How to Cite a Scientific Paper in MLA

Citing a scientific paper in MLA follows the format for citing a journal article. Use our free citation generator below to build your citation accordingly, filling out as many fields as you have information for.

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    Full Citation Rules

    Citing a scientific paper in MLA on the Works Cited page follows the format for citing a journal article.

    Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Periodical, vol. Volume, no. Issue, Year, Page #, DOI or URL. Accessed Day Mo. Year.

    In-Text Citation Rules

    A scientific paper in MLA has a simple citation format for in-text citations. The following information appears in parentheses after the text that cites the source, in what is known as a parenthetical citation:

    (Author's Last Name Page #)


    Another form of in-text citation is the narrative citation, which incorporates the author’s name into the sentence. The year of publication would be in parentheses:

    “The author (Year) provides commentary on…”

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Which style guide should I choose for my assignment?

    The style guide you would use to write your paper depends on the subject. MLA format and citations, developed by the Modern Language Association, is used for academic writing in arts and humanities. If you're writing a literature paper, it likely follows MLA format. APA format and citations, developed by the American Psychological Association, is used for psychology, social sciences, sciences, education, engineering, and nursing. Chicago Manual of Style, also known as CMOS or Chicago Style, was developed by the University of Chicago Press. History, business, and fine arts papers typically use CMOS format. There is more ambiguity around when to use Chicago, which you can read more about on our blog.

    What’s the difference between Bibliography, References, and Works Cited pages?

    The term “bibliography” is a catch-all for any list of sources cited at the end of an academic work. Certain style guides use different terminology to refer to bibliographies. For example, MLA format refers to a paper’s bibliography as its Works Cited page. APA refers to it as the References page. Chicago Manual of Style refers to it as Bibliography. No matter which style guide you’re using, the process for writing a bibliography is generally the same. The primary difference between the different style guides is how the bibliography is formatted.

    What’s the difference between full citations, in-line citations, parenthetical citations, footnotes, and annotations - and when should I use each?

    Full citations come at the end of the paper in the bibliography section. It includes all important components of the cited source, such as author name, title, publisher, publish date, page numbers, website URL, and DOI—the digital object identifier that acts as the document’s permanent ID on the internet. 

    In-text citations include both in-line citations and parenthetical citations, both of which you would use when quoting or taking an idea, thought, or fact from another author or source. In-line citations occur within the text itself. You might use in-line citations to introduce a statistic, quote, or finding along with the author’s name, and then you would cite it by including the year in parentheses. A parenthetical citation is similar to an in-line citation—it appears in the body text, and the author’s name and year of publishing are cited in parentheses. You might use parenthetical citations when stating an idea, quote, or finding without mentioning the author or source name in the sentence. The citation that includes the author and year would then come at the end of the statement in parentheses. These in-text citations refer the reader to the bibliography page for the full citation. 

    Footnotes are useful when you want to insert a citation without interrupting the flow of the sentence or paragraph. Footnotes include a superscript number in the text rather than author name and date, and the source information is listed at the bottom of the page or document. The number directs the reader to the corresponding source in the footnote. Chicago style typically uses footnotes. 

    Annotations are footnotes with explanations or comments. You would use this if you want to provide more information about the source or text.

    What is plagiarism and how do I avoid it?

    Plagiarism is including another’s ideas or words in your body of work and passing it off as your own—or not properly crediting the source. Plagiarism can be unintentional or intentional, but it’s easy to avoid this act of academic dishonesty. First, familiarize yourself with the most common types of plagiarism. Then, brush up on ways to avoid plagiarizing another’s writing. It’s important to cite your sources and either quote or paraphrase the cited material. You may also rewrite it in your own words or present your own idea, but you still must cite the source if you reference or allude to their ideas. A plagiarism checker can be a reliable way to check if your work has plagiarized existing material. Grammarly includes a plagiarism check, citation style formatting, and other helpful writing suggestions so you can maintain academic integrity, avoid losing points, and turn in your best work.

    What’s the fastest way to generate a citation?

    When you sign up for Grammarly, our free auto-citations feature is the fastest way to generate a citation without leaving a web page or using copy-paste functions. This feature automatically generates citations directly from the web page of the source you’re trying to cite. Alternatively, our free citation generator tool at the top of this page allows you to quickly build citations manually. Learn more about how to use Grammarly for instant, accurate citations.

    More Resources for Academic Writing

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