How do I cite a PDF of a journal article downloaded directly from Google Scholar?

Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook.

When you cite the PDF of an article found by searching Google Scholar, you should always cite the platform of publication for the article. When Google Scholar provides direct access to an article, it indicates the site on which the article is published, and the article itself generally lists the URL or DOI leading to the article. Your works-cited-list entry should list the publication details for the article in container 1 and the name of the website containing the article along with a URL or DOI in container 2, as shown in the following example:

Major, Ruth. “Kamouraska et les Enfants du sabbat: Faire jouer la transparence.” Voix et images, vol. 7, no. 3, Spring 1982, pp. 459-70. Érudit 20, doi:10.7202/200341ar.