MLA ISBN Citation Generator

ISBN (optional)

Author

Title of Book

Edition (optional)

Publisher

Year Published

📄 Live Preview MLA 9 — ISBN Lookup

Your MLA ISBN-based citation will appear here as you fill in the fields…

Book Identified by ISBN-13 — Works Cited Entry

Harari, Yuval Noah. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Harper Perennial, 2015.

In-Text Citation:

(Harari 57)

Revised Edition by ISBN — Works Cited Entry

Strunk, William, and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. 4th ed., Pearson, 1999.

In-Text Citation:

(Strunk and White 23)

Find the ISBN on the back cover of the book, on the copyright page, or in the library database record. ISBNs are either 10 or 13 digits long.
Enter the ISBN in the ISBN field for your reference. Note: MLA does not include ISBNs in the final citation, but the number helps you verify the correct edition.
Fill in the author's name, book title, publisher, and publication year using the information from the book's title and copyright pages.
Add the edition number if it is not the first edition (e.g., 3rd ed.).
Click Generate Citation to produce the MLA-formatted Works Cited entry.
Copy the finished citation into your paper's Works Cited page.

💡 Pro Tips

The ISBN identifies a specific physical or digital edition of a book. Use it to confirm you are citing the correct edition.
Note that MLA does not display the ISBN in the final citation — it is only a reference identifier to locate the correct publication.

An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) uniquely identifies a specific edition and format of a book. While MLA does not include the ISBN in the Works Cited entry, this tool uses it as a reference point to help you cite the exact edition. The generated citation follows the standard MLA book format.

📐 Citation Structure

Author Last, First name. — Standard book author format
Title of Book. — Italicized, period after
Edition, — If not first edition
Publisher, — Publishing house
Year. — Publication year, period to close
(ISBN is used for identification only — not included in the MLA entry)

Important formatting details:

ISBN-13 numbers start with 978 or 979; ISBN-10 numbers are the older format used before 2007.
Different editions, formats (hardcover, paperback, e-book), and printings have different ISBNs.
MLA citations identify the edition through the publisher and year, not the ISBN.
If you need to distinguish between formats, add the format (e.g., Kindle ed.) after the publisher.

No. MLA 9th edition does not include the ISBN in the Works Cited entry. The ISBN is used only as a reference identifier to locate and verify the specific edition of a book. The citation itself uses the author, title, publisher, and year.

The ISBN is printed on the back cover above the barcode, on the copyright page inside the book, or in library catalog records. Online retailers like Amazon also list the ISBN in the product details section.

ISBN-10 is the older 10-digit format used before January 2007. ISBN-13 is the current 13-digit standard that starts with 978 or 979. Both identify the same book, but ISBN-13 is the global standard.

The ISBN helps you identify the exact edition, publisher, and year of publication. Since different printings and formats have different ISBNs, using the correct one ensures your citation matches the version you actually read.

Yes. Use the ISBN to verify the e-book edition, then cite it as a standard MLA book. Add the e-book platform (e.g., Kindle ed., Google Books) after the publisher if relevant.