The Works Cited page is an alphabetical list of all sources cited in your paper. It appears at the end of your document on a new page.
Works Cited Page Format
- Title "Works Cited" centered at the top of the page
- Entries are alphabetized by the author's last name
- Each entry uses a hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches)
- Double-spaced throughout (same as the rest of the paper)
- No extra space between entries
MLA Citation Structure
MLA 9 uses a "core elements" system. Citations follow this general order:
- Author.
- Title of Source.
- Title of Container (website, journal, book),
- Other contributors,
- Version,
- Number,
- Publisher,
- Publication date,
- Location (page numbers, URL, DOI).
Example Citations
Book
Smith, John. The Art of Writing. Oxford University Press, 2023.
Website Article
Doe, Jane. "Understanding MLA Format." Purdue Online Writing Lab, 15 Mar. 2024, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_general_format.html.
Journal Article
Williams, Sarah. "Digital Literacy in Modern Education." Journal of Education, vol. 45, no. 2, 2023, pp. 112-130.
Hanging Indents
A hanging indent means the first line of each citation starts at the left margin, while every subsequent line is indented 0.5 inches. This makes it easy to scan the alphabetized list by author name.
In Google Docs: Format > Align & Indent > Indentation options > Hanging. In Microsoft Word: Home > Paragraph > Special > Hanging.
Build Your Works Cited Page
Use our free Works Cited Generator to create properly formatted citations.
Open Works Cited Generator