In MLA, cite a review with reviewer, title or description, the phrase ‘Review of’ + the work, container, date, and location.
Reviews shape how readers pick books, films, performances, apps, and products. When you cite a review, you credit the critic and make it clear you are citing the review itself, not the original work. MLA style makes this easy: build one entry from core elements and adjust small details for the source type.
Citing A Review In MLA: Formats That Work
Think of the works-cited entry as eight slots that you fill in order. Use the MLA template and keep punctuation exactly as shown. A short checklist:
- Author — the reviewer’s name as it appears on the source.
- Title of source — the review’s title. If none, supply a brief description such as Review of + the work’s title.
- Title of container — the site, newspaper, magazine, journal, or platform that hosts the review.
- Contributor(s) — editors, translators, or hosts if they matter for the review.
- Version — the edition, cut, or season if relevant to the review.
- Number — volume and issue for journals, or episode numbers for series.
- Publisher — the organization behind the container if it differs from the title.
- Publication date — the date shown on the review; use day month year for periodicals.
- Location — page range for print, DOI or permalink for journals, or a stable URL for web.
For a quick refresher on the template, see the MLA Style Center’s Works Cited: A Quick Guide.
Review Citation Templates By Source
| Scenario | Template (fill the italics) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Newspaper review (print) | Reviewer Last, First. “Title of Review.” Newspaper Name, Day Mon. Year, pp. xx–xx. | Use a page range; omit URL. |
| Magazine review (print) | Reviewer Last, First. “Title of Review.” Magazine Name, Day Mon. Year, pp. xx–xx. | Use month day year as shown on the issue. |
| Online news or magazine review | Reviewer Last, First. “Title of Review.” Site Name, Day Mon. Year, URL. | Add access date only if needed by your teacher. |
| Scholarly journal review (print) | Reviewer Last, First. “Title of Review.” Journal Name, vol. x, no. x, Year, pp. xx–xx. | Include volume and issue. |
| Scholarly journal review (online) | Reviewer Last, First. “Title of Review.” Journal Name, vol. x, no. x, Year, pp. xx–xx, DOI or URL. | Prefer DOI when available. |
| Performance review | Reviewer Last, First. “Title of Review.” Newspaper or Site, Day Mon. Year, URL. | Cite the review, not the show. |
| Book review with no review title | Reviewer Last, First. Review of Title of Work, by Creator First Last. Container, Day Mon. Year, Location. | Capitalize the work’s title as usual. |
| Film review on a site | Reviewer Last, First. “Title of Review.” Site Name, Day Mon. Year, URL. | Italicize the site, not the film. |
| Customer or product review | Reviewer Handle. “Review of Product Name.” Platform, Day Mon. Year, URL. | Use the screen name as author. |
Works-Cited Entries For Common Review Types
Below are sample entries that show punctuation and ordering. Swap in your details. Each entry treats the review as the source and the work under review as part of the title or description.
Print Periodical Review
Lopez, Marta. “Sharp Eyes On A Debut.” City Herald, 12 Mar. 2024, pp. C1–C2.
This pattern fits newspapers and magazines in print. If the review names the work under review inside the title, no extra “Review of” phrase is needed.
Online News Or Magazine Review
Okafor, Chidi. “Second Album, Second Act.” Arts Desk, 7 July 2023, https://artsdesk.example/review/second-act.
Use a stable link. Drop tracking strings. If a site shows a last updated time, keep the date that appears on the article.
Journal Review With DOI
Patel, Rina. “New Paths In Biography.” Life Writing Quarterly, vol. 11, no. 2, 2022, pp. 145–48, https://doi.org/10.1234/lwq.2022.456.
Journals often present a “Review of” label in the title field. You can keep that wording if it appears on the page. Purdue OWL’s guidance on periodicals shows this structure well: Works Cited: Periodicals.
Performance Review
Henderson, Alia. “Thunder In A Small Theater.” StageLine, 3 Feb. 2025, https://stageline.example/reviews/thunder-small-theater.
You cite the review that ran in a news outlet or site. Do not cite the playbill unless the review appears there.
Book Review With No Title
Rivera, Tomas. Review of Cartography Of Sleep, by Dana Iqbal. Western Review, vol. 19, no. 4, 2025, pp. 201–04.
When a review lacks a specific title, a concise description stands in for the title of source. Start with Review of, then give the work and its creator.
Customer Review On A Retail Platform
Skywalker17. “Review of NoiseCancel Pro X.” ShopZone, 14 Aug. 2025, https://shopzone.example/review/12345.
Use the handle exactly as shown. If a platform uses only a first name plus last initial, record it that way.
Titles, Descriptions, And The “Review Of” Phrase
Three patterns appear again and again:
- The review has its own title: quote it and continue with the container.
- The review has no title: write a brief description beginning with Review of and give the work under review in italics.
- The review quotes the work’s title in its own title: keep the title as printed and do not add a second “Review of.”
When the work under review has a subtitle, keep it intact. When there are multiple creators, list the first named creator followed by “et al.” if the source uses that shorthand. If the review covers a translation, you may add the translator after the work’s title.
In-Text Citations For Reviews
MLA in-text style pairs the author’s last name with a locator. For print reviews use a page number. For web reviews without page markers use the author’s name alone, or add a section label if the site supplies one.
To keep signals clear, cite the review in your list and use the reviewer’s name inside your parenthetical callouts. When you later engage with the original work, add a second entry for that source. This way readers can follow both threads with ease and confirm where every claim came from. Add pages when available.
Review In-Text Patterns
| Situation | Parenthetical Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Quoted line from a print review | (Lopez C2) | Newspapers often use lettered sections. |
| Paraphrase of a web review with author | (Okafor) | No page number on most sites. |
| Journal review with page | (Patel 146) | Use the exact page of the quote. |
| Reviewer unknown; site shows handle | (Skywalker17) | Use the handle as the author. |
| Multiple reviewers | (Chen and Morrow 4) | For three or more, use the first name plus “et al.” |
Edge Cases And Quick Fixes
No Author Shown
Start the entry with the title or description. In parenthetical citations, use a shortened version of the first element.
Unknown Title
Supply a neutral description: Review of Title of Work, by Creator. Keep the capitalization style used for titles in English.
Multiple Creators Of The Work Under Review
List the first named creator of the work and add “et al.” if the review or the work itself uses it. You are not listing every contributor to the work under review, only enough to identify it clearly.
Streaming Episodes And Seasons
When a review centers on a specific episode, include season and episode numbers after the work’s title inside your description. Add the platform as the container only if the platform hosts the review itself.
Live Performances And Venues
In a performance review, you can mention the venue or city in the text of your paper. The works-cited entry still points to the review published in a news outlet or site.
Print Review Found In A Database
Cite the review as it appears in the database. After the periodical details add the database name as a second container with volume or number if shown, the year, and a DOI or stable link.
Reviews Of New Editions
If a review clearly names an edition, director’s cut, or expanded release, include that version in the template’s version slot. This helps readers match the remarks to the right version.
Step-By-Step Build: From Notes To Entry
Turn raw notes into a clean MLA entry with this nine-step flow:
- Write the reviewer’s name exactly as it appears on the byline.
- Copy the title. If there is no title, prepare a short description starting with Review of.
- Record the container title: website, magazine, newspaper, or journal.
- Add named contributors who shaped the review itself, if any.
- Note a version if the review refers to one.
- Add numbers: volume and issue, or an episode number if supplied by the review.
- Name the publisher when it is not the same as the container.
- Write the publication date in the order shown on the source.
- Finish with the location: page range, DOI, or a trimmed URL that leads directly to the review.
Keep punctuation and spacing.
If you need a quick reminder about the “review, not the performance” rule, remember that your entry points to the review you read, not the live event.
Editing Checklist Before You Publish
- Does the entry start with the reviewer’s name or a clear description?
- Does the title field use quotation marks, and do descriptions start with Review of?
- Are container titles in italics and spelled exactly as printed on the source?
- Are volume, issue, pages, and dates in the correct order?
- Did you prefer a DOI to a URL when one exists?
- Does every in-text callout match the first element of the works-cited entry?
- Have you trimmed long tracking parameters from links?
- Is punctuation copied faithfully from the template?