PERRLA/Guides/MLA 9/Wikipedia article

How to Cite a Wikipedia Article in MLA 9

An MLA 9 Works Cited entry for a Wikipedia article starts with the article's title in quotation marks and title case, because Wikipedia articles have no author. Then come the site's name in italics, Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, its publisher, Wikimedia Foundation, the date of the version you read (21 Oct. 2026), and the permanent link to that version. The in-text citation is the title in quotation marks: ("Florence Nightingale").

The format

"Title of the Article." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Day Mon. Year, en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=xxxx&oldid=xxxx.

PERRLA MLA Experts ยท Updated October 27, 2026
Checked against the MLA Handbook, 9th edition. Every example is formatted by PERRLA's reference engine.

First, the easy way: PERRLA

Paste the Wikipedia article's everyday link, the one with /wiki/ in it, into PERRLA's reference search, straight from your browser's address bar. PERRLA reads the article's title and the date of its latest edit, and it swaps that link for the permanent link to the current version, the one with oldid= in it. You don't have to dig through the page history to find it. Check the title and the date before you add it, and if you read an older version, change the date and the link to match that version.

Adding one by hand? Choose Reference Work, then Entry in a reference work, and pick Entry in Wikipedia. Type the article's title in Entry Title, pick the version's date in Last Modified Date, and paste the permanent link in the URL. PERRLA puts the title in quotation marks and title case, adds Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia in italics with Wikimedia Foundation as the publisher, and writes the date day, month, year.

Look up
Paste a Wikipedia link, get the reference

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale

"Florence Nightingale." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Oct. 2026, en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florence_Nightingale&oldid=1381327270.

Not using PERRLA yet? Here is how to build the same works cited entry by hand.

The parts of the works cited entry

1. Article title

Wikipedia articles have no author, so the entry starts with the article's title, in quotation marks and title case, with a period inside the closing quotation mark.

"Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs."

Don't use a contributor's username or "Wikipedia contributors" as the author. Each article is written by many people over time, so MLA starts with the title.

2. Website name

Wikipedia is the container, so its name goes in italics, followed by a comma. MLA's own examples use the full name the site shows under its logo.

Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia,

3. Publisher

Wikipedia is run by the Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit. Its name isn't the same as the site's, so MLA includes it, followed by a comma.

Wikimedia Foundation,

4. Date of the version

Give the date of the version you read, written day, month, year, with the month abbreviated. Wikipedia articles change constantly, so this is the date of that version's last edit, not the day the article was created or the day you read it.

19 Oct. 2026,

Find it in the article's View history tab: the top entry is the current version, with its date and time. If the article has been edited since you read it, use the version from the day you read it.

5. Permanent link

End with the permanent link to the version you used, without https://, and a period. MLA prefers a permanent link when a site offers one, because it keeps showing the version you saw, even after the article changes. On Wikipedia, open the Tools menu and choose Permanent link; the address will contain oldid= and a number.

en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs&oldid=1380997737.

With a permanent link and a version date, you don't need an access date.

Examples

A Wikipedia article, current version

The Wikipedia article on Florence Nightingale, read on October 21, 2026, the same day its latest edit was made. The date is the date of that version, and the link is the version's permanent link.

  • In-text citation("Florence Nightingale")
  • Narrative citationThe Wikipedia article "Florence Nightingale" notes that …

A Wikipedia article you quote, with a long title

The version of the article on Maslow's hierarchy of needs last edited on October 19, 2026. Wikipedia has no page numbers, so a quote from it gets no location in the citation. The title is long, so the in-text citation shortens it to its first noun and the word before it.

  • In-text citation("Maslow's Hierarchy")
  • Narrative citationThe Wikipedia article "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs" says that …

An older version you read earlier

The Sepsis article as it stood on September 22, 2026. It has been edited since, so a student who read it in September cites that version: its own date and its own permanent link from View history, not today's version.

  • In-text citation("Sepsis")
  • Narrative citationThe Wikipedia article "Sepsis" describes …

In-text citations

Wikipedia has no author, so the in-text citation uses the article's title, in quotation marks and title case.

  • Parenthetical: ("Florence Nightingale")
  • A long title: shorten it to the first noun and any words before it: ("Maslow's Hierarchy")
  • A quote: Wikipedia has no page numbers, so the citation has no location. Don't count paragraphs or sections to make one up.
  • Title in your sentence: with no page to give, leave the parentheses off: The Wikipedia article "Sepsis" describes how …
  • The same title in two sources: if you also cite another encyclopedia's "Sepsis," add the site's name in square brackets: ("Sepsis" [Wikipedia])

The date stays in the Works Cited entry. MLA in-text citations don't take a year.

Common mistakes

  • (Wikipedia)("Sepsis")The citation matches the first part of the Works Cited entry, which is the article's title.
  • ("Sepsis," 2026)("Sepsis")That's APA. MLA in-text citations don't take the year, and Wikipedia has no page to add.
  • Wikipedia contributors. "Sepsis.""Sepsis."Wikipedia articles have no author in MLA. Start with the title.
  • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepsis.en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sepsis&oldid=1376203322.The everyday link always shows the newest version, which may not say what you quoted. The permanent link shows the version you read.
  • Sepsis. Wikipedia, September 22, 2026,"Sepsis." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Sept. 2026,The article is part of a larger site, so its title goes in quotation marks. The publisher comes before the date, and the date is written day, month, year.

Quick checklist

  • Article title first, in quotation marks and title case
  • Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia in italics
  • Wikimedia Foundation as the publisher
  • The version's date: day, abbreviated month, year
  • The permanent link with oldid=, not the everyday link
  • In the text: the title in quotation marks, no year, no page

Questions students ask

Can I cite Wikipedia in an MLA paper?

MLA gives a format for it, but whether you should is up to your instructor, so check the assignment. Wikipedia summarizes what other sources say, and many professors want you to cite those original sources instead, especially in nursing and the health sciences. A good habit is to use Wikipedia to get oriented, then follow its footnotes to the articles and reports it cites.

What date do I use for a Wikipedia article in MLA?

The date of the version you read, shown in the article's View history tab. Write it day, month, year, like 22 Sept. 2026. It's the date of that version's last edit, not the article's creation date or the day you visited.

Where do I find a Wikipedia article's permanent link?

On the article, open the Tools menu and choose Permanent link. Or open View history and click the date of the version you used. Either way, copy the address that contains oldid= and a number, and drop the https:// in your entry.

Does a Wikipedia citation need an access date in MLA?

Not when you give the version's date and its permanent link, because that link always shows the same version. MLA makes access dates optional; add one only if your instructor asks for it.

Who is the author of a Wikipedia article?

For your citation, no one. Wikipedia articles are written and edited by many volunteers, so MLA starts the entry with the article title. The Wikimedia Foundation goes in the publisher spot, not the author spot.

How do I cite Wikipedia in the text in MLA?

Use the article's title in quotation marks: ("Sepsis"). Shorten a long title to its first noun and the words before it. Wikipedia has no page numbers, so there's no number to add, even for a quote.

Rules checked against the MLA Handbook (9th ed.), chapters 5 and 6 (the core elements, containers, permalinks, optional access dates, and in-text citations for works with no author or page numbers), and the MLA Style Center's answers on entries in reference works, encyclopedia entries, accessible links in entries (its 2025 Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation example), identical titles with no authors, unpaginated works, and shortened titles. Each example's permanent link is the one verified for the APA 7 page and was re-checked with the Wikipedia API on October 27, 2026, for its title and version date.

PERRLA turns a Wikipedia article's everyday link into the permanent link for its current version, with the date in MLA order.

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