A Works Cited page is the final section of your essay or research paper where you list all the sources you quoted, paraphrased, or referred to in your writing. It allows readers to see where your information came from and, if they wish, find those sources themselves.
To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit to every author you’ve quoted in your essay. Your works-cited page should list all of the sources you cited in your work.
Why Do You Need a Works Cited Page?
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Gives Credit: Acknowledges other people’s ideas, words, and research used in your work.
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Avoids Plagiarism: Shows you’re honest about what information is yours and what comes from elsewhere.
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Allows Readers to Find Sources: If your reader wants to learn more about a point you made, the Works Cited shows them exactly where to look.
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Demonstrates Academic Integrity: It’s a core expectation for serious writers, students, and researchers.
Each citation should include:
- the author
- title
- publisher
- publishing year
- location (URL)
Online, you will find multiple works cited generators. If you choose to use them, you will need to proofread them after they’ve been generated to be sure each work is cited properly in accordance with MLA.
How to Set Up Your Works Cited Page
- Your works cited page should be a separate page at the end of your paper.
- The title should be “Works Cited” and should not be bold-printed or underlined.
- Each of your sources should be listed in alphabetical order.
- Your works cited page should also be double-spaced, 12pt font, and Time New Roman.
Example:
Works Cited
Baron, Dennis. A Better Pencil: Readers, Writers, and the Digital Revolution. Oxford University Press, 2009.
Deresiewicz, William. “The Death of the Artist—and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur.” The Atlantic, 28 Dec. 2014, theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/01/the-death-of-the-artist-and-the-birth-of-thecreative-entrepreneur/383497/.
Wingate, Lisa. Before We Were Yours. Random House, 2017.
Resource:
Purdue OWL has provided a guide to the latest MLA Style rules for your work-cited page. Click the link below and you will find the basic formatting rules. You will find a list of tabs on the left of the screen, where you will find specific guidance for different types of source materials. Most likely, you will want to use the “Electronic Sources” guide or the “Periodicals” guide.