Clear, real-world examples of MLA format for articles

If you’re staring at your Works Cited page wondering whether that article citation looks right, you’re not alone. The fastest way to learn MLA is to look at clear, real examples of MLA format for articles and copy the pattern. In this guide, we’ll walk through examples of MLA format for articles from websites, online journals, databases, newspapers, and magazines, so you can see exactly how each one should look in 2024. Instead of vague rules, you’ll get sentence-level models you can plug your own sources into. These examples of examples of MLA format for articles use the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook, which is what most high schools, colleges, and universities expect now. By the end, you’ll be able to recognize the right structure on sight and fix common mistakes like missing DOIs, wrong dates, or messy URLs—without needing to flip through a style manual every five minutes.
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Start with real examples of MLA format for articles

Let’s skip theory and go straight to what you actually need: real examples of MLA format for articles you can imitate.

Below, you’ll see how to cite articles in MLA format from:

  • Online news sites
  • Web-only articles
  • Scholarly journals
  • Library databases
  • Magazines
  • Newspapers (print and online)
  • Articles with no author
  • Articles with lots of authors

Each example shows:

  • The Works Cited entry
  • A matching in-text citation
  • A quick breakdown in plain English

All examples follow MLA 9 (2021–present), which is still current for 2024–2025.

Web article examples of MLA format for articles

This is the type of source students cite most: an article published on a website.

Example 1 – Web article with one author
Scenario: You’re citing a health article from the Mayo Clinic website.

Works Cited
Mandal, Ananya. “Health Benefits of Walking Every Day.” Mayo Clinic, 14 Mar. 2024, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20046261.

In-text citation
(Mandal)

Why this works

  • Author last name first, then first name.
  • Article title in quotation marks, in title case.
  • Website name (Mayo Clinic) in italics.
  • Day Month Year for the date (14 Mar. 2024).
  • Stable URL without https://.

This is one of the best examples of MLA format for articles because it shows the classic pattern you’ll use for most web sources.

Example 2 – Web article with organization as author
Scenario: No individual author is listed; the organization is clearly responsible.

Works Cited
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19.” CDC, 5 Jan. 2024, www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/stress-coping/index.html.

In-text citation
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Key points

  • The organization’s full name goes in the author position.
  • If the website name is the same as the author (CDC), MLA says you can omit the site name to avoid repetition. Here, using CDC as the site name is optional; many instructors accept it either way.

If you’re hunting for examples of examples of MLA format for articles where the author is an organization, this pattern is the one to copy.

Journal article examples of MLA format for articles (online)

For scholarly research papers, journal articles are your bread and butter. In 2024, most are read online, either directly on a journal site or through a library database.

Example 3 – Online journal article with DOI
Scenario: You find a peer-reviewed article on climate change with a DOI.

Works Cited
Smith, Jordan. “Urban Heat Islands and Public Health in U.S. Cities.” Journal of Environmental Studies, vol. 45, no. 2, 2024, pp. 115–138, https://doi.org/10.1080/12345678.2024.1234567.

In-text citation
(Smith 120)

Why this is a strong example of MLA format for articles

  • Journal title in italics.
  • Volume and issue: vol. 45, no. 2.
  • Year after volume/issue.
  • Page range: pp. 115–138.
  • DOI formatted as a full URL starting with https://doi.org/ (MLA prefers this for 2024+).

Using DOIs has become standard in MLA because they’re more stable than URLs. If you want real examples that impress professors, this structure is what they expect.

Example 4 – Journal article from a library database (no DOI)
Scenario: You access an article through your college library’s EBSCO or ProQuest database.

Works Cited
Lee, Amanda K. “Digital Distraction in College Classrooms.” Teaching and Learning Today, vol. 12, no. 3, 2023, pp. 45–62. Academic Search Complete.

In-text citation
(Lee 50)

What to notice

  • No DOI or URL? Then you list the database name in italics at the end.
  • You do not need the database URL or your login link.

MLA 9 shifted toward this “container within a container” idea, and examples of MLA format for articles like this one show exactly how to handle research databases your school provides.

For more detail straight from the source, the MLA Style Center at style.mla.org is worth bookmarking.

Magazine article examples of MLA format for articles

Magazine articles blend journalism and opinion, and MLA treats them slightly differently from journal articles.

Example 5 – Online magazine article
Scenario: You’re citing a Time magazine article you read online.

Works Cited
Vance, Nora. “Why Gen Z Is Redefining Work-Life Balance.” Time, 3 June 2024, time.com/collection/future-of-work/6987654/gen-z-work-life-balance/.

In-text citation
(Vance)

Pattern to copy

  • Author, then article title in quotation marks.
  • Magazine title (Time) in italics.
  • Date of publication.
  • URL at the end, no period after the URL.

This is a clean example of MLA format for articles from popular media—perfect for current-events or social trends papers.

Example 6 – Print magazine article
Scenario: You used a physical copy of The Atlantic from your library.

Works Cited
Hernandez, Luis. “The New Geography of Remote Work.” The Atlantic, July–Aug. 2023, pp. 40–47.

In-text citation
(Hernandez 42)

Details that matter

  • For print magazines, you include page numbers.
  • Month(s) and year replace day-month-year when that’s how the issue is dated.

Newspaper article examples of MLA format for articles

Newspapers are still widely used in research, especially for local issues and recent events.

Example 7 – Online newspaper article
Scenario: You’re citing an article from The New York Times website.

Works Cited
Baker, Peter. “How AI Is Changing the 2024 Election Campaigns.” The New York Times, 12 May 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/05/12/us/politics/ai-2024-election.html.

In-text citation
(Baker)

This is one of the best examples of MLA format for articles from a major newspaper: straightforward, modern, and easy to adapt.

Example 8 – Local print newspaper article
Scenario: Your teacher wants at least one local source.

Works Cited
Johnson, Carla. “City Council Approves New Public Library.” Springfield Gazette, 9 Feb. 2024, p. A3.

In-text citation
(Johnson A3)

Note

  • Use the section and page label exactly as printed (A3, B1, etc.).

Tricky cases: no author, multiple authors, and long titles

Real life is messy. Articles don’t always come in neat, single-author packages. Here are examples of examples of MLA format for articles that cover the awkward situations you’re likely to face.

Example of an MLA article with no author

Scenario: The article lists no author at all.

Works Cited
“Screen Time Recommendations for Children.” American Academy of Pediatrics, 2024, www.aap.org/en/patient-care/media-and-children/screen-time-guidelines/.

In-text citation
(“Screen Time Recommendations”)

How to handle it

  • Start with the title in quotation marks.
  • In the in-text citation, shorten the title to the first few words.

Example of an MLA article with three or more authors

Scenario: A journal article has a long author list.

Works Cited
Patel, Rina, et al. “Sleep Patterns and Academic Performance in First-Year College Students.” Journal of College Health, vol. 72, no. 1, 2024, pp. 22–35, https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2024.2345678.

In-text citation
(Patel et al. 30)

Rule of thumb

  • List the first author followed by et al. in both Works Cited and in-text citations.

If you’re collecting real examples of MLA format for articles to model your own work, make sure at least one of them shows this “et al.” pattern—you’ll need it sooner or later.

Example of an MLA article from an educational site (no date)

Scenario: You’re using a teaching resource from a university site with no clear date.

Works Cited
“Strategies for Effective Note-Taking.” Harvard University Academic Resource Center, Harvard University, www.arc.fas.harvard.edu/strategies-for-effective-note-taking. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

In-text citation
(“Strategies for Effective Note-Taking”)

What’s going on here

  • No date? MLA lets you skip it.
  • Including an Accessed date is helpful for undated web content, especially if it’s likely to change.

You can find more guidance on undated web sources in MLA’s own examples at style.mla.org.

How to build your own MLA article citation from these examples

Now that you’ve seen multiple examples of MLA format for articles, let’s turn them into a quick mental checklist you can reuse.

For most online articles, ask yourself:

  • Do I have an author (person or organization)?
  • What is the article title (in quotation marks)?
  • What is the container (website, journal, magazine, or newspaper name in italics)?
  • Do I have a date? Use day Month year if given.
  • Is there a volume/issue and page range (for journals)?
  • Is there a DOI? Use it as a URL.
  • Otherwise, what is the stable URL?

Then plug the answers into the patterns shown in the real examples above. When in doubt, compare your citation to the closest example of MLA format for articles in this guide and adjust.

If your instructor is strict, it’s worth double-checking against the official MLA resources or a university writing center, such as Purdue OWL’s MLA guide at owl.purdue.edu.

Common mistakes these examples help you avoid

Looking at solid examples of examples of MLA format for articles does more than show you what to do; it also highlights what not to do.

Here are frequent problems the best examples fix automatically:

  • Missing author: Students often skip the organization as author when no person is listed. The CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics examples show how to handle that.
  • Wrong title formatting: Article titles go in quotation marks; containers (journal, magazine, newspaper, website) go in italics.
  • Random capitalization: MLA uses title case for titles (capitalize main words), not all caps or sentence case.
  • Messy URLs: No tracking junk, no underlines, and no period after the URL.
  • Forgetting DOIs: In 2024, many scholarly articles have DOIs; using them makes your citations cleaner and more credible.
  • Confusing access dates: Only add an Accessed date when there’s no publication date or the content is likely to update frequently.

When you compare your own citations to these real examples of MLA format for articles, you’ll start spotting these errors instantly.

Quick FAQ: examples of MLA format for articles

Q: Can you give a simple example of an MLA citation for a basic web article?
Yes. Here’s a stripped-down model you can adapt:

Garcia, Elena. “Benefits of Bilingual Education.” National Education Association, 10 Apr. 2024, www.nea.org/resource-library/benefits-bilingual-education.

In-text: (Garcia)

This is a classic example of MLA format for articles on educational websites.

Q: Do I always need the URL in MLA article citations?
For online articles, MLA recommends including a URL or DOI. For library database articles, you usually give the database name instead of a URL, like in the Academic Search Complete example.

Q: What are some good examples of MLA format for articles from health sites?
Look at reputable sources like Mayo Clinic and NIH. A pattern might look like:

Author Last Name, First Name. “Article Title.” Site Name, Day Month Year, URL.

For instance, you could model your citation on articles from www.mayoclinic.org or www.nih.gov, using the same structure as the Mayo Clinic example earlier.

Q: How do I format in-text citations for these examples of MLA format for articles?
Use the author’s last name and page number if there is one: (Smith 120). For web-only articles with no pages, use just the last name: (Mandal). For no author, use a shortened title: ("Screen Time Recommendations").

Q: Where can I see more official examples of MLA format for articles?
You can explore:

Comparing those to the real examples in this guide will give you a strong feel for how MLA article citations should look in your own papers.

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