How do I cite a sample student paper published on a website?

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.

Cite a sample student paper published on a website the same way you would cite any online publication. Follow the MLA format template. List the name of the paper’s author—that is, the student’s name—in the Author element. Then list the title of the paper, the name of the website as the title of the container, and the publication details. For clarity, you could list the format of the paper (e.g., “PDF download”) as an optional element at the end of the entry:

Matthias, Meg. “Prescriptions of (Living) Historical Happiness: Gendered Performance and Racial Comfort in Reenactment.” The MLA Style Center, Modern Language Association of America, 2020, style.mla.org/sample-papers/. PDF download.