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Updated . Example details checked against the MLA Handbook (9th ed.) example for an email.
The MLA format
Pattern
Last name, First name. “Subject Line.” Received by First Last, Day Month Year.
- Subject line as the title, in quotation marks.
- Received by names the recipient; write “Received by the author” if it was sent to you.
- No subject: describe it: Email to First Last.
A real example
Works Cited entry
Boyle, Anthony T. “Re: Utopia.” Received by Daniel J. Cahill, 21 June 1997.
In-text citation
(Boyle)
When details are missing
- A text message: the same pattern, with “Text message” as the description.
- An email published in a collection: add the collection in italics as a container, with its editors, publisher, year and pages.
- Several emails from one person: one entry each, ordered by subject line.
Common mistakes
- Leaving an email out of Works Cited. In MLA it gets an entry. APA and Chicago keep personal messages out of the list.
- The subject line in italics. It is a title within a message: quotation marks.
- Quoting private email without asking. Ask the sender before you quote their message in a paper others will read.
Or let Format do it.
Choose Letter, email or message, set the kind to Email, and fill in the sender, the recipient, the subject and the date. Format writes the Works Cited entry and the in-text citation in MLA 9, exactly as shown above, and builds the Works Cited page when you export to Word or PDF. MLA and APA are free.
Questions
Do I include the email address?
No. Names only.
Is the date required?
Yes, the date it was sent.
How is this different in APA?
APA treats an email as a personal communication, cited in the text only. See an interview in APA 7.
More citation guides
Similar sources in MLA
Every source kind is on the MLA page, and every style is on How to cite.