Writing the Works Cited Page

All research papers must have a Works Cited page in order to be considered complete. If an in-text citation appears in the paper, that source must appear on the Works Cited page -- and vice versa. This serves as the evidence or proof of your research, and it must follow a specific format.

In 2009, the Modern Language Association, or MLA, changed their rules for the Works Cited page. English teachers are conforming to the new rules, but realize that some teachers are seeing them for the first time. For further assistance, I recommend that you visit Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL). Here's a cheat sheet for completing the Works Cited page that I recommend you download and print for a reference.

Citing a Book
Author, title, city of publication, publisher, publication date, and print.

Example:

Hickam, Homer. October Sky. New York: Dell Publishing, 1998. Print.


Citing an Anthology
An anthology is a collection of multiple works by multiple authors with an editor or editors. It is necessary to collect additional information from anthologies such as the name(s) of the editor(s), the edition of the text, and the page numbers of your selection.

Example:

Sejour, Victor. "The Mulatto." The Norton Anthology of African American Literature.

      2nd ed. Eds. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Nellie Y. McKay. New York: Norton & Co.,

      2004. 353-65. Print.

Interviews
There will come a time, especially for the Graduation Project, where you will have to cite an interview. Here are the ways to do that. Note: The date given indicates the date that the interview took place.

Examples:

Cote, Joseph. Personal interview. 21 December 2009.

Carswell, Carla. Telephone interview. 18 November 2009.

Sherman, Gladys. E-mail interview. 30 January 2010.

Online Works
Below are examples of entries for works found online. Find the example that closely resembles your situation in order to complete your own citation. Follow this general order:
1. Author (last name first)
2. Title of work (in quotation marks)
3. Title of the web site (italicized)
4. Sponsor or publisher of the site; if not available, use n.p.
5. Date of publication in this order without punctuation: day month year; if nothing is available, use n.d.
6. Medium of publication (Web)
7. Date of viewing in this order without punctuation: day month year

Notes:
*Place a period behind each item.
*Put periods inside of quotation marks.
*Capitalize the major words in the title of the article.
*Do not put the URL anywhere on the Works Cited page.
*If the article says it is written by the Associated Press, cite the article as if there isn't an author.

With an Author and a Date
Example:
Minzesheimer, Bob. "Maya Angelou Celebrates Her 80 Years of Pain and Joy." USAToday. USA Today.

       26 March 2008. Web. 30 January 2010.


No Author
Here's an example of an entry that just has the title of what the writer looked up while doing research on the British author Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Example:
"Percy Bysshe Shelley." The Literature Network. JALIC, Inc. 2010. Web. 30 January 2010.


No Author, No Date
Example:
"Miniature Schnauzers." TerrificPets.com. JCOMS Designs. n.d. Web. 30 January 2010.


No Site Sponsor
Example:
Morris, Jessmine. "Stem Cell Research Incomplete." Science Alive. n.p. 14 June 1998. Web. 28 January

    2010.

No Date Given
Example:
Meredith, Ben. "Luckily, the Dog Saved the Boy." CNN.com. Cable News Network, n.d.

        Web. 18 January 2010.


More help:

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The Basic Format and Rules

1.The Works Cited page is its own page and must have the title centered at the top. Please capitalize the "W" and the "C" and remember that "Works" has an "s" on the end. Do not bold or underline the title. Please see the example for assistance.
2. If the source is used in the paper, it must appear on the Works Cited page.
3. If the source is on the Works Cited page, it must appear in the paper.
4. The header must appear on the Works Cited page. (Your last name and page number.)
5. The page must be double-spaced with 1-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font.
6. Indent the second line of the citation. This is called a hanging indent and can be accomplished by hitting "enter" and then "tab."
7. Put the citations in alphabetical order by the first word on the line.
8. Use italics instead of underlining for titles of larger works like books.
9. Capitalize each major word in the titles of articles, books, etc.
10. Omit the URL completely.
11. State the medium of publication (Print, Web, etc.).
12. Put quotation marks around the titles of the articles.
13. Capitalize all of the major words in the title of the articles.
14. Italicize the site sponsor.
15. Staple the Works Cited page to the back of your essay; it is the last page and should be numbered as such.


Final Product

This is what the Works Cited page will look like finished. Pay close attention to the spacing and indentions.
An example paper: