MLA Citation Without Page Number

Many sources — especially web pages — have no page numbers, and that is perfectly normal in MLA style. The rule is simple: when a source has no page numbers or any other kind of part number, you include the author's last name and nothing else in the parenthetical citation. You do not count paragraphs, you do not use print-preview page numbers, and you do not leave the citation empty.

If the author's name already appears in the sentence, you can leave the citation out of the parentheses entirely. This guide covers the exact MLA rules for unpaginated sources, plus the locators you can use when a source has structured parts.

The MLA Rule for Sources Without Page Numbers

The MLA Handbook is explicit: "When a source has no page numbers or any other kind of part number, no number should be given in a parenthetical citation" (56). The author's name — or the shortened title if there is no author — remains the anchor of the citation, and it must match the first element of the corresponding entry on your Works Cited page.

Here is what each in-text citation format looks like for an unpaginated source:

Notice that when you name the author in your sentence, no parenthetical is needed at all — the sentence itself tells the reader which source you mean, and there is no page number to supply. Repeating the author's name in parentheses would be redundant.

What NOT to Do With an Unpaginated Source

The most common mistakes come from trying to manufacture a locator that does not exist:

• Do not count paragraphs. If a web page has no numbered paragraphs, you cannot create your own numbers by counting down the page. MLA only allows paragraph numbers when the source itself numbers them.
• Do not use print-preview page numbers. The page numbers your browser assigns when you print a web page are not part of the source and have no place in a citation.
• Do not use an ebook's proprietary location numbers. Kindle "locations" and similar reader-based numbers vary by device and edition, so MLA does not treat them as stable locators.
• Do not omit the citation. No page number does not mean no citation — you still credit the author in text and include the full entry in Works Cited.

The principle behind all of this is that a citation must point a reader to the exact spot in the source as you cite it. A number you invented is not part of the source.

When Paragraph Numbers Are Allowed

If the source numbers its own paragraphs — some scholarly articles and ebooks do — you may cite the specific paragraph after a par. abbreviation:

The abbreviation introduces the locator the same way line does for poetry, ch. for chapters, and sc. for scenes. MLA lists short locator labels for exactly this purpose. The key detail is that the paragraph numbers must be real — present in the source — not something you counted yourself.

Videos and Podcasts: Use Timestamps

Time-based media are unpaginated by nature, but MLA lets you cite the exact moment you are referring to with a timestamp in hours, minutes, and seconds:

The timestamp does the job a page number does for a book: it takes the reader straight to the passage. If the author is named in the sentence, only the timestamp appears in the parentheses.

Ebooks and Books With Unstable Pagination

Some ebooks reflow text, so a printed page number is meaningless to another reader on a different device. In that case, MLA recommends citing a stable division instead — usually a chapter:

If your print or PDF edition has page numbers, use them as normal — page numbers are always preferred when they exist and match your edition.

No Author and No Page Number

When a source has neither an author nor page numbers — not uncommon for websites — the citation falls back to a shortened title. Short titles of articles go in quotation marks; short titles of longer works go in italics:

For the full rules on shortening titles and what to do when the author is missing entirely, see our guide to citing sources with no author.

Examples at a Glance

How the Works Cited Entry Changes

Nothing about missing page numbers changes your Works Cited entry — you simply omit the location element for that source. A website article, for example, is cited by author, title, website, publication date, and URL, with no page range — the full format is worked through in our guide to citing a website. The in-text citation's job is only to point the reader to the correct entry, which it does through the author's name or shortened title. For the full layout of the list itself, see our MLA Works Cited guide.

Which Sources Actually Have Page Numbers?

A useful first step is knowing what to expect from each medium, because it tells you which rule applies:

• Print books and journal issues: page numbers exist — cite them. A print journal article is cited by its page range in Works Cited and by the specific page in text, for example (Williams 118).
• PDFs and database downloads: treat the PDF's own pagination as the source's page numbers. A PDF of a journal article keeps its original page range; cite the page as it appears in the PDF.
• Websites and news sites: no canonical pagination — cite by author or title only (unless the source itself numbers paragraphs or sections).
• Ebooks: pagination may vary by device; use the chapter or another stable division when the page numbers are not consistent.
• Video, audio, podcasts: no pages — use timestamps instead.

This is the medium-based shortcut: if the source has a stable, reproduced pagination, cite the page; otherwise, use the appropriate alternative or omit the locator.

Other Approved "Part Numbers"

Page numbers are only one kind of locator MLA recognizes. When a source is organized by something else, you cite that division with a short label:

• Lines for poetry: (Frost 3-5)
• Chapters (ch.) for books and long works: (Kim, Digital Culture ch. 3)
• Scenes (sc.) or acts (act) for plays: (Shakespeare 2.4) — act and scene separated by a period
• Paragraphs (par.) when the source numbers them: (Delgado par. 4)
• Timestamps for time-based media: (Nguyen 00:04:12-00:04:30)

The pattern to notice: the label always introduces the number, so the reader knows what kind of division you are pointing to. If the source has no such divisions either, the citation is author (or title) alone.

Common Mistakes

• Writing p. or pp. with nothing after it — omit the page-number element entirely instead.
• Leaving out the author's name because there is no page number.
• Counting paragraphs on a web page and citing a made-up paragraph number.
• Using "n.p." or "n.pag." in an in-text citation — that notation belongs to older MLA editions, not MLA 9.
• Adding a parenthetical after a narrative citation that already names the author and has no locator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to cite a website with no page number?

Yes. You cite the author's name (or a shortened title if there is no author). The absence of page numbers changes the format, not the requirement to cite.

Can I use paragraph numbers from a web page in MLA?

Only if the source itself numbers its paragraphs. If the paragraphs are not numbered in the source, do not count them yourself.

Can I count lines on a web page?

No. Line numbers are used for poetry and other works where the source is organized by lines. Web prose has no such numbered divisions.

What if I name the author in my sentence and the source has no page number?

You do not need a parenthetical citation at all. The sentence carries the author's name, and there is no locator to add, so the citation is complete.