How do you cite something that didn’t sign its name? It feels like trying to mail a letter to a ghost. But the MLA Style Center has your back.
They say: Don’t stress about the missing name. Just skip it. Go straight to the next piece of information. It’s that easy.
Think of it like a party guest without a nametag. You introduce them by their flashy coat instead. Your citation does the same thing.
Your New Best Friend: The Title
When there’s no author, the title becomes the star. It moves to the front of the line. It takes the first spot in your in-text citation.
So instead of (Smith 24), you write (“Article Title” 24). Yes, use quotation marks for a short work. For a whole book or website, italicize it.
Here’s the fun part: you treat the title like a royal decree. Capitalize every major word. It gets top billing.
The Works Cited Page Shuffle
On your Works Cited page, the author slot is simply empty. Don’t write “Anonymous.” Don’t write “N/A.” Just skip it.
Your entry starts with the title. Then the container (like a website name), the publisher, the date, and the URL. It flows naturally.
The MLA Handbook calls this a “missing author” entry. It’s a technical term. But I call it the “masked marvel” of citations.
