How do I cite a forthcoming article, and how do I cite it when it is later published?

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.

Create a works-cited-list entry for the version of the article that you are citing, providing the information that is available.

When an article’s been accepted for publication:

Jonathan Sachs. “Slow Time.” PMLA, forthcoming.

When an article’s been assigned to an issue:

Jonathan Sachs. “Slow Time.” PMLA, vol. 134, no. 3, Mar. 2019, forthcoming.

When an article’s been published, in print and online:

Jonathan Sachs. “Slow Time.” PMLA, vol. 134, no. 3, Mar. 2019, pp. 315–31.

Jonathan Sachs. “Slow Time.” PMLA, vol. 134, no. 3, Mar. 2019, pp. 315–31. MLA Journals, doi:10.1632/pmla.2019.134.2.315.