1. Title:
- Place the centered title "Works Cited" or "References" at the top of the page.
2. Formatting Style:
- Choose a consistent formatting style for your citations, such as Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), or Chicago Manual of Style. Each formatting style has specific guidelines for formatting citations.
3. General Formatting:
- Use a hanging indent for all lines after the first line of each citation. This means that the first line should be flush with the left margin, while subsequent lines should be indented.
- Double space between each citation.
4. Citation Elements:
- The elements included in a citation depend on the formatting style you are using. Here are some common elements:
- Author:
Include the author's full name, using the last name first. If there are multiple authors, list them in the same order as they appear in the source, with the last name first for each author.
- Publication Year:
Include the year of publication, which typically appears in parentheses after the author's name.
- Title:
For books and articles, include the title of the work in italics. For websites, include the title of the article or page.
- Publication Information:
Include relevant publication information, such as the city of publication, publisher's name, or journal name.
5. Sample Citations:
Book:
- Lastname, Firstname. _Book Title_. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.
Example:
- Shakespeare, William. _The Tempest_. London: Methuen, 2008.
Journal Article:
- Lastname, Firstname. "Article Title." _Journal Title_ Volume.Issue (Year): Page Numbers.
Example:
- Smith, John. "The Psychology of Color." _Nature_ 480.7378 (2020): 123-134.
Website:
- Creator, Title of Page or Article. Website Title. Date of Publication or Last Update. URL.
Example:
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "Earth's Climate." NASA Earth Observatory. January 12, 2023. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/topic/climate.
6. Alphabetical Order:
- Arrange your citations alphabetically based on the last name of the first author or, if there is no author, the title of the work.
7. Accuracy:
- Double-check the accuracy of your citations, especially when transcribing information from sources.
8. Pagination:
- Start your Works Cited page on a new page, after the main body of your paper, and number the page consecutively.
Remember to follow the specific guidelines of the formatting style you are using to ensure consistency in your citations. If you have any doubts about how to format a particular type of source, consult the style guide or a reliable citation resource.