MLA 9th Edition · Graph
How to Cite A Graph in MLA 9th Edition
MLA 9th Edition treats a graph 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 graphs. Graph citations need enough axis and series context that a reader can find the original plotted data.
Image Citation Generator
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 graph
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
(Roser)
Template: (Creator) or (Creator, fig. X)
Figure caption
Fig. 1. Max Roser, Share of people living in extreme poverty, 2022, Our World in Data, ourworldindata.org/poverty.
Special rules for graphs
- Preserve axis labels and units in your figure note when you reproduce the graph.
- If the graph comes from a journal article, cite the article as the container when required.
- Distinguish line graphs, bar graphs, and scatterplots in the format description when helpful.
Source of truth: The paper, report, or data portal that first published the graph axes and series.
Common mistakes
- Citing a blog that embeds the graph instead of the original dataset or paper.
- Leaving out the year the data series covers versus the year of publication.
- Forgetting an “adapted from” note after you restyle colors or crop axes.
FAQ
How do you cite a graph in MLA 9th?
Build one MLA 9th reference from creator → date → title → “Graph” → 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 graph in MLA 9th?
Match the creator spelling used in the reference entry and apply (Creator) or (Creator, fig. X). If the graph 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 graph in my paper (MLA 9th)?
Only if you reprint the visual. A mention in prose needs in-text + reference list; a reproduced graph 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 graph?
Start on the object or article page that displays the graph, 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 graphs in MLA 9th?
Students often citing a blog that embeds the graph instead of the original dataset or paper. Another frequent miss: treating a cropped social share as the publisher of record.
How is citing a graph different from citing a generic online photo in MLA 9th?
A generic photo citation can stop at photographer + site + URL. For graphs, you also have to capture preserve axis labels and units in your figure note when you reproduce the graph. That extra field is what keeps the entry recoverable.