Creating an MLA
Works Cited Page
Northampton Community College
Mack and Monroe Libraries
(Format used with permission from The Smucker Learning Center,
The University of Akron – Wayne College)
Examples taken from the
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th edition
and the MLA Library Handout
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Citing Your Sources
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Means telling your readers where the
information came from
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Is a courtesy to the original authors
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Is a courtesy to your readers
2
The Works Cited Page
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Center the words Works Cited at the top–no quotes,
italics, or underline.
Arrange sources alphabetically, beginning with
author’s last name.
If no author is given, begin the entry with the title
and alphabetize without counting a, an, or the.
Do not justify the right margin.
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Each Entry Needs a Hanging
Indent
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Type your citation without any extra spacing –OR–
follow these steps to set the indentation before
typing.
Highlight the entire citation –OR— place cursor
where you will begin a citation.
Make sure you are on the Home tab in Microsoft
Word 2013
Click the pop-out arrow to the right of PARAGRAPH
Look under INDENTATION
Click the drop-down arrow under SPECIAL
Change to HANGING
Click OK
4
Double-Spacing
Within each citation entry
 Between entries
 Do not put extra spaces between
entries
 Press CTRL + 2 to set doublespacing for the entire paper.
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5
½”
8 ½”
1”
Indent ½”
Smith 20
Doubled-spaced
{
Works Cited
{
Butler, Darrell L., and Martin Sellbom. “Barriers to Adopting Technology for Teaching and Learning.”
Educause Quarterly 25.2 (2002): 22-28. Educause. Web. 3 Aug. 2009. <http://educause.edu/ir/
library/pdf/eqm0223.pdf>.
“Copperheads.” The Encyclopedia Britannica. 1960 ed. Print.
11”
Freeze, John G. A History of Columbia County, Pennsylvania. Bloomsburg, PA: Elwell and
Bittenbender, 1883. Print.
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Black Theater: A Twentieth-Century Collection of the Work
of Its Best Playwrights. Ed. Lindsay Patterson. New York: Dodd, 1971. 76. Print.
Levy, Steven. “Great Minds, Great Ideas.” Newsweek 27 May 2002. N. pag. Web. 20 May 2009.
<http://www.msnbc.com/news/754336.asp>.
1”
Pei, I.M. Personal interview. 22 July 2009.
1”
6
1”
Some Common Sources
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Book
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Magazine
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Journal
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Newspaper
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Journal article from a Library subscription database
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Web sites
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Book
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Author’s last name, followed by a comma, followed
by their first name, followed by a period.
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Title of book in italics, followed by a period.
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Place of publication, followed by a colon.
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Publisher, followed by a comma.
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Year of publication, followed by a period.
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The word Print, followed by a period.
8
Example: Book
Borroff, Marie. Language and the Past:
Verbal Artistry in Frost, Stevens, and
Moore. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 1979. Print.
9
Books, continued
If an author has more than one work cited, after the first entry,
instead of the author’s name, type three hyphens, followed by a
period and the title.
Alphabetize the entries by the title of the work.
Borroff, Marie. Language and the Past: Verbal Artistry in Frost, Stevens, and Moore.
Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 1979. Print.
---. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: A New Verse Translation. New York: Norton,
1967. Print.
---. Wallace Stevens: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1963.
Print.
10
Works Cited
Edmondson, Jacqueline. “The Will of the People.” The Reading Teacher 55.5 (2002): 45254. ProQuest Central. Web. 23 Apr. 2002.
Gilbert, Sandra M. Emily’s Bread: Poems. New York: Norton, 1984. Print.
---. Ghost Volcano: Poems. New York: Norton, 1995. Print.
Johnson, George J. “A Distinctive Model of Serial Learning.” Psychological Review 98.1
(1991): 204-17. Print.
Pipher, Mary. “Saplings in the Storm.” Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. Eds.
Gary Goshgarian, Kathleen Krueger, and Janet Barnett Minc. 4th ed. New York:
Longman, 2003. 343-352. Print.
“Reading Between the Lines.” New Yorker 24 May 1993: 36-43. Print.
"Wicca." Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2005. Web. 1
Feb. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca>.
11
Magazine
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Last name of author, followed by a comma, follow by
first name of author, followed by a period.
Quotation mark, followed by title of article, followed by
period, followed by quotation mark.
Title of magazine or journal in italics.
Month and year of publication, followed by a colon.
Page numbers for the entire article, followed by a
period.
The word Print, followed by a period.
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Example: Magazine
Lukacs, John, “The End of the Twentieth
Century.” Harper’s Jan. 1993: 3958. Print.
13
Works Cited
Edmondson, Jacqueline. “The Will of the People.” The Reading Teacher 55.5 (2002): 452-54.
ProQuest Central. Web. 23 Apr. 2002.
Gilbert, Sandra M. Emily’s Bread: Poems. New York: Norton, 1984. Print.
---. Ghost Volcano: Poems. New York: Norton, 1995. Print.
Johnson, George J. “A Distinctive Model of Serial Learning.” Psychological Review 98.1 (1991):
204-17. Print.
Pipher, Mary. “Saplings in the Storm.” Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. Eds. Gary
Goshgarian, Kathleen Krueger, and Janet Barnett Minc. 4th ed. New York: Longman, 2003.
343-352. Print.
“Reading Between the Lines.” New Yorker 24 May 1993: 36-43. Print.
"Wicca." Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2005. Web. 1 Feb.
2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca>.
14
Journal Article
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Last name of author, followed by a comma, followed
by first name of author, followed by a period.
Quotation mark, followed by title of article, followed
by period, followed by quotation mark.
Title of journal in italics.
Volume number.
If each issue begins with page #1, include the issue
number after volume number, separated from
volume by a period.
Year in parentheses, followed by a colon.
Page numbers for the entire article, followed by a
period.
15
The word Print, followed by a period.
Example A: Journal
Segal, Gabriel. “Seeing What Is Not
There.” Philosophical Review 98
(1989): 189-214. Print.
16
Example B: Journal
Johnson, George J. “A Distinctive Model
of Serial Learning.” Psychological
Review 98.2 (1991): 204-17. Print.
17
Works Cited
Edmondson, Jacqueline. “The Will of the People.” The Reading Teacher 55.5 (2002): 452-54.
ProQuest Central. Web. 23 Apr. 2002.
Feder, Barnaby J. “For Job Seekers, a Toll-Free Gift of Expert Advice.” New York Times 30 Dec.
1993, national edition: D1+.
Gilbert, Sandra M. Emily’s Bread: Poems. New York: Norton, 1984. Print.
---. Ghost Volcano: Poems. New York: Norton, 1995. Print.
Johnson, George J. “A Distinctive Model of Serial Learning.” Psychological Review 98.1 (1991):
204-17. Print.
Pipher, Mary. “Saplings in the Storm.” Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. Eds. Gary
Goshgarian, Kathleen Krueger, and Janet Barnett Minc. 4th ed. New York: Longman, 2003.
343-352. Print.
18
Newspaper Article
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Author’s last name, followed by a comma, followed
by their first name, followed by a period.
Quotation mark, followed by the article title, followed
by a period, followed by a quotation mark.
If the article is an editorial, write Editorial, followed
by a period.
Name of newspaper, in italics.
Date of publication (Day Month Year format),
followed by a comma, followed by the edition (if
given), followed by a colon.
Section and page number followed by a period. If the
article is on more than one page, add a plus sign.
The word Print, followed by a period.
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Example: Newspaper
Sun, Lena. “Chinese Feel the Strain of a
New Society.” Editorial. Washington
Post 13 June 1993: A1+. Print.
20
Works Cited
Edmondson, Jacqueline. “The Will of the People.” The Reading Teacher 55.5 (2002):
452-54. ProQuest Central. Web. 23 Apr. 2002.
Feder, Barnaby J. “For Job Seekers, a Toll-Free Gift of Expert Advice.” New York
Times 30 Dec. 1993, national edition: D1+. Print.
Gilbert, Sandra M. Emily’s Bread: Poems. New York: Norton, 1984. Print.
---. Ghost Volcano: Poems. New York: Norton, 1995. Print.
Johnson, George J. “A Distinctive Model of Serial Learning.” Psychological Review
98.1 (1991): 204-17. Print.
Pipher, Mary. “Saplings in the Storm.” Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader.
Eds. Gary Goshgarian, Kathleen Krueger, and Janet Barnett Minc. 4th ed. New
York: Longman, 2003. 343-352. Print.
21
Article from Library
Database
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Your citation will depend on whether you used an
article from a newspaper, magazine, or journal, which
you retrieved from a library database.
Format the citation as you would for the print source.
After typing the page numbers, you will then type:
– The name of the database from which you retrieved the
article, in italics, followed by a period.
– The word Web, followed by a period.
– The date you retrieved the article, in Day Month Year format,
followed by a period.
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Example: Journal Article from
Library Database
“Topics for Our Times: Welfare Reforms and
Women’s Health.” American Journal of
Public Health 88.7 (1998): 1017-18.
EBSCOhost. Web. 23 Apr. 2009.
23
Example: Magazine Article from
Library Database
Marcus, David L. “Making Sports Count.”
U.S. News & World Report 18 Mar.
2002: 71. EBSCOhost. Web. 23
Apr. 2009.
24
Works Cited
Edmondson, Jacqueline. “The Will of the People.” The Reading Teacher 55.5 (2002): 452-54.
ProQuest Central. Web. 23 Apr. 2002.
Gilbert, Sandra M. Emily’s Bread: Poems. New York: Norton, 1984. Print.
---. Ghost Volcano: Poems. New York: Norton, 1995. Print.
Johnson, George J. “A Distinctive Model of Serial Learning.” Psychological Review 98.1 (1991):
204-17. Print.
Pipher, Mary. “Saplings in the Storm.” Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. Eds. Gary
Goshgarian, Kathleen Krueger, and Janet Barnett Minc. 4th ed. New York: Longman, 2003.
343-352. Print.
“Reading Between the Lines.” New Yorker 24 May 1993: 36-43. Print.
"Wicca." Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2005. Web. 1 Feb.
2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca>.
25
Internet Sources
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Author’s last name, followed by a comma, followed by their
first name, followed by a period.
Quotation mark, followed by title of document, followed by a
period, followed by quotation mark.
Name of the entire web site, in italics, followed by a period.
Name of sponsoring institution (if given), followed by a
comma.
Date of web page’s last update, in Day Month Year format,
followed by a period.
The word Web, followed by a period.
Date you accessed the web page, in Day Month Year format.
The web address of the document, in angle brackets.
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Example: Internet Source
Saad, Lydia. “Conserving Energy Is Americans’ Top Environmental
Action.” Gallup News Service. The Gallup Organization,
14 Mar. 2007. Web. 27 Aug. 2009.
<http://www.gallup.com/poll/26872/
conserving-energy-americans-top-environmentalaction.aspx>
27
Works Cited
Edmondson, Jacqueline. “The Will of the People.” The Reading Teacher 55.5 (2002): 452-54.
ProQuest Central. Web. 23 Apr. 2002.
Gilbert, Sandra M. Emily’s Bread: Poems. New York: Norton, 1984. Print.
---. Ghost Volcano: Poems. New York: Norton, 1995. Print.
Johnson, George J. “A Distinctive Model of Serial Learning.” Psychological Review 98.1 (1991):
204-17. Print.
Pipher, Mary. “Saplings in the Storm.” Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader. Eds. Gary
Goshgarian, Kathleen Krueger, and Janet Barnett Minc. 4th ed. New York: Longman, 2003.
343-352. Print.
“Reading Between the Lines.” New Yorker 24 May 1993: 36-43. Print.
"Wicca." Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2005. Web. 1 Feb.
2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca>.
28
What If You Are Missing
Information?
If you do not have every piece of information
that is needed for a complete citation, cite
what you have!
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Use the following abbreviations if needed:
– n.d.
– n. pag.
– n. p.
No date of publication
No pagination given
No publisher or sponsor given
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For More Help
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MLA handout from the Library Reference Desk (also
available online at the Library website)
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th
edition
Learning Center Writing Tutors
Other NCC Library documentation links and handouts
under Research AssistanceCiting Sources
http://www.northampton.edu/Library.htm
MLA website http://www.mla.org
View other MLA tutorials:
– MLA Basics
– In-Text Citation
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Questions?
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Stop by the Library Reference Desk at the
Mack (Bethlehem) or Monroe libraries!
Stop by the Learning Center!
Call the Library Reference Desk:
– Mack (Bethlehem): 610-861-5359
– Monroe: 570-369-1810
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Email a librarian @
askthelibrarian@Northampton.edu.
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