A Brief Introduction to MLA Works Cited

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A Brief Introduction toMLA Works Cited




Updated Feb., 2011

• University of Scranton
• CTLE Writing Center

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General Format of the Works Cited Page

• Include your last name followed by a space and a
  page number as a running header in the top right
  corner (following the format of the rest of the
  paper).
• Center the words Works Cited at the top of the
  page. Do not underline or put in quotes.

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General Format of the Works Cited Page

• Double space the entire Works Cited.
• Do not add any addition space between entries.
• Begin the first line of each entry at the left
  margin. Use hanging indentation for each
  additional line of the citation.
• Alphabetize by authors last name. If a work has
  no author, alphabetize by the title but ignore an
  initial article like A, An, or The.

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Citing Books (Print)

• EXAMPLE of BASIC FORMAT
• Authors Last name, Authors first name. Title.
• City of Publication Publisher, year published.
  Medium.
• Tan, Amy. The Bonesetters Daughter. New York
  Putnam, 2001. Print.
• Note (These colors are used as a learning tool.
  Do not color coordinate your Works Cited page!!)
• All other citations are variations of this basic
  format.

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Citing Editors

• For a book/work without an author but with an
  editor, enter the editors last name, first name,
  ed.
• Example Craig, Patricia, ed.
• For a book/work with an author and an editor, use
  the format on the previous slide and insert the
  editors name after the title of the work.
• Example
• Kerouac, Jack. Atop an Underwood. Ed. Paul
  Marion. New York Penguin, 2000. Print.

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Citing a multivolume work

• Cite the total number of volumes after the title
  of the work.
• Lawrence, D. H. The Letters of D. H. Lawrence.
  Ed. James T. Boulton. 8 vols. New York Cambridge
  UP, 1970-2000. Print.
• If your paper cites only one volume, cite the
  volume used after the title. Optionally, you can
  include the total number of volumes at the end of
  the listing.
• Lawrence, D. H. The Letters of D. H. Lawrence.
  Ed. James T. Boulton. Vol 8. New York Cambridge
  UP, 1970-2000. Print. 8 vols.

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Citing a Printed Scholarly Journal

• Authors last name, Authors first name.
  Article Title. Journal Title volume number
  (year) page numbers. Medium.
• Example
• Ryan, Katy. Revolutionary Suicide in Toni
  Morrisons Fiction. African American Review 34
  (2000) 389-412. Print.

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Citing an Online Scholarly Journal

• Authors last name, Authors first name.
  Article Title. Journal Title volume, issue
  (year) page numbers. Medium. Date of Access (day
  month year).
• Example
• Shah, Parilah Mohd, and Fauziah Ahmad. A
  Comparative Account of the Bilingual Education
  Program in Malaysia and the United States. GEMA
  Online Journal of Language Studies 7.2 (2007)
  63-77. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.

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Need More Help

• For an excellent overview or review of the 2009
  updates in MLA style and format, click on Purdue
  Universitys MLA Power Point Presentation
• For one-on-one help using MLA, visit
• The Writing Center
• STT 588 D
• [phone]

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Additional Resources

• Hacker, Diana and Nancy Sommers. MLA Papers. A
  Writers Reference. 7th ed. Boston Bedford,
  2011. 371-428. Print.
• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th
  ed. New York MLA, 2009. Print.
• MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly
  Publishing. 3rd ed. New York MLA, 2008. Print.
• Russell, Tony, Allen Brizee, and Elizabeth
  Angeli. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The
  Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 16 Nov. 2010.
  Web. 22 Feb. 2011.