How to Do an MLA Essay Citation

Creating a works cited list is often the last step in essay completion. At the end of writing a long and arduous essay, authors should provide the reader with any and all references used. Works cited lists are particularly helpful when there are many in-text citations referencing outside works. The Modern Language Association (commonly abbreviated as MLA) has established rules and conventions for creating a list of works used within an essay. MLA citation style is typically used by writers in the Humanities fields, such as English, Language Studies, Cultural studies and Literary Criticism. Create a works cited list in MLA format by familiarizing yourself with the rules and conventions and applying them to your list of works referenced.

Things You'll Need

  • MLA Citation style guide
  • Publication and author information for works referenced
  • PC
  • Word processing software
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Instructions

  1. Formatting, Organizing and Publications

    • 1

      Format the page correctly. Begin the works cited page on a separate page of your essay, usually the last page. The words "Works Cited" should appear as the title centered and at the top of the page. Begin the first citation several lines below the title. Double space between citation entries. Single space within the entries. Indent the second and all subsequent lines of each entry five spaces. The first line should line up with the left margin.

    • 2

      Organize author and title information in MLA style. MLA style dictates that the author's last name should precede the first name with the two separated by a comma. Capitalize the first letter of the author's first and last name so that it appears as "Doe, John." Begin the citation with the title of the work for entries without authors. Italicize the title of the work and place it two spaces after the author's name. Place a period after the title so that it appears as "Analytical Works and Lectures." Place publication information after the title.

    • 3

      Format publication information according to the MLA style guide. This varies depending on the format of the original source. For example, a book citation might look like this: "Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. New York: Putnam, 1955. Print." A citation from an electronic source might look like this: "Cornell University Library. "Introduction to Research." Cornell University Library. Cornell University, 2009. Web. 19 June 2009 <http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/intro>." Notice that in each case, the publication information consists of the date of publication, the location and the format. You should collect all of this information prior to starting your works cited page. Double space after your entry and return the furthest left margin to begin the next entry.

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