On this page
Updated . Example details checked against the APA Style example for a Wikipedia entry (Publication Manual, 7th ed.): the Oil painting article as archived on December 11, 2019.
The MLA format
Pattern
“Title of Article.” Wikipedia, Day Month Year, URL.
- Title in quotation marks and title case, even though Wikipedia writes article titles in sentence case.
- No author: articles are written by many volunteers, so start with the title.
- Date: the date of the version you read. The current version’s date is at the foot of the article (“This page was last edited on...”).
- URL: MLA prefers a stable link when a site offers one. Wikipedia’s Permanent link, under Tools, points to the exact version you read, so later edits cannot change what you cited.
Should you cite Wikipedia at all?
Ask first. Many instructors do not accept Wikipedia as a source for a college paper, because anyone can change an article. It is often more useful as a map: read the article, follow its footnotes to the books and articles it relies on, and cite those you actually read.
A real example
Works Cited entry
“Oil Painting.” Wikipedia, 8 Dec. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oil_painting&oldid=929802398.
In-text citation
(“Oil Painting”)
When details are missing
- You did not save a permanent link: use the ordinary article URL and the date shown at its foot on the day you read it. MLA also allows an access date at the end: Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.
- You are quoting a section: MLA has no page numbers here; name the section in your sentence if it helps the reader find the passage.
The rules for a missing author, date or page in every style are in no author, date or page.
Common mistakes
- Wikipedia as the author. Wikipedia is the container, in italics. The entry starts with the article title.
- Wikimedia Foundation in place of Wikipedia. The site name is Wikipedia. The foundation runs it but does not write the articles.
- No date. Every article version has one. Give it, so readers can find the text you saw.
Or let Format do it.
Choose Encyclopedia or dictionary entry, type Wikipedia as the encyclopedia, and paste the article’s permanent link with the date of that version. 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 add Wikimedia Foundation as the publisher?
MLA 9 lets you leave out a publisher that does not produce the works a site hosts, and Wikipedia’s articles are written by volunteers, so this page leaves it out. Some guides include it; if your instructor does, add it after Wikipedia.
How do I find the permanent link?
Open the article’s Tools menu and choose Permanent link. The address changes to one ending in oldid= and a number.
Can I cite a source I found through Wikipedia?
Cite it only if you read it yourself. Look it up, check that it says what the article claims, and cite that source with its own pattern.
More citation guides
The same source in other styles
Similar sources in MLA
- Website in MLA 9
- Web page with no author in MLA 9
- Encyclopedia entry in MLA 9
- Dictionary entry in MLA 9
Every source kind is on the MLA page, and every style is on How to cite.