How to Cite The Guardian in MLA 9 Format

What “The Guardian” is in MLA 9 citations

In MLA 9, The Guardian is treated as a news website and also as a container that hosts individual articles. Most of the time, you are citing a single web article from The Guardian. Your Works Cited entry focuses on the article first, then identifies The Guardian as the container, followed by the publication date, the URL, and sometimes an access date.

MLA citations are built from “core elements” in a consistent order. For a Guardian article, the usual order is:

1. Author
2. Title of the article
3. Title of the website (the container, The Guardian)
4. Publisher (often omitted for news sites when it is the same as the website title)
5. Publication date
6. URL
7. Access date (optional, but sometimes helpful)

You do not have to memorize the theory, but you do need consistent formatting. That consistency is what lets readers quickly identify who wrote the piece, what it is called, where it appeared, and how to find it.

The basic Works Cited format for a Guardian article (MLA 9)

Standard template

Author Last Name, First Middle. “Title of Article.” The Guardian, Day Month Year, URL.

Notes:
- Article titles go in quotation marks.
- The Guardian is italicized.
- Dates use the MLA style, for example, 12 Jan. 2024 or 12 January 2024, depending on your instructor’s preference. Many MLA examples abbreviate months.
- Use the direct URL to the article.
- MLA 9 does not require “https://” to be removed, you can keep it.

Author rules you must follow (based on your requirements)

One author

• Use the author’s full first name, not initials.
• Invert the name for the first author: Last, First Middle.

Example pattern:
- Smith, John Michael.

Why it matters: MLA Works Cited lists are alphabetized. Inverting the first author’s name makes sorting consistent and makes it easier for readers to locate sources.

Two authors

• First author is inverted.
• Second author is in normal order.
• Use and between names.

Example pattern:
- Smith, John Michael, and Maria Lopez.

Why it matters: This format is instantly recognizable in MLA and prevents confusion about which name should be alphabetized.

Three or more authors

• List only the first author, inverted, then add et al.
• Do not list the remaining authors before et al.

Example pattern:
- Smith, John Michael, et al.

Why it matters: Many news pieces can have long contributor lists. MLA shortens them so your Works Cited stays readable while still giving clear credit.

No author listed

• Start with the title of the article in quotation marks.
• For alphabetizing, ignore A, An, The at the beginning of the title.
• Do not use “Anonymous” or “n.d.”

Why it matters: Starting with the title keeps your citation honest and traceable. Inventing an author or using placeholders makes the source harder to verify.

Example 1, one author Guardian article (with explanation)

Works Cited entry (correct formatting)

Tisdall, Simon. “The West Must Stop Enabling Netanyahu’s War.” The Guardian, 10 November 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/10/the-west-must-stop-enabling-netanyahus-war.

Why each part is there

• Tisdall, Simon. This is the author. It is inverted so the entry alphabetizes under T.
• “The West Must Stop Enabling Netanyahu’s War.” This is the article title. Quotation marks signal it is a short work within a larger site.
• ** The Guardian,** This is the container, the site where the article appears.
• 10 November 2023, This is the publication date, which helps readers place the article in time.
• URL This is the location. MLA prefers a stable link so the reader can find the exact page.

Practical tip

If you copy the URL from your browser, remove tracking parts if present, for example long strings after a question mark. Use the cleanest working link.

Example 2, two authors Guardian article (with explanation)

Works Cited entry (correct formatting)

Hern, Alex, and Johana Bhuiyan. “Tech Companies Face New Rules Under EU Digital Services Act.” The Guardian, 25 August 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/aug/25/tech-companies-face-new-rules-under-eu-digital-services-act.

Why this follows your author rules

• First author inverted: Hern, Alex
• Second author not inverted: Johana Bhuiyan
• Uses “and” between names

Common pitfall to avoid

Do not write: “Hern, Alex, Bhuiyan, Johana.” That looks like two inverted names and it is not MLA style for two authors. Only the first author is inverted.

Example 3, no author listed (with explanation)

Works Cited entry (correct formatting)

“Heat Records Broken as Southern Europe Faces Extreme Temperatures.” The Guardian, 18 July 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/18/heat-records-broken-southern-europe-extreme-temperatures.

Why this is correct

• There is no author, so the citation starts with the title.
• The title is in quotation marks because it is an article.
• The Guardian is italicized as the container.
• The date and URL allow the reader to locate the exact item.

Alphabetizing note

In your Works Cited list, you alphabetize by the first meaningful word in the title. If the title began with “The,” you would ignore it for alphabetizing purposes.

In text citations for Guardian articles (brief guide)

In MLA, in text citations usually use the author’s last name. For web articles, page numbers are typically unavailable, so you usually cite only the name.

• One author: (Tisdall)
• Two authors: (Hern and Bhuiyan)
• Three or more authors: (Hern et al.)
• No author: use a shortened title in quotation marks: (“Heat Records Broken”)

Tip: Keep the shortened title distinctive and match the first words of the full title.

Why these rules matter

They make your sources easy to verify

A reader should be able to locate the exact Guardian article you used. Accurate author formatting, correct titles, and a working URL make that possible.

They prevent misattribution

Using full first names when available reduces confusion between writers with similar surnames. It also respects the author’s identity, which is especially important in academic work.

They keep your Works Cited consistent

Consistency is a major goal of MLA style. When every entry follows the same structure, your bibliography becomes easier to scan and more professional.

Practical tips and common pitfalls for citing The Guardian

Tips

• Use the name shown on the article page, not a username or social handle.
• Check for multiple contributors. Some Guardian pages list more than one author, especially in live blogs or collaborative reporting.
• Use the publication date shown near the headline. If the page lists an updated time, you usually still cite the publication date unless your instructor asks for an access date or update information.

Common pitfalls

• Using initials instead of full first names. Your rule requires full first names, so avoid “S. Tisdall.”
• Forgetting to invert the first author. The first author must be “Last, First.”
• Inverting the second author in a two author citation. Only the first author is inverted.
• Listing all authors for three or more authors. Use the first author plus et al.
• Treating The Guardian as the author. The author is the person who wrote the article. The Guardian is the website title, unless no author is listed.

Quick checklist for a correct Guardian MLA 9 entry

• Author present, full first name used
• First author inverted
• Two authors use “and,” second author not inverted
• Three or more authors use “et al.” after the first author only
• Article title in quotation marks
• The Guardian italicized
• Date included
• URL included
• Optional access date if needed by your assignment

If you share one Guardian link you are using, I can format the exact Works Cited entry and the matching in text citation using your rules.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Common Errors for The Guardian Citations

Validation Checklist

Special Cases

Special cases and edge cases when citing The Guardian in MLA 9

Citing The Guardian is usually straightforward, but several common situations create confusion, especially with online articles that update over time, have unusual bylines, or appear in special sections. MLA 9 is flexible, but it still expects consistency and enough detail for readers to locate the exact item you used. The rules about names and author formatting matter because they affect alphabetizing in your Works Cited list, and they make authorship clear and respectful.

Below are the most important edge cases you will encounter when citing The Guardian, along with practical tips and common pitfalls.

Core pattern for a standard Guardian online article

A typical MLA 9 Works Cited entry for a web article from The Guardian looks like this:

Author. “Title of Article.” The Guardian, Day Month Year, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

Key points that often matter with The Guardian:

• Use The Guardian as the container title, italicized.
• Include the full date if available.
• Use the direct URL for the article.
• Include an access date when the page is likely to change, or when your instructor requires it.

Author name edge cases

Two authors

If a Guardian piece lists two authors, MLA lists both. Your rules require full first names, and the first author must be inverted.

Format
- First author: Last, First Middle.
- Second author: First Last.
- Join with and.

Common pitfall: Inverting both names, or using initials.

Three or more authors

Many Guardian investigations and live projects list multiple contributors. Your rules require listing only the first author, then et al.

Format
- First author inverted, then et al.

Common pitfall: Listing all authors, or listing two authors and then et al. Your rule is first author only, then et al.

No author listed

Sometimes an article shows no clear author at the top, or it is credited only to a section label. In MLA, if there is no author, you start with the title.

Format
- “Title of Article.” The Guardian, date, URL. Accessed date.

Common pitfall: Writing “Anonymous” or “n.d.” MLA does not use those in this situation.

Corporate or group bylines

You may see bylines such as “Guardian staff,” “The Guardian,” “Editorial board,” or a project name. If the byline is presented as the author, you can treat it as the author element. If it is not clearly an author, treat the work as having no author and begin with the title.

Practical tip: Use what the page presents as the byline. Do not guess a person’s name.

Titles, sections, and unusual page types

“Live” blogs and rolling coverage

Live blogs are frequently updated, sometimes many times in a day. This creates two citation questions: which date to cite, and whether to include an access date.

Best practice
- Use the date shown for the page you viewed, often the initial publication date or the most recent update date, depending on what the page displays.
- Add an access date because the content can change after you consult it.

Common pitfall: Citing a live blog without an access date, then your reader cannot verify what you saw.

Opinion, editorials, and letters

Opinion pieces still follow the same basic format. The difference is usually that the section label “Opinion” appears on the page. MLA does not require you to include the section name, but you may include it as an optional element if it helps identify the item.

Practical tip: Only add the section label if it clarifies what the item is, for example, distinguishing a news report from an editorial.

Audio, video, and interactive features

Some Guardian pages are not standard articles. They might be videos, audio, or interactive presentations. MLA lets you include a description such as “Video” or “Interactive feature” after the title.

Common pitfall: Treating an interactive page like a normal article when it has no clear author or date. In that case, prioritize what is available, title, container, publisher if needed, URL, and access date.

Dates, updates, and “last modified” information

The Guardian often includes “First published” and “Last modified” times. MLA 9 generally uses the publication date, but you can cite the version you used if updates are significant.

Best practice
- If the page clearly shows a “Last modified” date and the changes matter for your use, cite that date. Otherwise cite the publication date.
- Include an access date when updates are likely.

Why this matters: Your citation should point to the version of the information you relied on. This is especially important if you quote a statement that might later be edited.

URLs, paywalls, and sharing links

Use stable, direct URLs

The Guardian URLs are usually stable. Use the clean URL from the address bar.

Avoid
- Tracking-heavy links copied from social media
- Shortened links when a full URL is available

Paywalled or region-limited access

If a reader might not be able to access the page, MLA still expects the URL. You can also include an access date to show when it was available to you.

Practical tip: If your instructor permits, save a PDF for your own records, but cite the original web page unless you are explicitly citing the PDF version you downloaded.

Example 1, two authors, standard news article

Works Cited entry
Smith, John Michael, and Aisha Khan. “Example Headline of a Guardian News Article.” The Guardian, 14 May 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/example-path. Accessed 2 June 2024.

Why this is correct

• The first author is inverted: Smith, John Michael.
• The second author is not inverted and uses full first name: Aisha Khan.
• The article title is in quotation marks.
• The Guardian is italicized as the container.
• The date is in Day Month Year format.
• The URL is included.
• The access date is included, which is helpful for web content.

Common pitfalls this avoids

• Writing “Smith, J. M.” instead of the full name.
• Inverting the second author as “Khan, Aisha.”
• Leaving out the access date for a web page that could update.

Example 2, three or more authors, investigation or project

Works Cited entry
Patel, Rina, et al. “Example Investigative Report Title.” The Guardian, 9 Sept. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/example-investigation. Accessed 18 Oct. 2023.

Why this is correct

• Only the first author is listed, inverted, with a full first name.
• et al. is used after the first author, following your rule for three or more authors.
• The container and date are present.
• An access date is included, which is useful for investigations that may be updated or expanded.

Common pitfalls this avoids

• Listing all contributors, which can be long and inconsistent.
• Listing two authors and then et al., which conflicts with your rule.
• Omitting the access date when the page may change.

Example 3, no author, live blog or frequently updated page

Works Cited entry
“Example Live Blog Title: Topic and Date.” The Guardian, 27 Nov. 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/example-live-blog. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Why this is correct

• There is no author, so the citation starts with the title.
• The title is in quotation marks because it is a web article page, not a whole site.
• The Guardian is the container.
• The access date is included, which is especially important for live blogs and rolling updates.

Common pitfalls this avoids

• Inventing an author such as “Guardian Staff” when no byline is shown.
• Using “n.d.” when a date is missing. MLA prefers you omit the date if it is truly unavailable, and include an access date.

Practical tips and common pitfalls for The Guardian citations

Tips

• Capture details while you read. Copy the title, author line, and date immediately. Live pages can change.
• Use the page itself, not Google results. Search snippets sometimes show different dates or truncated titles.
• Be consistent with access dates. If you include one access date, consider including them for all web sources in the same paper, unless your instructor says otherwise.
• Check the byline carefully. Some pages show contributors in a banner or at the bottom.

Pitfalls to avoid

• Initials instead of full first names. Your rule requires full first names for clarity and respect.
• Incorrect name inversion. Only the first author is inverted, the second author is normal order.
• Using “Anonymous” or “n.d.” MLA does not use these for missing authors or dates in this context.
• Forgetting italics and quotation marks. Article titles go in quotation marks, the newspaper name goes in italics.
• Citing the homepage instead of the article. Always cite the specific page you used.

Why these rules matter

These special cases matter because The Guardian publishes many formats that look similar but behave differently over time. Correct author formatting ensures your Works Cited list alphabetizes properly and credits the right people. Correct handling of updates and access dates helps your reader verify what you used, even if the page changes later. Clear, consistent citations also strengthen your credibility, especially when you rely on fast-moving news coverage.

If you want, share one or two Guardian URLs you are using, and I can show the exact MLA 9 Works Cited entries that follow your author name rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a Guardian article in MLA 9 with the author, title, and URL?

In MLA 9, cite a Guardian article like a web page on a news site. Start with the author’s name, last name first. Then put the article title in quotation marks. Italicize the website name, The Guardian. Add the publication date, then the URL without https://. Include an access date only if your instructor requires it or if the page is likely to change. Example scenario, you are citing a politics article you read online for a research paper. Works Cited format, Lastname, Firstname. “Article Title.” The Guardian, Day Mon. Year, www.theguardian.com/.... In the text, cite (Lastname) or (Lastname par. 4) if there are no page numbers. For MLA details, see Purdue OWL, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_electronic_sources.html.

How do I cite a Guardian article with no author listed?

If a Guardian article has no named author, begin the Works Cited entry with the article title in quotation marks. Then list The Guardian in italics, followed by the date and the URL. This is common with brief news updates, staff pages, or some live blogs where authorship is unclear. Practical scenario, you found a Guardian explainer page that lists editors but not a single author. Use the title as the first element, and in your in text citation, use a shortened title in quotation marks, for example (“Shortened Title”). Works Cited pattern, “Article Title.” The Guardian, Day Mon. Year, www.theguardian.com/.... If a corporate author is clearly given, such as “Guardian Staff,” you may use that as the author. For more guidance, see MLA on authors, https://style.mla.org/works-cited-a-quick-guide/.

How do I cite a Guardian live blog or continuously updated page in MLA 9?

Live blogs can be tricky because they update throughout the day. In MLA 9, cite the page you consulted, using the title of the live blog, The Guardian as the site name, and the date shown on the page. If the page lists a time stamp or indicates updates, include an access date to show when you viewed it, especially if you are quoting a specific update that might move or change. Practical scenario, you quote a paragraph from a Guardian live blog about an election night. Works Cited format, Author (if listed). “Title of Live Blog.” The Guardian, Day Mon. Year, www.theguardian.com/.... Accessed Day Mon. Year. In text, cite the author or a shortened title, and add a paragraph number if available, for example (Smith par. 27). For access date guidance, see Purdue OWL, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_electronic_sources.html.

How do I cite a Guardian article I read on the app or as an Apple News or Google News version?

If you read The Guardian through an app or an aggregator, try to cite the original Guardian page when possible, because it provides stable publication details and a direct URL. Practical scenario, you opened a Guardian story in Apple News and the link shows an Apple domain, not theguardian.com. Search the article title on The Guardian site and cite that version. If you must cite the app version, treat it as a container, list the article title, then the app or service name in italics, the publisher if relevant, the date, and any stable URL or database style link the platform provides. In text, use the author or shortened title. MLA container guidance can help you decide what to treat as the source and what to treat as the container, https://style.mla.org/containers/. When in doubt, prioritize the version that your reader can access and verify.

How do I cite a Guardian opinion column, editorial, or letter to the editor in MLA 9?

Opinion pieces are cited like other Guardian articles, but you should keep the exact title and the author as shown, because credibility and viewpoint matter. Practical scenario, you are analyzing a Guardian opinion column in a persuasive essay. Works Cited format, Columnist Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Column.” The Guardian, Day Mon. Year, www.theguardian.com/.... If the piece is labeled “Editorial,” it may have no individual author. In that case, start with the title. If it is a letter to the editor with a named writer, use that writer as the author. In text, cite (Lastname). If you refer to the section, such as Opinion, you can mention it in your prose rather than forcing it into the citation. For MLA examples of web articles, see MLA’s quick guide, https://style.mla.org/works-cited-a-quick-guide/.

How do I cite a Guardian article that has a different print date or multiple dates, like updated and published?

Use the date that best matches the version you used. On The Guardian, you may see “published” and “last modified” or “updated.” MLA 9 generally uses the publication date, but you can include an update date if it is important to your point, especially when the changes affect facts you discuss. Practical scenario, you cite a breaking news story that was updated after an official report was released. You can cite the main date shown on the page, and if the update is significant, add “Updated” and the updated date after the publication date in your entry, if the page clearly provides it. Also consider adding an access date if the content is likely to change. For date and optional elements guidance, see MLA guidance on optional elements, https://style.mla.org/works-cited-a-quick-guide/.

Last Updated: 2026-01-01
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