The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is one of the major formatting styles used in academic writing, particularly in the humanities. One important component of MLA style is how to format the works cited, or bibliography, page at the end of a research paper. The works cited list provides full citations for all of the sources used in the paper to allow readers to locate the materials. Properly compiling the works cited ensures the author gives proper credit to original authors and establishes credibility. This article will provide an in-depth examination of MLA research paper format for the works cited page.
The works cited page comes at the end of the paper and begins on a new page. The heading “Works Cited” should be centered at the top of the page without any formatting like bold or italics. All citations must be double-spaced just like the rest of the paper. Citations are listed alphabetically by the author’s last name. If no author is listed, the citation is alphabetized by the first main word of the title, not counting articles like “A”, “An”, or “The.” Consistent formatting rules must be followed for each type of source so readers can easily discern the publication information for each source at a glance.
Some key general rules for formatting works cited entries include starting citations flush left with the first line indented half an inch from the left margin. For sources with multiple authors, always list the names in the order they appear on the source. Use “and” instead of “&” between the last two authors. The publication year should follow the author’s name or title. MLA style does not use commas, periods, or additional punctuation between a source’s core elements of author, title, publication information. Use p. or pp. before page numbers for sources with pagination. Italicize titles of longer works like books, plays, films, television shows, etc. Use quotation marks around titles of shorter works like journal articles, essays, short stories, song titles, etc. Capitalize all major words in titles. Provide publication city for books and consult the publisher’s location instead of a more general city if known.
Some common sources and their proper MLA works cited formatting include:
Book by a single author:
Last name, First name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Year.
Gardner, John. The Art of Fiction. Vintage, 2000.
Book by multiple authors:
Last name, First name, and First name Last name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Year.
Thoreau, Henry David, and Jay Parini. The Making of a Writer: Journals of Henry David Thoreau. University of California Press, 2019.
Chapter or part in an edited book:
Last name, First name. “Title of Chapter/Part.” Title of Book, edited by Editor’s Name(s), Publisher, Publication Year, page range of entry.
Driskell, James B. “The African American Art World.” American Obsession: Race and American Art, edited by Sidney Lawrence, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 2020, pp. 123-154.
Journal article from database:
Last name, First name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, vol. number, no. number, Publication Date, pp. page range of article. Database Name. URL (if accessed online).
Ahn, Min Ju. “Neoliberalism and International Nongovernmental Organizations: A Political Economy of NGO Behavior under Neoliberal Globalization.” International Review of Modern Sociology, vol. 41, no. 2, Fall 2015, pp. 167-182. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/43925511.
Website:
Last name, First name. “Title of Web Page.” Title of Site, Name of publisher/sponsoring institution/organization, Date of publication, URL. Date accessed.
Goldberger, Paul. “What Is Urban Design?” ArchDaily, ArchDaily, 19 Sept. 2013, www.archdaily.com/432343/what-is-urban-design. Accessed 23 Sept. 2020.
There are many other source types that would require distinct formatting as well, such as newspapers, dissertations, films, television shows, works of art, legal documents, email/interview citations, and more. Consult the MLA Handbook for additional guidelines on lesser commonly encountered sources. Consistent use of MLA works cited formatting properly attributes the ideas and information from sources used in a research paper and establishes the author’s credibility. Adhering to standard citation practices maintains academic honesty and allows readers to further investigate the sources referenced.