, link, or reference into Folio’s free citation generator and it produces a verified citation in this style and others, with a retraction check.

All citation examples

How to cite a journal article in MLA (9th edition)

A peer-reviewed article published in an academic journal — the most common scholarly source.

Reference list (MLA (9th edition))

Smith, Jane, and Robert Lee. “Working Memory Capacity and the Control of Attention.” Journal of Cognitive Science, vol. 12, no. 3, 2021, pp. 210–225, https://doi.org/10.1000/jcs.2021.0123.

In-text: (Smith and Lee)

Example generated by Folio’s citation engine — the same one that cites as you write.

What you need

Author(s)
Year
Article title
Journal name
Volume & issue
Page range
DOI

Common mistakes to avoid

Always include the DOI when one exists — it is the stable link to the article.
Use the journal’s full name, not an abbreviation (except in IEEE/Vancouver, which abbreviate).

Skip the manual formatting

Paste a DOI, link, or reference — get a verified, retraction-checked citation in MLA (9th edition) and every major style.

Open the generator

Cite a journal article in another style

APA (7th edition)Chicago (17th, author–date)IEEE Harvard Vancouver