First, the easy way: PERRLA
If the article is in PubMed, paste its PubMed ID (the PMID on its PubMed page) into PERRLA's reference search. PERRLA fills in the authors, the title, the journal, the volume, the issue, and the pages, and leaves the DOI empty when the article really doesn't have one. Then check two things before you save. First, the URL: a PubMed ID lookup puts the PubMed link in the URL field, and PubMed is an index, not where you read the article, so clear it. Second, the journal name: make it the name the journal prints on its cover (PubMed's long catalog names, like "Medsurg Nursing : Official Journal of the Academy of Medical-surgical Nurses," aren't it).
Read it in a database? Choose Journal, then An article in a database and A single article. Fill in the Journal Name, Volume Number, Issue Number, and pages, type the database's name in Database Name, and paste the article's permalink as the URL. For a print copy or a journal's own website, choose Journal article and A single published article instead, and add the URL only for the website. For a two-month issue, type both months and the year in Publication Year, like Sept.-Oct. 2013. PERRLA handles the title case, the italics, the vol., no., and pp. labels, and the punctuation.
Not using PERRLA yet? Here is how to build the same works cited entry by hand.
The parts of the works cited entry
1. Author
Start with the first author's last name, a comma, and their first name as the article prints it, with any middle initial. Leave out credentials like RN or PhD. A missing DOI doesn't change anything here.
Amerson, Roxanne.
Two authors: invert only the first name, then and and the second author's name in normal order. Three or more: the first author, a comma, and et al.
Sherman, Jay, et al.
2. Article title
Put the article title in quotation marks and capitalize it in title case, even when the journal or database uses sentence case. Acronyms like AI keep their capitals. A question mark at the end replaces the period.
"Investigating Bedside Nursing Report: A Synthesis of the Literature."
3. Journal name
The journal is the first container, so its name goes in italics, in title case, followed by a comma. Use the name the journal prints, not a database's catalog version or an abbreviation like Medsurg Nurs.
MEDSURG Nursing,
4. Volume, issue, and date
Write vol. and the volume number, then no. and the issue number, then the date, each followed by a comma. Give the date as fully as the journal gives it: a month or season and the year, or the year alone.
vol. 24, no. 1, 2012,
A two-month issue gets both months, joined by a hyphen: Sept.-Oct. 2013.
5. Pages
Write pp. before a page range. Past 99, the second number keeps only its last two digits, unless more are needed. If the article skips pages, give the first page and a plus sign.
pp. 6–15.
Online journals that don't use page numbers simply skip this part.
6. The ending: database, URL, or nothing
This is the only part that changes when there's no DOI. Ask where you read the article.
- A database (ERIC, CINAHL, ProQuest, EBSCOhost, JSTOR): the database is a second container. Put its name in italics, a comma, and the article's permalink, then a period.
- A journal's own open website: end with the article's URL and a period.
- A print copy: stop after the pages.
ERIC, eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ977178.
Use the permalink or stable link the database gives you, not the address in your browser bar, which often carries your school's login and won't open for anyone else. Never write "No DOI" to fill the gap.
Examples
An article from a database, with no DOI
A 2012 nursing education study in the International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. The journal didn't start registering DOIs until 2024, so this article has none. Read through ERIC, the database is the second container, so its name goes in italics, followed by the article's stable ERIC link.
Works Cited
Amerson, Roxanne. "The Influence of International Service-Learning on Transcultural Self-Efficacy in Baccalaureate Nursing Graduates and Their Subsequent Practice." International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, vol. 24, no. 1, 2012, pp. 6–15. ERIC, eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ977178.
- In-text citation(Amerson 10)
- Narrative citationAs Amerson found, … (10).
An article on a journal's website, with no DOI
The Canadian Journal of Nursing Informatics publishes its articles free on its own website, with a volume and issue but no DOIs and no page numbers. The article's URL works for anyone, so it goes at the end. The title ends in a question mark, so no period follows it, and with no pages, the in-text citation is the name alone.
Works Cited
Neumeier, Melanie. "Are We Supporting the Next Generation of Nurses to Be AI Proficient or AI Dependent?" Canadian Journal of Nursing Informatics, vol. 21, no. 3, 2026, cjni.net/journal/?p=17354.
- In-text citation(Neumeier)
- Narrative citationAs Neumeier asks, …
A print article with no DOI that skips pages
A literature synthesis on bedside report from the September–October 2013 print issue of MEDSURG Nursing, which didn't assign DOIs until 2021. A two-month issue gets both months, joined by a hyphen. The article runs from page 308 to 312 and finishes on page 318. In print, the entry ends after the pages, and MLA gives the first page and a plus sign for an article that skips pages.
Works Cited
Sherman, Jay, et al. "Investigating Bedside Nursing Report: A Synthesis of the Literature." MEDSURG Nursing, vol. 22, no. 5, Sept.-Oct. 2013, pp. 308+.
- In-text citation(Sherman et al. 310)
- Narrative citationSherman et al. found that … (310).
In-text citations
A missing DOI changes nothing in the text. The in-text citation is still the author's last name and the page, with no comma and no p. between them.
- One author: (Amerson 10)
- Two authors: both last names joined by and
- Three or more authors: the first author and et al.: (Sherman et al. 310)
- An article with no page numbers: the name alone: (Neumeier). Don't count paragraphs to make up a number.
- Name in your sentence: give the page alone at the end: Amerson found that service-learning built nursing graduates' confidence in cross-cultural care (10).
Common mistakes
- International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, vol. 24, no. 1, 2012, pp. 6–15. No DOI.International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, vol. 24, no. 1, 2012, pp. 6–15. ERIC, eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ977178.Don't fill the gap with "No DOI." If you read the article in a database, name the database and give its permalink.
- Leaving the database out, the way APA doesERIC, eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ977178.MLA and APA disagree here. APA drops the database; MLA lists it as a second container, in italics, followed by the permalink.
- CINAHL Complete, search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.yourschool.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=…The permalink from the database's share or cite toolYour browser's address often includes your school's login and expires. The permalink is the stable link MLA wants.
- pp. 308–312, 318.pp. 308+.For an article that skips pages, MLA gives the first page and a plus sign in the Works Cited entry.
- Medsurg Nursing : Official Journal of the Academy of Medical-surgical NursesMEDSURG NursingCopying from PubMed brings along its catalog name. Use the journal's own name.
- (Amerson, 2012)(Amerson 10)That's APA. MLA in-text citations give the page, not the year.
Quick checklist
- Searched for a DOI first: database record, journal page, or Crossref
- Author inverted, full first name as printed; et al. for three or more
- Title in quotation marks and title case; journal in italics
- vol., no., the date, and pp. with the page range (first page and + if it skips)
- Database: its name in italics and the permalink
- Journal website: the URL. Print: stop after the pages
Questions students ask
How do I know if a journal article has a DOI?
Look at the article's first page, the database record, and the journal's page for the article. You can also paste the title into search.crossref.org. If none of them shows a DOI, the article doesn't have one.
Do I include the database name in MLA if there's no DOI?
Yes, if you read the article in a database. MLA treats the database as a second container whether or not there's a DOI. Put its name in italics after the page range, then the permalink. This is one of the big differences from APA, which leaves the database out.
Which link do I use from my library database?
Use the permalink (sometimes called a stable link or persistent link) from the database's share or cite tool. The address in your browser bar usually carries your school's login and won't open for your reader.
What if the article has no page numbers either?
Leave the pages out of the entry, and cite by the author's name alone in the text: (Neumeier). If the journal uses article numbers, see the guide for journal articles with an article number.
Do I need an access date for a journal article with no DOI?
No. MLA makes access dates optional, and a published journal article doesn't change. Add one only if your instructor asks for it.
Does a missing DOI mean the article isn't scholarly?
No. DOIs are something publishers pay to register, and many respected journals added them late or not at all. MEDSURG Nursing began assigning DOIs in 2021, so its older peer-reviewed articles have none. Judge the article by the journal and its peer review, not by the DOI.
Related guides
Rules checked against the MLA Handbook (9th ed.), chapters 5 and 6 (the core elements, containers, and in-text citations), and the MLA Style Center's answers on nonconsecutive pages and unpaginated works. Example sources verified against ERIC (record EJ977178 and its full-text PDF: Roxanne Amerson, 2012, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 6–15), PubMed (PMID 24358572), Crossref (to confirm no DOI exists for either article, and that the International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education registers DOIs only from 2024 on), and the Canadian Journal of Nursing Informatics article page.