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MLA Citation Guide (9th Edition): Magazine Articles

Abbreviating Months

In your works cited list, abbreviate months as follows: 

January = Jan.
February = Feb.
March = Mar.
April = Apr.
May = May
June = June
July = July
August = Aug.
September = Sept.
October = Oct.
November = Nov.
December = Dec.

Spell out months fully in the body of your paper. 

How Can I Tell if it's a Magazine?

Multiple magazines with covers facing out on display. Image from Flickr by Mannobhai

Photo courtesy of Flickr by Manoj Jacob. Available under a Creative Commons license.

Not sure whether your article is from a magazine? Look for these characteristics:

Popular magazines:

  • Main purpose is to entertain, sell products or promote a viewpoint.
  • Appeal to the general public.
  • Often have many photos and illustrations, as well as many advertisements.
  • Author may or may not have subject expertise.
  • Name and credentials of authors often NOT provided.
  • Articles tend to be short –less than 5 pages
  • Unlikely to have a bibliography or references list

Trade magazines:

  • Main purpose is to update and inform readers on current trends in a specific industry or trade.
  • Audience is members of a specific industry or trade or professors and students in that trade or industry
  • May have photos and numerous advertisements, but still assume that readers understand specific jargon of the profession.
  • Usually published by an association.
  • Authors are professionals working in the specific industry or trade.

Articles may also come from journals or newspapers.

Magazine Article From a Library Database - One Author

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. Page Numbers. Name of Database. 

Works Cited List Example

Iwayemi, Timi. "Money From Nothing: Inside Sam Bankman-Fried's Crypto Scam." The Nation, vol. 316, no. 1, 9 January 2023, pp. 20-24. Academic Search Ultimate.
In-Text Citation Example

(Author's Last Name Page Number)

(Iwayemi 22)

 Note: While MLA 9th edition recommends including URLs, Columbia College Library recommends that URLs be left out when citing a work found in a library database. This is because most URLs from library databases will stop working after the session ends. If your instructor requires a URL, look for the "Permalink" icon in the article description and place the URL generated after the name of the database. 

Magazine Article From a Library Database - Two Authors

Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. Page Numbers. Name of Database.

 Note: Only the first author's name appears in "Last Name, First Name" format. The second author's name appears in "First Name Last Name" format. 

Works Cited List Example

Rashid, Shusmita, and Rhea Singer. "CABHI Leads the Charge in Defying Dementia." Maclean's, October 2024. MAS Ultra - School Edition.
In-Text Citation Example

(First Author's Last Name and Second Author's Last Name Page Number)

(Rashid and Singer)

Note: This source does not give page numbers, which is why none have been added to the in-text citation example.

 Note: While MLA 9th edition recommends including URLs, Columbia College Library recommends that URLs be left out when citing a work found in a library database. This is because most URLs from library databases will stop working after the session ends. If your instructor requires a URL, look for the "Permalink" icon in the article description and place the URL generated after the name of the database. 

Magazine Article From a Library Database - Unknown Author

"Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. Page Numbers. Name of Database. 

 Note: If the author is unknown, begin the citation with the title of the article.

Works Cited List Example

"For California Couple, Trees are a 'Gift' and a Motivation for Change." American Forests, vol. 130, no. 1, Winter/Spring 2024, pp. 8-9. American Search Ultimate.
In-Text Citation Example

("First Word or Words of the Title" Page Number)

("For California Couple" 9)

 Note: This magazine article doesn't list an author, so the first word or words of the title are included in the in-text citation in quotation marks. 

 Note: While MLA 9th edition recommends including URLs, Columbia College Library recommends that URLs be left out when citing a work found in a library database. This is because most URLs from library databases will stop working after the session ends. If your instructor requires a URL, look for the "Permalink" icon in the article description and place the URL generated after the name of the database. 

Magazine Article From a Website

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, Date of publication, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited.

Works Cited List Example

Wong, H.-S. Philip. "To Reignite the U.S. Chip Industry, Invite More Chefs into the Kitchen." Scientific American, 5 June 2023, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/to-reignite-the-u-s-chip-industry-invite-more-chefs-into-the-kitchen/. Accessed 27 July 2024.
In-Text Citation Example

(Author's Last Name)

(Wong)

 Note: If the magazine article has two authors, follow the same author format as shown in the sections on Magazine Article From a Library Database - Two Authors or Magazine Article in Print - Two Authors (i.e. Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name)

Magazine Article in Print - One Author

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. Page Numbers. 

Works Cited List Example

Mouallem, Omar. "The War For Drugs." Maclean's, vol. 137, no. 7, Aug. 2024, pp. 38-46. 
In-Text Citation Example

(Author's Last Name Page Number)

(Mouallem 44)

Magazine Article in Print - Two Authors

Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. Page Numbers. 

 Note: Only the first author's name appears in "Last Name, First Name" format. The second author's name appears in "First Name Last Name" format. 

Works Cited List Example

Paul, Larisha, and Kim Hoyos. "Shaboozey's Big Smash." Rolling Stone, no. 1389/1390, July/August 2024, p. 13. 
In-Text Citation Example

(First Author's Last Name and Second Author's Last Name Page Number)

(Paul and Hoyos 13)

Magazine Article in Print - Unknown Author

"Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Magazine, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Date of Publication, pp. Page Numbers. 

Works Cited List Example

"Fast Lane." Sports Illustrated, vol. 135, no. 6, Jul. 2024, p. 16.
In-Text Citation Example

("First Word or Words of the Title" Page Number)

("Fast Lane" 16)

Note: This magazine article doesn't list an author, so the first word or words of the title are included in the in-text citation in quotation marks.

In-Text Citation For Two or More Authors/Editors

Number of Authors/Editors In-Text Citation Example
Two

 (Author's Last Name and Author's Last Name Page Number)

 Example: (Hogan and Sathy 20)
Three or more

 (Author's Last Name et al. Page Number)

 Example: (Woods et al. 3)

Citing Three or More Authors

If there are three or more authors, cite only the name of the first author listed with their Last Name, First Name followed by a comma et al.

Example: Woods, Cathy, et al.