In MLA guidelines for citing web sources with regard to page numbers, when is it appropriate to cite page numbers?

• A. Always include page numbers for web sources.
• B. Never include page numbers.
• C. If the web source is a PDF file, it is recommended to cite page numbers.
• D. Use paragraph numbers instead of page numbers.

Answer: (C)

In MLA, page numbers are included when the source has stable pagination you can reference. A web source that is a PDF preserves the original page layout from the print version, so the page numbers are meaningful and locatable. When you use such a PDF, you should cite the exact page numbers you used to help readers find the same material.

Most web pages today are HTML and don’t have fixed page numbers, so MLA guidance is to omit page numbers in that case or use other locators like paragraph numbers if the source provides them. So the appropriate time to cite page numbers is specifically when the web source is a PDF, because it carries those page numbers.