The Works Cited list or bibliography in MLA. Basic aspects

References cited in the text of a research paper must appear at the end of the paper in a Works Cited list or bibliography. This list provides the information necessary to identify and retrieve each source that specifically supports your research.

The order of information in an MLA listing is fixed. The author(s) last name comes first. It is separated by a comma from the first name, which is followed by a period. The title comes next, and it is italicized or underlined. The title is followed by the place of publication and punctuated with a colon. The publisher's name is listed next, followed by a comma. The year of publication follows and is punctuated with a period. See the following example of a book listing:

Smith, Alison. Name All the Animals. New York: Scribner, 2005.

– Arrange entries in alphabetical order by authors' last names (surnames), or by title for sources without authors.

– Capitalize the first word and all other principal words of the titles and subtitles of cited works listed. (Do not capitalize articles, prepositions, coordinating conjunctions, or the “to” in infinitives.)

– Shorten the publisher’s name; for example, omit articles, business abbreviations (Co., Inc.), and descriptive words (Press, Publisher).

– When multiple publishers are listed, include all of them, placing a semicolon between each.

– When more than one city is listed for the same publisher, use only the first city.

– Use the conjunction “and,” not an ampersand [&], when listing multiple authors of a single work.

– Pagination: Do not use the abbreviations p. or pp. to designate page numbers.

– Indentation: Align the first line of the entry flush with the left margin, and indent all subsequent lines (5 to 7 spaces) to form a “hanging indent.”

– Italics: Choose a font in which the italic style contrasts clearly with the regular style. In research papers and manuscripts submitted for publication, titles of sources are best underlined rather than italicized. Italic type is sometimes not distinctive enough. To avoid ambiguity, underline rather than italicize—or check with your instructor. When preparing a manuscript for publication, consult with your editor how to represent italicization.

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Cornell University: Library, MLA Citation Style

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