MLA 9 Citation & Style

Citing an Image in a Works Cited List (MLA)

MLA format is designed for writing about the arts. The way MLA formats in-text citations for figures within papers is designed to make it easy by using the container system. It focuses on the author or creator in the citations to really highlight them. But it is pretty similar to the other styles. Including access dates to websites is optional. Add an access date to an undated article or image, only if you feel it’s helpful to the reader.

MLA Citations for Images 

Basic Image Format:

WORKS CITED:  Artist's Last Name, First. "Title of digital image."  Date, Website, Publisher or Sponsoring Organization, URL (no https://).

•  Warner, Mike. "Monet's Garden." 6 Oct. 2017, Flickr, flic.kr/p/ZsF6q1.

IN-TEXT:  (Fig. #) or (Last Name)

•  (Fig. 1) or (Warner)

Image Without Author:

WORKS CITED: “Title of the digital image.” Date, Website, Publisher, URL (no https://).

• "Orange grove - Clewiston, Florida." 1920, Florida Memory,  www.floridamemory.com/items/show/138653

IN-TEXT: (Fig. #) or ("Title of Image")

• (Fig. 2) or ("Orange grove - Clewiston, Florida.")

Image With No Author, Title, or Date

WORKS CITED: Image description. Title of the website, URL (no https://).

• Photograph of person washing hands. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/

IN-TEXT:  (Fig. #)

• (Fig. 3)

Example of Figure Format

Figures must be numbered in succession throughout the assignment. Works that are cited under the image don’t need an additional reference on the works cited page.

BASIC FORMAT: WORKS CITED

Artist’s name, Work title (italicized), Date, Complete publication information of the source, including page, figure, or plate numbers.

Simple Example

Fig. 1. Flowers in Monet's Garden (Warner).

OR

Fig. 1. Warner, Mike. "Monet's Garden." 6 Oct. 2017, Flickr, flic.kr/p/ZsF6q1.

NOTE:  If you include the full citation in the caption of the photo or image is not cited in-text, no reference entry is needed on the works cited page.

Movie or Film, Video, or DVD

 Note: Cite the relevant hour, minute and seconds as displayed in your media player.

BASIC FORMAT 

Title of Film. Directed by Director's First Name Last Name. Performance(s) by Actor(s) Name(s). Title of Production Company, Release Date.

EXAMPLES WORKS CITED: ACTOR PERFORMANCE

The Grand Budapest Hotel, Directed by Wes Anderson. Performance by Ralph Fiennes. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2014.

• IN-TEXT: (Grand Budapest 01:18:29-49)

The Usual Suspects. Directed by Bryan Singer, performances by Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, and Benicio Del Toro. Polygram, 1995. 

• IN-TEXT: (The Usual Suspects 01:15:15-01:20:03)

Television Series: Broadcast or DVD

BASIC FORMAT WORKS CITED

Title of TV Series, Contributors Name(s), season, episode,  Production Company, Year of Release. DVD (if viewed on DVD). 

OR 

"Title of Episode." Title of TV Series, Contributors Name(s), season, episode,  Production Company, Year of Release. DVD if viewed on DVD. 

• NOTE:  Typically films, television episodes, and other performances have many contributors. After the title, list the contributors most relevant to your project. Most common contributors listed include directors, creators, and performers.  
• NOTE: Seasons of a television series are usually numbered in sequence, as are the episodes. Both numbers should be included in the works cited list if available. If the episode is untitled, omit this element and begin the citation with the title of the show. 

BASIC FORMAT IN-TEXT: 

("Title of Episode" Start Time of Relevant Section-End Time of Section)

TELEVISION SERIES/SINGLE EPISODE: EXAMPLE WORKS CITED 

"The One Where Chandler Can't Cry." Friends: The Complete Sixth Season, written by Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen, directed by Kevin Bright, Warner Brothers, 2004.

• IN-TEXT: ("The One Where Chandler Can't Cry" 00:15:00-00:17:22)

TELEVISION SERIES/SINGLE EPISODE ON DVD: EXAMPLE WORKS CITED 

"The Gathering." Outlander, developed by Ronald D. Moore, performances by Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, season 1, episode 4, Left Bank Picture/Sony Pictures Television Production, 2014. DVD.

• IN-TEXT: ("The Gathering" 05:34-05:56)

Streaming Video From a Subscription Media Website (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc.)

MOVIE

Works Cited: Title of Movie. Contributor(s). Publisher/Production Company, Year of Release. Name of Streaming Service.

In-Text: (Title of Movie Start Time of Relevant Section-End Time of Section)

•  NOTE Typically films, television episodes, and other performances have many contributors. After the title, list the contributors most relevant to your project. Most common contributors listed include directors, creators, and performers.  

WORKS CITED EXAMPLE

Coraline. Directed by Henry Selick, screenplay by Henry Selick and Neil Gaiman, Laika, 2009. Netflix.

• IN-TEXT: (Coraline 1:25:15-01:40:05)

  • The title of the film is in italics in the in-text citation because that is how it appears in the Works Cited List Example.

TELEVISION SERIES

Works Cited: "Title of Episode." Title of TV Series, Contributors Name(s), season, episode,  Production Company, Year of Release. Name of Streaming Website, URL. 

In-Text: "Title of Episode" Start Time of Relevant Section-End Time of Section)

WORKS CITED EXAMPLE

"The One Where Chandler Can't Cry." Friends, created by Marta Kauffman, performance by Matthew Perry, season 6, episode 14, Warner Brothers, 2004. Hulu, www.hulu.com.

• IN-TEXT: ("The One Where Chandler" 14:56-15:33)
  • The title of the episode is in quotation marks in the in-text citation because that is how it appears in the Works Cited List Example.

Streaming Video: You Tube or Website

Include as much descriptive information as necessary to help readers understand the type and nature of the source you are citing. If the author’s name is the same as the uploader, only cite the author once. If the author is different from the uploader, cite the author’s name before the title.

BASIC FORMAT

​Works Cited: Author's Last Name, First Name or Username if real name not provided. "Title of Video." Title of Website, Publication Date, URL.

Works Cited: "Title of Video." Title of the Hosting Website, uploaded by First Name Last Name of video creator or Username of Creator, Day Month Year of Publication, URL of video. Accessed Day Month Year video was viewed.

In-Text:  ("Shortened Version of Title" Start Time of Relevant Section-End Time of Section)

YOU TUBE VIDEO: EXAMPLES WORKS CITED

Griggs, Ben. "A Day in the Life of a Librarian." YouTube, 1 Oct. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mcn-B7X7HwQ.

• IN-TEXT: (Griggs 00:02:26-27)

“8 Hot Dog Gadgets put to the Test.” YouTube, uploaded by Crazy Russian Hacker, 6 June 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBlpjSEtELs.

• IN-TEXT: ("8 Hot Dog Gadgets" 00:03:30-00:04:16)

MLA Style Center

To create a basic works-cited-list entry for an image, list the creator of the image, the title of the image, the date of composition, and the location of the image, which would be a physical location if you viewed the image in person. If you viewed the image online, provide the name of the website containing the image and the URL. If you viewed the image in a print work, provide the publication information for the print work, including a page number. Below are sample entries for images along with links to posts containing many other examples.

Table Format

TOP OF TABLE

Tables inserted into an assignment should have a label (Table X) and a brief description of the table if it was not included in the table.

BOTTOM OF TABLE

 Directly below your table should include the caption, which includes the citation of the source (example: table from website, journal article, etc).

GUIDELINES

If the table is not cited in-text, there is no need for a reference entry on the works cited page. If the table is cited in the assignment, an in-text citation (Table 1) is needed as well as the reference entry on the works cited page.

Tables must be numbered in succession throughout the assignment.

EXAMPLE

Table 1

Source: "Tuition costs of colleges and universities." Fast Facts, U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2019, nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=76

Source: State College of Florida Library. "Tables."