MLA: Citing Articles from Library Databases

Works Cited:

• When the article has two authors it switches up! Lastname, Firstname, and Firstname Lastname.
• Article titles are in "quotes". 
• Names of magazines, newspapers or journals are italicized.
• You'll need the volume (vol.), issue number (no.), date, and page numbers (p. or pp.) for your article.
• You'll need the library database name (see below) which will also be italicized.
• Link to the article, but NOT as a hyperlink.
• Note where periods and commas separate pieces of information.
• Check with your instructor to see if they want you to include an accessed date.
  • If so, that will go at the end and will look like this: Accessed 10 July 2024.

Author name. "Title of Article." Name of Publication, vol. x, no. x, date, pp. x-xx. Database Name, article URL (hyperlink removed).

Dixon, Neil, and Andrea Packwood. “Personalised Learning Paths for Information Literacy Using Canvas MasteryPaths.” Journal of Information Literacy, vol. 17, no. 1, June 2023, pp. 105–119. ERIC, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=8f778189-098d-30c4-a349-60cc790cb5f9.

(We can't do a hanging indent here, but make sure you do that on your Works Cited).

In-Text Citation

If your article is a PDF, it will probably have page numbers. If so, use the page numbers on that document.

(Dixon and Packwood 118)

If your article is only available as a web page in the library database, it will not have page numbers. 

(Dixon and Packwood)

Works Cited:

• When the article has two authors it switches up! Lastname, Firstname, and Firstname Lastname.
• Article titles are in "quotes". 
• Names of magazines, newspapers or journals are italicized.
• You'll need the volume (vol.), issue number (no.), date, and page numbers (p. or pp.) for your article.
• You'll need the library database name (see below) which will also be italicized.
• Link to the article, but NOT as a hyperlink.
• Note where periods and commas separate pieces of information.
• Check with your instructor to see if they want you to include an accessed date.
  • If so, that will go at the end and will look like this: Accessed 10 July 2024.

Author name. "Title of Article." Name of Publication, vol. x, no. x, date, pp. x-xx. Database Name, article URL (hyperlink removed).

Jia, Nan, et al. “When and How Artificial Intelligence Augments Employee Creativity.” Academy of Management Journal, vol. 67, no. 1, Feb. 2024, pp. 5–32. Business Source Elite, https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2022.0426.

(We can't do a hanging indent here, but make sure you do that on your Works Cited).

In-Text Citation

If your article is a PDF, it will probably have page numbers. If so, use the page numbers on that document.

(Jia et al. 6)

If your article is only available as a web page in the library database, it will not have page numbers. 

(Jia et al.)

The library databases have a Cite button that will do your Works Cited entry for you. BUT, they do come with a warning that tells you to double check before you use them. As with online citation generators, they can have errors. We will show you how to use the Cite button and where to find the information so you can check that it is correct.

Here is an example from a Gale database (Opposing Viewpoints). You can find the name of the database at the top of the screen. The article information appears at the top of the article page.