MLA Style: Citing Digital Content

  1. Page or document found on a website
  2. Entire website
  3. Digital file (e.g. PDF)
  4. Digital file posted on Blackboard or Other Learning System
  5. Tweet
  6. Instagram Post
  7. Comment on online article, blog posting, or website
  8. Podcast
  9. Youtube Video/Clip
  10. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Generator (like OpenAI ChatGPT)

Sample reference entry in MLA formatted with a hanging indent.

Page or a Document Found on a Website

In-Text Citation

When you are citing or quoting part of a web page or document, there is usually no page number to include in the parenthetical citation.

If you do not have page numbers, you could try not to use any parenthetical citations at all by including the author’s name in your essay text (in this case an organization author). If you choose not to include the author’s name in your essay text, you don’t have to give paragraph or line numbers or page numbers in the parenthetical citation. 

Examples:

The Modern Language Association offers a practices template for works cited entries. . .

... works cited entries (Modern Language Association). 

Works Cited

If the publisher is the same as the Website’s name, only list it once.

Author, Corporate Author, Editor, Compiler Name. "Title of Part of Website." Title of Website, Version number or edition used if applicable, Name of publisher/sponsor/organization/institution affiliated with Website if different from Author, Day Month Year created if available, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

Example:

Modern Language Association of America. "Works Cited: A Quick Guide." The MLA Style Center: Writing Resources from the Modern Language Association, 2016, style.mla.org/works-cited-a-quick-guide/. 

Notice: 

  • Author names of people are listed surname first (Khan, Michael). Author names of agencies do not change (Academic Skills, Trent University). 
  • You may choose to include an access date if the website maybe changed or updated. 

Entire Website

In-Text Citation

When you are citing an entire website or page, it is usually unnecessary to identify a page, paragraph or heading.

 (The Hypertext Pratt)

You may, in fact, choose to use the authors' names or site name in your sentences and not use a parenthetical citation at all:

The Hypertext Pratt makes available. . .

Works Cited

Author, Corporate Author, Editor, Compiler Name. Title of Website, Version number or edition used if applicable, Name of publisher/sponsor/organization/institution affiliated with Website if different from Author, Day Month Year created if available, URL, or permalink. Accessed Day Month Year.

Example:

The Hypertext Pratt. E.J. Pratt Publications Project, 2016, www.trentu.ca/faculty/pratt/. Accessed 25 Oct. 2016.

Notice: 

  • Author names of people are listed surname first (Khan, Michael). Author names of agencies do not change (Academic Skills, Trent University). 
  • You may choose to include an access date if the website maybe changed or updated. 

A PDF or Other Digital File 

First you need to determine what kind of work you are citing. The example is a PDF file of an article that appeared in a journal. For some kinds of files, you will not have a page or paragraph number, or you may not have an author's name. Work with what you have.

In-Text Citation

(Rice 190)

Works Cited

Include the information you have depending on the file and publication

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Article Title." Title of Container, vol. number, issue number, Year of Publication, pp. Page Range, URL, permalink, doi if applicable. Version. 

Example:

Rice, Carla. "Creating Community across Disability and Difference.”  Canadian Women’s Studies/Les Cahiers de la Femme, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 187-193, cws.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/cws/article/viewFile/6199/5387. PDF download.

Notice:

  • There are many other digital file types: a Microsoft Word file, JPEG file, MP3 file, etc.
  • If you are not sure of the file type, put Digital file.
  • Medium of publication/file type is in regular font, except for software programs: PDF file, but Microsoft Word file.
  • You may choose to include an access date if the website maybe changed or updated. 

Digital File posted on Blackboard or Other Learning System

In-Text Citation

(Akram-Lodhi )

Works Cited

"Title of Lecture/Article/Reading." Name of Course, taught by Name of Instructor. Learning System, Name of Institution, Day Month Year, URL. (optional: indicate file type). 

Example:

"Structural Adjustment and Development Dilemmas 1980-1995." IDST 1001h, taught by Haroon Akram-Lodhi. Blackboard, Trent University, 2 Oct. 2016, https://trentu.blackboard.com/. PowerPoint file.

Notice:

  • If you are citing a work that is linked from Blackboard to another site, your citation format will follow the original source.
  • The “Version” can vary: it could be a Microsoft Word file, JPEG file, Podcast, etc.

Tweet

In-Text Citation

(@TrentUASC)

Works Cited

Twitter handle. "Entire tweet." Twitter, Day Month Year of posting, time using reader’s time zone, URL. 

Example:

@TrentUASC. "Protect the Integrity of Online Quizzes and Exams When taking quizzes or tests online, it is important to ensure that you work independently, and that you do not have access to unauthorized aids." Twitter, 5 Apr 2022, https://twitter.com/TrentUASC/status/1511327798782218243 

Notice: 

Location can be a URL or name of the app used to access material. 

Instagram Post 

In-Text Citation

(trentuacademicskills)

Works Cited

Last name, First name (username or page name). "First five to ten words of post. . . “ or description of image. Instagram, Day Month Year of posting. App used to access. 

Example:

Trent U Academic Skills. "Efficient Reading is Active Reading. . . “ Instagram, 23 Jun 2022. Instagram app. 

Notice: 

Comment on a Website/Online Article/Blog Posting

In-Text Citation

(AGraham)

Works Cited

Last name, First name or username. Comment on “Title of Website, Online Article or Blog Posting.” Name of Website or Blog, Day Month Year of comment, URL.

Example:

AGraham. Comment on “Writing Website In-Text Citations and References.” APA Style, 5 Dec. 2016, blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2016/11/writing-website-in-text-citations-and-references.html#comments 

Podcast

In-Text Citation

 (“Helen Macdonald on H is for Hawk”)

Works Cited

"Title of Episode." Title of Program, from Name of Network/Sponsor, Day Month Year Broadcast, URL.

Example:

"Helen Macdonald on H is for Hawk." Bookclub, from BBC Radio, 2 Oct. 2016, www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p048pdr2.

Notice

  • If podcast is organized by season and episode number, include this information after the title of the show. 

Youtube Video/Clip

In-text Citation:

(“Martin Scorsese on Watching THE SEARCHERS for the First Time”).

This could be shortened in subsequent citations.

Works Cited

"Title of Video/Clip." Title of Website, in this case Youtube, uploaded by name of uploader, day month year of upload, URL.

Example:

"Martin Scorsese on Watching THE SEARCHERS for the First Time.” Youtube, uploaded by American Film Institute, 13 Mar 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlWT8kTccHw.

Notice:

  • You may add other optional information to your citation, depending on what the clip is. For example, if it is a television program or a film, or a clip from either, you may want to add performers, director, producer etc. This information would come before the title of the website, Youtube. See examples on how to cite television programs, films, sound recordings etc.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Generator (like OpenAI ChatGPT)

Currently, MLA does not recommend citing generative AI such as ChatGPT as an author. Therefore, use the prompt title to refer to any content gleaned from interactions with the generator. The MLA Style Center offers a helpful conversation about acknowledging generative AI in MLA style. 

In-text citation  

When prompted, ChatGPT replied that bees generally swarm to maintain the colony’s existence (“Why do bees”). 

Works Cited List 

“Why do bees swarm” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat. 

 

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