An MLA quote citation generator builds a formatted in-text citation and Works Cited entry from details you enter about the source. You paste in the author, title, and publication information, choose the source type, and it returns MLA 9 formatting you can copy into your paper. The catch is that generators are only as accurate as the information you feed them, so you still need to know what correct MLA output looks like to catch errors.
What an MLA citation generator does
A generator handles two things: the in-text citation that goes right after the quote, and the full Works Cited entry at the end of the paper. You supply the source details, and the tool arranges them in MLA order with the right punctuation, italics, and capitalization. Common free options include the Purdue OWL guidance, EasyBib, Citation Machine, and Scribbr’s generator.
What it does not do is judge whether your source information is complete or which source type you actually have. Enter the wrong data and you get a clean-looking but wrong citation, which is why understanding the format matters.
How to cite a quote in MLA by hand
For a short quote (four typed lines or fewer), enclose it in double quotation marks and put the author’s last name and page number in parentheses after it, with the sentence period after the parentheses:
Learning “happens through doing” (Dewey 45).
No comma goes between the name and the page number. If you already name the author in your sentence, the parentheses hold only the page number: Dewey argues that learning “happens through doing” (45). The full rules are in MLA quote citation.
Block quotes in MLA
For a quotation longer than four lines of prose (or three lines of verse), use a block quote instead. Start it on a new line, indent the whole block half an inch, drop the quotation marks, and put the parenthetical citation after the closing punctuation rather than before it. See block quote MLA for the exact spacing.
The matching Works Cited entry
Every in-text citation points to a full entry on the Works Cited page. The MLA 9 order is: Author. “Title of Source.” Title of Container, Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location. You only include the elements your source actually has. A generator assembles this for you, but check that the container is italicized, the source title is in quotation marks, and the entry ends with the location (a URL, page range, or DOI).
Checking a generator’s output
Run three checks on anything a generator produces. First, the in-text citation should have no comma between author and page. Second, titles should be formatted by container: standalone works italicized, parts in quotation marks. Third, the Works Cited entry should be alphabetized by the first element and use a hanging indent. If the generator pulled data automatically from a database, verify the author and date, since automated imports frequently miss or scramble them. For the underlying method, see how to cite a quote.
FAQ
Are MLA citation generators accurate?
Only as accurate as the information entered. They format correctly but cannot verify your source details or catch a wrong source type, so proofread every citation against the MLA rules before submitting.
What is the in-text format for a quote in MLA?
Author’s last name and page number in parentheses with no comma between them, placed after the closing quotation mark: (Dewey 45). The sentence period comes after the parentheses for short quotes.
Do I need a page number for every MLA quote?
Include one whenever the source has stable page numbers. For sources without them, such as many websites, cite the author alone. Never invent a page number for an unpaginated source.
What is the difference between the in-text citation and the Works Cited entry?
The in-text citation is the short pointer next to the quote. The Works Cited entry is the full reference at the end of the paper. The first word of the Works Cited entry must match what appears in the in-text citation.
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