Following these MLA journal citation examples for citing journal articles helps you create accurate works cited pages. Scholarly journals are peer-reviewed and published regularly, which means these sources are current and authoritative. MLA 8 follows the container system. This system allows for flexibility in creating entries, especially for art, film and music sources. However, with MLA journal article citation, you should follow a basic format starting with the authors’ names and ending with the date, pages and online address.
Journal Article Format: Print
The format you should follow when citing a journal article in MLA is as follows:
Author’s Last name, First name Initial. “Title of Article: Subtitle of Article.” Title of Journal, vol.#, no.#, Year, pp. xx-xx.
Basic Format: Print In-Text Citation
For the in-text citation, simply list the author’s name and the page number in parentheses.
(Last name Page #)
Journal Article Format: Web
Citing a journal article you accessed online follows the same format, except you’d add the online address at the end. The DOI, or digital object identifier, is generally preferred when it’s available.
Author’s Last name, First name Initial. “Title of Article: Subtitle of Article.” Title of Journal, vol.#, no.#, Year, pp. xx-xx. doi:10.xxxxxxxxx.
If the DOI is not available, include the URL instead.
Author’s Last name, First name Initial. “Title of Article: Subtitle of Article.” Title of Journal, vol.#, no.#, Year, pp. xx-xx, URL.
Basic Format: Web In-Text Citation
The in-text citation for a web journal article is identical to that of a print journal article.
(Author’s Last Name Page #)
Print Journal Article Citation Examples
Refer to the examples below for how you should cite print journal articles.
Example 1 – Works Cited Print Journal Article
Pohl, Frances K. “Framing America: A Social History of American Art.” American Art, vol. 16, no.2, 2002, pp. 10-12.
Example 1 – In-Text Citation
(Pohl 11)
Example 2 – Works Cited Print Journal Article
Panofsky, Erwin. “Three Decades of Art History in the United States: Impressions of a Transplanted European.” College Art Journal, vol. 14., no.1, 1954, pp. 7-27.
Example 2 – In-Text Citation
(Panofsky 23)
Example 3 – Works Cited Print Journal Article
Corbett, David Peters, and Sarah Monks. “Anglo-American: Artistic Exchange between Britain and the USA.” Art History, vol. 34, no. 4, 2011, pp. 630-651.
Example 3 – In-Text Citation
(Corbett and Monks 633)
Online Journal Article Citation Examples
Follow these examples for how to format your citation for an online journal article.
Example 1 – Works Cited Online Journal Article with DOI
Gouma-Peterson, Thalia. “Art and Social Change, U.S.A.” Art Journal, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 402-408. doi: 10.1080/00043249.1983.10792264
Example 1 – In-Text Citation
(Gouma-Peterson 403)
Example 2 – Works Cited Online Journal Article with Webpage URL
Vick, Randy M. “A Brief History of Art Therapy.” Handbook of Art Therapy, 2003, pp. 5-15. s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/34837670/
Example 2 – In-Text Citation
(Vick 12)
- Include URLs, unless your instructor tells you otherwise.
- Cite the DOI rather than the URL, if available.
- Omit http:// or https:// in the URL.
- Place a period after the URL or DOI.