{"id":5245,"date":"2025-11-28T09:53:53","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T09:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/how-to-quote-a-website-in-an-essay-mla\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T09:53:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T09:53:53","slug":"how-to-quote-a-website-in-an-essay-mla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/how-to-quote-a-website-in-an-essay-mla\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Quote a Website in an Essay Mla"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let me paint you a picture: sophomore year of college, 2 AM, and I\u2019m hunched over my laptop trying to cite a BuzzFeed article about Friends<\/em> memes for a paper on 90s pop culture. My professor\u2019s red pen had haunted me the previous week (\u201cIncorrect MLA formatting \u2013 see handbook\u201d) like some sort of academic ghost story. Spoiler: I learned the hard way. (And yes, there were literal coffee stains on my keyboard by sunrise.)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing \u2013 MLA website citations aren\u2019t rocket science, but they\u2019re sneakier than a Target clearance rack. You think you\u2019ve got it, then BAM \u2013 no author listed, or the site\u2019s publisher is buried like a Walgreens receipt in your junk drawer. Here\u2019s what finally clicked for me after trial, error, and one very patient librarian:<\/p>\n

The core formula<\/strong> (pretend it\u2019s an IKEA manual, but less frustrating):<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Author<\/strong>: If there\u2019s a byline (even \u201cStaff Writer\u201d), use it. No author? Start with the page title.<\/li>\n
  2. Title<\/strong>: \u201cIn Quotation Marks.\u201d<\/li>\n
  3. Website Name<\/strong>: Italicized<\/em>, baby.<\/li>\n
  4. Publisher<\/strong>: Sometimes same as the website (like The New York Times<\/em>), sometimes not (looking at you, Medium blogs).<\/li>\n
  5. Date<\/strong>: Day-Month-Year published or last updated.<\/li>\n
  6. URL<\/strong>: Drop the https:\/\/.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Real-life example<\/strong> from my meme saga:<\/p>\n

    \n

    Ludwig, David. \u201cWhy Ross\u2019s \u2018Pivot!\u2019 Scene Still Dominates Meme Culture.\u201d BuzzFeed<\/em>, BuzzFeed Inc., 12 Nov. 2021, www.buzzfeed.com\/friends-meme-pivot-ross<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    But wait \u2013 what if things go missing?<\/strong> (Cue my 2 AM panic.)<\/p>\n