What is an MLA Works Cited page?
A Works Cited page is a formatted list of all sources you cited within your paper. Any time you quote, paraphrase, summarize, or include information that you’ve read from an outside source, you must include that source in your references list, correctly formatted in MLA style.
To see how to format an APA References List or a Chicago Style Bibliography, see these guides.
What information goes on an MLA Works Cited page?
Each source requires general publication information, including but not limited to:
- Author’s name.
- Title of text.
- Title of container*,
- Other editors, translators, and contributors,
- Version,
- Number (No.),
- Publication or publisher,
- Date of publication,
- DOI or URL of the source.
*Container is defined as the larger publication in which the text is published. For example, if citing a newspaper article, the container is the newspaper itself; if citing an article from a journal, the journal is the container.
Because so much of our modern research is online, publications are frequently updated and revised. Therefore, if it would be useful, you have the option of including Date of Access to account for differences over time.
What are the key rules of creating a Works Cited page?
There are unique formatting rules to follow for each type of entry, but generally, remember these key rules for the whole page:
- Center the words “Works Cited” at the top of the new page. The page should have your last name and the next page number in the header, as on all the other essay pages.
- Double space every line—no additional spacing required.
- Alphabetize entries by authors’ last names. If author names are unavailable for an entry, alphabetize by the first letter in the title (other than A, An, or The).
- Create a hanging indent for each individual source you add to the list. A hanging indent is where the second and all the following lines of a paragraph are indented more than the first. To make a hanging indent, highlight your citation and use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+T.
Works Cited Page Examples
Expand the options below for help formatting your references list entries in MLA format.
Author's Last Name, First name. “Title of article.” Title of Journal, vol., no. (issue), date of publication, pp. (if available). Database Name, DOI or URL.
Florian, Razvan. “Challenges for Interactivist–Constructivist Robotics.” New Ideas in Psychology, vol. 28, no. 3, 2010, pp. 350–353. JSTOR, doi:10.1016/j.newideapsych.2009.09.009.
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Name of Newspaper, Publication Date, p. (if available), URL.
Casselman, Ben and Conor Dougherty. “Want a House Like This? Prepare for a War with Investors.” New York Times, 20 June 2019, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/20/business/economy/starter-homes-investors.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage.
Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. E-book, publisher, publication year, DOI or URL (if available).
Bender, Tisha. Discussion-Based Online Teaching to Enhance Student Learning: Theory, Practice, and Assessment. E-book, Stylus, 2003, doi: 378.1/7344678.
Wallace, B. Alan. The Attention Revolution. E-book, Wisdom Publications, 2006.
Author’s Last Name, First name. Title of Book, editor or translator (if necessary), (Kindle/Nook) ed., publisher, year.
Camus, Albert. The Stranger, translated by Matthew Ward, Kindle ed., Vintage, 2012.
Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of book. City*, Publisher, Publication Date.
*City is only cited if book is published before 1900 or if publisher has multiple offices worldwide.
Diaz–Rico, Lynne T. A Course for Teaching English Learners. Pearson, 2008.
Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Edited by FirstName LastName, publisher, year, page range of chapter.
Zhang, Li-fang and Robert Sternberg. Perspectives o Thinking, Learning, and Cognitive Styles. Edited by Vibeke Aukrust, Elsevier, 2010, pp. 16-22.
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of web page.” Title of website, URL.
Lad, Kashmira. “An Overview of the Colorful Traditional Mexican Clothing.” Buzzle, 22 Mar. 2018, www.buzzle.com/articles/traditional -mexican-clothing.html.
“Title of Article.” Title of website, date of publication, URL.
U.S. Department of Labor. “Police and Detectives.” Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2008, bls.gov/oco/pdf/ocos160.pdf.
“Title of web page.” Title of website (if different), publication year, URL.
“Freud’s Structural Theory: The Id, the Ego, and the Superego." www.vakkur.com/psy/freud.html.
Author’s Last Name, First Name (or, in some cases, screen name, editor, etc). “Title of Post.” Name of website, version or date of post, name of organization (if different), URL.
Davis, Vicki. “Treat people with dignity and respect: Who will be the people to bridge racial and cultural distrust?” The Cool Cat Teacher Blog, 6 December 2016, www.coolcatteacher.com/treat-people-with-dignity-respect/.
Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Lecture, Speech” (if any). Class title, date, location (including venue and city). Descriptor, URL (if necessary).
Thomas, Joseph. “The Songs of Shel Silverstein.” ENGL 626, 6 November 2016, Hepner Hall, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA. Lecture.
Salomon, Willis. “Shakespeare’s Dark Lady.” ENGL 410, San Antonio, TX. Lecture, blackboard.trinity.edu.
Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Comment” (if different than thread). Comment on “Name of discussion thread,” Organization/class, date of posting, time of posting, URL.
Cooper, Dougie. “Not the Right Ring.” Comment on “Most Intriguing Part of Chapter 8,” BIO 201, 6 November 2016, 4:15 pm, login.ucla.edu.
There are two similar ways to cite videos. It depends on whether you want to highlight the video itself or the creators.
If you want to highlight the video/film, you would begin with the title of the video, list the director, and then include performers if it is relevant:
Title of motion picture/film. Directed by First Name Last Name, performances by First Name Last Name, Studio Name, Year.
Memento. Directed by Christopher Nolan, performance by Guy Pearce, Newmarket Capital Group, 2001.
If you want to highlight the director, producer, writers, or other stakeholders, you would begin with the their name(s), then proceed with the title of the video and other relevant information:
Last Name, First Name, director/writer/producer. Title of motion picture/film. Studio, Year.
Nolan Christopher, director. Memento. Newmarket Capital Group, 2001.
If author is different from the uploader:
Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Video.” YouTube, uploaded by [Screen name], date, URL.
If author and uploader are the same OR if there is no clear author:
“Title of Video.” YouTube, uploaded by [Screen name], date, URL.
“5 tips to improve your writing.” YouTube, uploaded by EnglishTeacherEmma, 30 January 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgkRoYPLhts.
“Title of Episode.” Title of Series, season X, episode X, network, original air date. Access app (if Netflix, Hulu, or other streaming site), URL (if available).
“The Lip Reader.” Seinfeld, season 5, episode 6, NBC, 28 October 1993.
Artist Name. “Song Title.” Album Title, Label, Year. Site of Access, URL (if accessed online).
Brooks, Garth. “Friends in Low Places.” No Fences, Capitol Nashville, 1989. Spotify, open.spotify.com/track/xxxxxxxxxx.
“Title of Episode.” Title of podcast from Organization/Producer, Publication Date, URL (if available).
“The Satire Paradox.” Revisionist History by Malcolm Gladwell, 18 August 2016, revisionisthistory.com/episodes/10-the-satire-paradox.
Artist’s Last Name, First Name. Title of image, date of creation, institution, city. Name of web site, URL.
Sijgers, Henrik. Sidewalk, 2014. Flickr, farm6.staticflickr.com/5024/5691941274_0819b1e5a3.jpg.
Title of piece. Date of creation. Name of web site, URL.
Flu epidemic, 1919. History.com, www.history.net/photo/flu-epidemic-art/collections.
For information on citing legal materials, see our Citing Legal Sources page.
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Conference Paper Title.” Conference Title that Includes Date and Location, edited by Conference Editor(s). Publisher. Date of Publication.
Fraenza, Christy and L. Nagle. “The Use of Plickers to Increase Student Achievement and Engagement: An Informal Implementation.” Teaching of Psychology Conference in March 2015 at Farmingdale, NY.
Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of dissertation (Doctoral dissertation). Database name, date of publication, URL (if available).
Hoy, C. A. The adult learner in the online writing course. Proquest Digital Dissertations, 2010.