You should be aware that there is no single citation format for all the magazine articles. It is quite common to distinguish between MLA magazine articles published in print, on a website, on a database, and an online periodical piece. Be sure to read on and get acquainted with all the differences and nuances between these types of magazine content, as follows.
Magazine citation MLA in print
When it comes to the pieces published in print, they are very similar to the process of citing a newspaper. The basic format would include the author of the article, the name of the piece, magazine title, the publication date, and the pages you are referring to.
Basic format:
Author’s Last, First Name. “Article Title.” Magazine Title, Date Month Year, Pages
Example:
Mead, John. “What Dogs Dream Look Like.” Modern Dog, 12 Apr. 2019, pp. 24-34.
In-text citation:
(Mead 24)
As Mead points out, dogs dream about … (24)
In case you are citing a periodical that enlists volumes and issues, your citation would look like:
Mead, John. “What Dogs Dream Look Like.” Modern Dog, vol. 12, no 14, 12 Apr. 2019, pp. 24-34.
Citing a magazine MLA from a website
Since most of the modern magazines work with both Print and Web mediums, it is crucial to know how to cite articles that are published on one’s website. In such a regard, be sure to comply with the following basic format.
Basic format:
Author’s Last, First Name. “Article Title.” Magazine Title, Date of Publication, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited (optional)
Example:
Mead, John. “What Dogs Dream Look Like.” Modern Dog, 12 Apr. 2019, https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/what-do-dogs-dream-about. Accessed 13 April 2019.
Citing a magazine article on a database
As it might happen to most magazine articles and other periodicals, they sooner or later become the parts of a comprehensive library or other databases. In case you want to cite an old magazine article that is located within a database, the following format has to be used.
Basic format:
Author’s Last, First Name. “Article Title.” Magazine Title, Volume Number, Issue Number, Date of Publication, Page Numbers. Name of Database
Example:
Mead, John. “What Dogs Dream Look Like.” Modern Dog, vol. 12, no 14, 12 Apr. 1994, pp. 24-34. JSTOR
Online magazine article citation
As we found out before that MLA 9 optionally requires writers to indicate the time when the source was accessed, sources that can only be found online require no such indication. The only requirement to omit this indication is the credibility and validity of the source, which seems to be correct in relation to magazine articles.
Basic format:
Author’s Last, First Name. “Article Title.” Magazine Title, Date of Publication, URL.
Example:
Mead, John. “What Dogs Dream Look Like.” Modern Dog, 12 Apr. 2019, https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/what-do-dogs-dream-about.