Organize your sources while you work on the assignment. Keep a running list of all of the sources you use, as well as the types of sources (e.g., books, Internet or magazines). Having your sources organized well will prepare you to write your works cited list in a more efficient manner.
Format the works cited page correctly according to MLA style. Make sure you have 1-inch margins all around the page. Center the page title, "Works Cited," at the top of the page in standard font with no underline, bold or italics. Check with your instructor to see if he prefers the works cited to be single-spaced or double-spaced. Finally, be sure to set the paragraph setting in your word processor to "hanging indent."
Cite a book with only one author by typing the author's last name, followed by a comma, and then the author's first name, followed by a period. Next, turn on italics and type the title of the book, ending with a period. Then, check the inside cover of the book to find the publishing information. In regular font, type the publishing city, followed by a colon, then the publishing company, followed by a comma and the year it was published. Always end with a period. Here is an example:
Schiele, Bryan. Book Title (in italics). New York: Company, 2010.
Follow the same guidelines as above if your book has more than one author, except for the format of the second author's name. The second author is listed by first name first, followed by the last name.
Example: Schiele, Bryan and Joe Smith. Book Title (in italics). New York: Company, 2010.
Cite journal articles by starting with the author's last name and first name. Then, place the title of the article within quotation marks, making sure to place the period inside the quotation marks. Next, italicize the journal title and end with a period. List the volume and issue in numerals, separated by a period, followed by the year (with parentheses around it) and a colon, then include the page numbers you used from that text and end with a period.
Example: Schiele, Bryan. "How to Write an MLA Works Cited." The Journal of Citing Sources (italicized). 10.6 (2010): 16-19.
Cite newspapers and magazines in the same format. Start with the author's last name, followed by first name. Type the title of the article, followed by a period and surrounded by quotation marks. Italicize the newspaper or magazine title. End with the day, the month and the year that the article was published, followed by a colon, the page numbers of the article and a period.
Example: Schiele, Bryan. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper/Magazine (italics). 28 Dec. 2010: A2-A3.