MLA 9th Edition · Diagram
How to Cite A Diagram in MLA 9th Edition
MLA 9th Edition treats a diagram as a containerized work: artist or creator, italicized title, date, and the website or museum that hosts it. Humanities courses usually want an Accessed date for online diagrams. Diagram citations belong to the textbook or manual that published the figure, not a scraped study-guide mirror.
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MLA Style
9th Edition (Section 5.34)💡 "Copy Formatted" copies with HTML styling so pasting into Microsoft Word or Google Docs retains italicized titles and indentation automatically.
MLA 9th formula for a diagram
Creator Last Name, First Name. Title of Work in Title Case. Year. Website or Museum, URL. Accessed Day Mon. Year.
Italics: Italicize artwork and photograph titles in title case; website names are also italicized as containers. Year position: After the title, as its own element (not in parentheses).
Worked example
In-text citation
(National Institutes of Health)
Template: (Creator) or (Creator, fig. X)
Figure caption
Fig. 1. National Institutes of Health, Structure of a neuron, 2020, NIH Curriculum Supplements, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Special rules for diagrams
- Name the diagram title and the chapter or figure number when the source uses one.
- If you redraw a process diagram, mark it as adapted and cite the original.
- For scientific schematics, keep labels consistent with the source terminology.
Source of truth: The textbook, paper, or technical manual that published the diagram.
Common mistakes
- Citing a study-guide site that scraped the diagram instead of the textbook.
- Dropping figure numbers that readers need to find the original.
- Calling a flowchart a photograph in the format field.
FAQ
How do you cite a diagram in MLA 9th?
Build one MLA 9th reference from creator → date → title → “Diagram” → host. Then paste the finished string into your reference list; do not leave the format field blank or point to a search-results URL.
What is the in-text citation for a diagram in MLA 9th?
Match the creator spelling used in the reference entry and apply (Creator) or (Creator, fig. X). If the diagram is labeled as a numbered figure in the paper, add that figure number only where your instructor’s MLA 9th handout allows.
Do I need a figure caption when I include a diagram in my paper (MLA 9th)?
Only if you reprint the visual. A mention in prose needs in-text + reference list; a reproduced diagram also needs a numbered caption so readers can connect the picture on the page to the bibliography entry.
Where should I look for source details for a diagram?
Start on the object or article page that displays the diagram, then read the credit line, about panel, or download metadata. Skip aggregator cards and thumbnail feeds—they rarely carry a citable creator or permanent link.
What is a common mistake when citing diagrams in MLA 9th?
Students often citing a study-guide site that scraped the diagram instead of the textbook. Another frequent miss: treating a cropped social share as the publisher of record.
How is citing a diagram different from citing a generic online photo in MLA 9th?
A generic photo citation can stop at photographer + site + URL. For diagrams, you also have to capture name the diagram title and the chapter or figure number when the source uses one. That extra field is what keeps the entry recoverable.