How to Make a Works-Cited List in MLA Format

The Modern Language Association (MLA) maintains guidelines for writers for formatting and sourcing academic research papers. Commonly used by professionals working in arts and letters disciplines, such as the humanities, philosophy and English, the MLA guidelines for making citation lists allow writers to attribute quotes and ideas to the original source material. Following the MLA format when making a works-cited list is essential to presenting a credible research paper.

Instructions

    • 1

      Gather your sources together. Make sure that you have a print or electronic copy of each work that you used while writing your paper.

    • 2

      Type "Works Cited" on a new page in regular typeface font using your word processor. Format the words "works cited" to the center of the page. Space down two lines.

    • 3

      Record the bibliographic information from the first source that you used. Type it into your word processor according to MLA format. Follow the basic format for sources, which is: Last name, First name. Title of Book (italicized). Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication. For example, Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Ivy Books, 1989. Print.

    • 4

      Repeat with each source that you used while researching and writing your paper. Start each new entry on the line immediately after the previous entry. Format each entry so that the first line is flush with the left margin and all other lines are indented half an inch from the left margin. Consult the MLA style guide for less common source types, such as edited collections or works by an organization.

    • 5

      Select and drag entries to rearrange them into alphabetical order. Alphabetize according to the author's last name, first name and, if you used multiple works by the same author, the title of the work (ignoring articles such as "A" and "The"). Double space all the entries on the page.

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