Skip to Main Content

How to use MLA style- Resources: Works Cited List

MLA how-to

General Information

Capitalize the main words in the document title. If there is a colon in the title (a subtitle), capitalize the main words after the colon.

Alphabetize your Works Cited list by the first word of the citation, usually the author's last name. If there is no author, alphabetize by the first main word in the title (ignore A, An, or The).

Double space all of the citations on your Works Cited page.

Indent the second & following lines of the citation 5-7 spaces.

Page Numbers: If an article is several continuous pages long, use inclusive page numbers (e.g., 21-23). If the article is several pages long but the pages are not continuous, use the first page number followed by a + sign (e.g., 14+). If no page numbers are available, use n. pag.

Abbreviating Months: When you include the month in the publication date or date of access, abbreviate to the first three letters (e.g., Dec.). May, June, & July do not need abbreviations.

URL or Web Address: You do not need to use a URL in an MLA citation, unless your professor requires it. If so, give the complete address at the end of the citation, in brackets, and end with a period (e.g., < http://www.cnn.com >.).

Citation Shortcuts

Be sure to double check the citations once they have been renerated!

EasyBib

Zotero

Citation Machine

Sample MLA Works Cited List

Works Cited

Bartra, Valentin. "An Institutional Framework for a More Efficient Use of Natural

   Resources." Minerals & Energy 22.1-2 (2007): 48-61. Academic Search Complete.

   Web. 25 Jun. 2009.

Hallin, Daniel C. "Sound Bite News." Journal of Communication 42.2 (2000): 5-24. Print.

Hertsgaard, Mark. "Activism Has Been Crucial for the Environmental Movement." At Issue:

   Political Activism. Ed. Tom Lansford. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Opposing

   Viewpoints Resource Center. Web. 25 Apr. 2009.

"Kahlo, Frida." The Columbia Encyclopedia. 2008. Credo Reference. Web. 25 June 2009.

Lavelle, Marianne. "Behind the Teen Birth Decline." U.S. News & World Report 11 June

   2008: 22. Print.

Martin, Wendy. The Cambridge Introduction to Emily Dickinson. Leiden: Cambridge UP,

   2007. Ebook Library. Web. 23 June 2009.

"Montmartre." Encyclopedia Americana. International Ed. Vol. 19. Danbury, CT: Grolier,

   2002. Print.

Thriller. Dir. John Landis. Perf. Michael Jackson.  Optimum Productions, 1983. YouTube.

   Web. 29 June 2009.

"Underage Drinking." Medline Plus. U.S. National Library of Medicine and National

   Institutes of Health, 19 June 2009. Web. 29 June 2009.

Will, George. "A Health 'Reform' to Forget." Washington Post 28 June 2009, final ed.: A17.

   ProQuest Newspapers. Web. 29 June 2009.

Williams, Walter. "Bogus Rights." Healthcare. Ed. Jan Grover. Detroit: Greenhaven Press,

   2007. 127-136. Print.

World Almanac and Book of Facts. New York: Funk, 2007. Print.

Library Hours: 7:30 am to 7:00 pm Monday thru Thursday; 7:30 am to 5:00 pm Friday Located at 3301 W. 18th Ave. Emporia, Kansas 66801