In MLA, cite an online review with the reviewer, the review title, the words “Review of” plus the work, the site, the date, and a clean URL.
Online reviews pop up everywhere—news sites, apps, shops, maps, and streaming pages. When you quote or paraphrase one, MLA style asks for the same core pieces you use for other web sources: who wrote it, what the review is called, what it reviews, where it lives, when it was posted, and where readers can find it. The good news: once you learn a few patterns, you can handle expert critiques and short user posts with ease.
Citing An Online Review In MLA: Quick Patterns
MLA treats a review as a work in its own right. If the review has a unique title, put it in quotation marks. If it doesn’t, describe it in place of a title. For a review of a book, film, album, app, or product, add the phrase Review of and give the item’s title, plus the creator if it helps identify the work. Then list the site (the container), the date, and the URL. For brief user posts, the screen name counts as the author. If the review page shows only a year or month, include whatever date appears.
| Scenario | Works-Cited Template | In-Text Example |
|---|---|---|
| Signed critic review on a news site | Reviewer Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Review.” Review of Work Title, by Creator. Site Name, Day Mon. Year, URL. | (Lastname) |
| User review with screen name | Screen Name. Description of review. Review of Work Title. Platform, Day Mon. Year, URL. | (Screen Name) |
| Review without a unique title | Reviewer Lastname, Firstname. Review of Work Title, by Creator. Site Name, Day Mon. Year, URL. | (Lastname) |
| Anonymous or “A Google User”-type credit | “Screen name unavailable.” Description of review. Review of Work Title. Platform, Day Mon. Year, URL. | (“Screen name unavailable”) |
| Review inside a magazine or newspaper section | Reviewer Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Review.” Review of Work Title, by Creator. Publication, Day Mon. Year, URL. | (Lastname) |
| App store rating with one-line text | Screen Name. Description of review. Review of App Name. Store, Day Mon. Year, URL. | (Screen Name) |
Two solid references back these patterns: the MLA Style Center’s guidance on citing customer reviews (see the page on Amazon reviews) and Purdue OWL’s note that a review entry uses a title, then the phrase “Review of,” the work’s title, and the usual publication details. For step-by-step building, the next section shows how to fill each element without fuss.
Useful sources: MLA Style Center on customer reviews and Purdue OWL on review entries.
Step-By-Step: Build A Works-Cited Entry
1. Reviewer Name Or Screen Name
Use the name that appears on the review. If the site gives a first and last name, record it in standard MLA order (Lastname, Firstname). If you only see a handle, treat that handle as the author. If the platform hides the name, you can place a short description in the author slot, such as “Local Google user.” Avoid inventing names or moving the store name into the author position.
2. Title Of The Review
If the review has a unique headline, put it in quotation marks. If it doesn’t, supply a concise description in plain text: Review of plus the item, or “User review of” if you want to signal the format. Keep it short. You can add the creator to clarify which work you mean, especially with common titles.
3. Add “Review Of” And The Work
Right after the review title (or description), add the words Review of and the item’s title. Italicize books, films, albums, games, and apps. Use quotation marks for a song, episode, or article. Adding “by Director/Author/Artist” helps when the title alone isn’t distinctive.
4. Container, Publisher, And Date
The site or publication that hosts the review is the container: a news site, a retailer, an app store, or a map service. Use the site name as the container and—if no separate publisher is listed—don’t repeat it as the publisher. Record the date shown on the review page. If only a year or month appears, give what you see. If no date shows, you may supply an access date at the end.
5. Location: URL Or DOI
For web reviews, a URL is the location. Use a stable link where possible. Trim tracking tails and session junk. If the page offers a share link that never changes, prefer that link. MLA doesn’t require “https://,” so you can drop the protocol for cleaner copy if your editor prefers.
In-Text Citations For Online Reviews
MLA in-text citations lean on the author element. For reviews without pages, cite the name alone: (Lopez). For a screen name, keep the exact casing and spacing: (TechFan92). If two reviews share the same name, add a short title: (Lopez, “A Bold Take”). When you quote a brief line from a user post, the same rule applies. If the review sits behind a long thread, you don’t need a paragraph number. Keep it simple and consistent with your works-cited list.
Full Examples You Can Reuse
Critic Review On A News Site
Works Cited: Lee, Carmen. “A Tender Return For The Franchise.” Review of Starlight Roads, directed by Priya Anand. City Herald, 3 Mar. 2025, cityherald.com/arts/tender-return-starlight-roads.
In-text: (Lee)
User Review On A Retailer Page
Works Cited: FitHiker23. “User review of trail shoes.” Review of Summit Pro 3. ShopSphere, 14 Jan. 2025, shopsphere.com/p/summit-pro-3/reviews/482913.
In-text: (FitHiker23)
App Store Review
Works Cited: Ada_Codes. “Bug fixed, speed up.” Review of TaskPilot. AppHub, 22 May 2025, apphub.example/store/taskpilot/review/82910.
In-text: (Ada_Codes)
Review Without A Unique Title
Works Cited: Morales, Diego. Review of River North, by Helen Park. BookPost, 9 July 2025, bookpost.example/reviews/river-north-park.
In-text: (Morales)
Anonymous Map Listing Review
Works Cited: “Local Google user.” “Short diner note.” Review of Sunny Side Café. Google Maps, 18 Aug. 2025, maps.google.com/?cid=12345.
In-text: (“Local Google user”)
Platform Quirks You Should Know
Different platforms hide or rearrange key details. The table below shows where to grab what you need and small notes that keep entries tidy.
| Platform | Where To Find Elements | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon product page | Screen name above stars; date next to the country tag; share link in “Permalink.” | MLA allows a description in place of a title; keep the product name in italics. |
| Google Maps | Name under the profile dot; date under the review; three-dot menu for a share link. | Older entries may show “A Google User”; use that label as the author. |
| Yelp | Name under avatar; date at the top-right of the card; share icon for a stable URL. | City pages can mask restaurant names; link the specific review, not the feed. |
| Goodreads | Name under the star rating; date under the text; “permalink” hides under the three dots. | Include the book in italics after Review of; add the author if helpful. |
| App Store / Play | Screen name under the stars; date just below; tap “Share” or “Link to Review.” | Use the app’s proper styling in italics; keep version info out unless cited in your text. |
Style Tips That Prevent Headaches
Keep Titles Straight
Italicize the thing being reviewed when it’s a stand-alone work: a book, film, album, game, or app. Use quotation marks for a part of a larger work: a song on an album or an episode in a series. The review’s own title always goes in quotation marks.
Describe Brief, Untitled Posts
If a user post has no headline, supply a short description such as “User review of smart lamp.” Don’t pad the description. You’re labeling the piece so readers can recognize it, not trying to rewrite the review.
Mind Repost Pages
If a review is syndicated, cite the version you consulted. When a page shows both a publication name and a platform, place the publication as the publisher and the platform as the container if it clearly hosts the content. When it’s just the site, one container is enough.
Tidy Links
Pick a link that a reader can follow a year from now. Strip referral strings. If the site generates a short share URL that lands on the same page, that’s fine. If the platform rotates content inside a feed, link the single review, not the feed.
Access Dates
Access dates are optional. Add one if the page shows no date or if the content changes often. Put it at the end: Accessed Day Mon. Year. Keep month names short to match MLA’s form.
Quick Checklist Before You Publish
- Author or screen name appears first and matches the review page.
- Review title is in quotation marks; if missing, a brief description sits in its place.
- The words Review of introduce the item, styled correctly.
- Site or publication name is listed once as the container.
- Date reflects the review page; access date added only when needed.
- URL is stable, short, and free of tracking clutter.
- In-text citations use the author or screen name; add a short title only when required.
- Every entry can be located by a reader in one click.
More Sample Lines You Can Adapt Fast
Film, Critic Review
Works Cited: O’Neal, Marcus. “Why The Sequel Works.” Review of Atlas Rising, directed by Lila Roy. Metro Review, 12 Feb. 2025, metroreview.example/film/atlas-rising-review.
In-text: (O’Neal)
Restaurant, Map Listing Review
Works Cited: Priyanka S. “Late-night service was quick.” Review of Lotus Grill. Google Maps, 28 Apr. 2025, maps.google.com/?cid=67890.
In-text: (Priyanka S.)
Book, User Review On A Retail Site
Works Cited: BookNerdLeo. “Clear, witty, and sharp.” Review of The Night Letters, by Mira Chen. PageCart, 7 Sept. 2025, pagecart.example/books/night-letters/reviews/9012.
In-text: (BookNerdLeo)
Troubleshooting Odd Cases
No Author At All
Lead with the title or description: “User review of smart lamp.” Review of BrightBeam A2. LightMart, 2025, lightmart.example/reviews/1130. In-text: shorten the description: (“User review”).
Multiple Reviews By The Same Person
Use a short title in the in-text citation to steer readers to the right entry: (Lee, “Tender Return”). Keep both entries on the works-cited page and use full titles there.
Edits And Updates
Some platforms mark edits. If the page shows a clear updated date, use that date. If the site displays the original and the updated date, you can place the posted date in your text and keep the updated date in the entry.
Why These Entries Read Clean
Each citation above mirrors the MLA template: author, title, container, contributors when needed, version or number if shown, publisher, date, and location. Reviews rarely need volume or issue numbers unless they appear in a periodical. For short web posts, the author-title-container-date-URL path covers what readers need and keeps your list readable.