In MLA style, it is necessary to cite your sources through brief in-text citations and then provide full citation entries on a separate Works Cited page. These complete entries allow readers to see what sources you used and look them up for additional information. All the sources you cite within the paper should correspond to the full entries you include on the Works Cited page. To format the Works Cited page:
- Insert a page break after the last line of your essay. On the next page, begin the Works Cited. Maintain your heading with the next successive page number in the right corner.
- Center the title Works Cited on the first line in the body of the page. No boldfacing or underlining is needed.
- Continue to double space the document. No extra space is needed between entries. If there is extra spacing automatically placed between entries, you will need to remove it (use the Paragraph Settings from the Home tab in Word, or the Line Spacing menu from the Format tab in Google Docs).
- Cite sources alphabetically by author’s last name or first word of the source title if no author is listed. If the title begins with a numeral (“8 Ways to Cut Fat”), place the entry before the letter “A” when alphabetizing.
- Format each citation with a hanging indent. This process ensures that the first line of the entry is left aligned, and the succeeding lines are indented one-half inch.
- To create a hanging indent in Word, highlight your citation entry. In the Home tab, click the Paragraph expansion box (a small square on the bottom right). You will then see the Indents and Spacing tab. In the Indentation box, go to Special and select Hanging from the dropdown box. Finally, click Ok. You will see your entries correctly formatted with the hanging indent.
- To create a hanging indent in Google Docs, highlight your citation entry. Click Format and select Align and Indent. Scroll down and choose Indent Options. Under Special Indent, click Hanging and then Apply. You will see your entries correctly formatted with the hanging indent.
Other formatting considerations include:
- Italics vs. quotation marks: The titles of larger works (i.e., books, albums, films, magazines, journals, newspapers, TED Talks, TV shows) should be italicized, while the titles of the smaller works contained within them (i.e., chapters, songs, articles, episodes) should be offset using quotation marks.
- Capitalization: Be sure that all words in the title are capitalized, except for prepositions and articles. The only exception to this rule is that the first word of the title is always capitalized regardless of the word type. Titles should NEVER appear in ALL CAPS.
- Order and organization: Make sure each item in the entry is in its proper place (i.e., author’s last name before the first name, author info. before the title of source, accessed date and web address at the end of the entry, etc.).
Source consulted: Upswing Writing Lab
Guide created by: E. Raley 5/29/2021
Revised by: C. Jones 1/24/2024
