When an author is MIA, the title becomes the star of the show. In your in-text citation, just use the title—either in italics (for a book or film) or in quotation marks (for an article or webpage). For example, if you’re quoting from an article called “How to Pet a Cat Without Getting Scratched,” you’d write: (“How to Pet a Cat” 23).
Yes, you must include a page number if one exists—don’t just float there without a lifeline. If the title is long, shorten it to a key phrase, like “Pet a Cat,” so you don’t sound like you’re reading a shopping list.
What About the Works Cited Page?
Here’s where it gets fun (I promise, no sarcasm intended). On your Works Cited page, start the entry with the title—not “Anonymous,” not a blank space. Just the title, exactly as it appears in the source. For a book, italicize the title: The Art of Not Having a Byline. For a web article, put it in quotation marks: “10 Reasons Cats Rule the Internet.”
Then add the rest of the info like normal: publisher, date, URL or page numbers. But wait—if the date is also missing? Just skip it. MLA doesn’t expect you to be a time traveler.
