The "Works Cited" page
General Explanation & Notes Page
For the latest info on MLA citation, check out Purdue University's OWL web site.
A good auto-bibliography site is http://www.easybib.com/ - this will create Works Cited entries for you (but it won't explain why it does what it does).
Sample Works Cited entries for different types of sources:
Any time you are borrowing someone else's words or ideas, you need to include a note next to the words or ideas you borrowed (a citation), and you need to provide the reader with all the publication information needed to find that original source.
Every different source you use needs its own Works Cited entry. If you use more than one source, you need to make a list of all your Works Cited entries.
This means that the last page of any project you do has to include a "Works Cited" page (sometimes called a "Bibliography").
All your resources need to be listed. Different types of resources (books, encyclopedias, newspaper & magazine articles, web pages) require slightly different formats on the Works Cited page, but they all require the same basic information:
This information is provided so that a reader can look up the original sources. This allows the reader to get further information on the topic, provides him/her with the chance to decide how reliable your sources are, and lets her/him verify that you actually have sources for you information, and you didn't just make it up.
IMPORTANT formatting info:
When listing your source entries on your Works Cited page:
The general format for a bibliography entry is as follows, including all punctuation:
Author's last name, first name. Source title. Additional information to help find the source (if needed, such as for encyclopedias or web pages). Publisher name or company: Where it was published, When it was published. Type of source.Click here to see a sample Works Cited page that is correctly alphabetized and which uses all of the above-listed sources.
FORMATS:
Web Page Article - Listing the information for a web page is a little tricky, because you need to know a little bit about how the internet is built. You need to know the difference between a web page and a web site, and what a URL is. Remember, you should not use information from sites unless you are fairly sure their info is reliable.
List author's name (Last, First.), title of web page (in quotation marks.), section and sub-section of the web site (if available), name of web site or organization that put the information on the internet. <URL> "Posted" OR "Updated"; date of posting or update, "Accessed on:", date you accessed the material,
Garcia, Elizabeth. "Herzog: a Life". Online Film Critics Corner. The Film School of New Hampshire. <http://www.filmnewhampshire.edu/criticscorner> Posted: 2 May 2002. Accessed on: May 8, 2006. Web.
If publishing information is unavailable for entries that require publication information such as publisher (or sponsor) names and publishing dates, MLA requires the use of special abbreviations to indicate that this information is not available. Use n.p. to indicate that neither a publisher nor a sponsor name has been provided. Use n.d. when the Web page does not provide a publication date.
"How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow. <http://www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html> n.d. Accessed on: 24 Feb. 2009. Web.
Web-based Videos - Combines parts of the TV Program and Web Page Article citations. Listing the information for a web-based video is a little tricky, because you need to know a little bit about how the internet is built. You need to know the difference between a web page and a web site, and what a URL is. Remember, you should not use information from sites unless you are fairly sure their info is reliable.
List the author/reporter's last name, first name (when possible); name of the video; section and sub-section of the web site (if available); name of web site or organization that put the video on the internet (when possible); <URL> "Posted" OR "Updated"; date video was posted online/updated; "Accessed on:" with date you accessed the video.
Donatelli, Elizabeth. "Bigfoot in the Blue Grass State?" Weird News. MSNBC. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32785506#33020153> Posted Sept. 8, 2009. Accessed on: September 25, 2009. Video.
Podcasts - Combines parts of the Web-based Video and Recordings. Listing the information for a web-based video is a little tricky, because you need to know a little bit about how the internet is built. You need to know the difference between a web page and a web site, and what a URL is. Remember, you should not use information from sites unless you are fairly sure their info is reliable.
List the speaker/performer's last name, first name; title of the song/report/clip; section and sub-section of the web site (if available); the file type; name of web site or organization that put the podcast on the internet (when possible); <URL> date podcast was posted online; date you accessed/downloaded the file.
Carlin, Dan. "Show 28 - Ghosts of the Ostfront II". Hardcore
History. MP3 download. Dan Carlin. <http://dancarlinhh.libsyn.com/media/dancarlinhh/dchha28_Ghosts_of_the_Ostfront_II.mp3>Posted:
Posted: June 17, 2009. Downloaded: October 17, 2009. Audio.
Books with one author - Author's last name, first name. Book Title. Publishing company: City of publication, publication date/copyright date.
Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. Puffin: New York, 1997. Print.
Two or more books by the same author - For the first book, use the same format as "Books with one author". For books AFTER the first, use four dashes for the author's name, rather than repeating it. Books are listed alphabetically by title.
Hunt, Irene. Across the Five Aprils. Simon & Schuster: Los Angeles, 1990. Print.
----. No Promises in the Wind. Berkley: New York, 1993. Print.
Books with multiple authors - First author's last name, first name, and next author's first and last name. Book title. Additional/Edition Information. Publishing company: City of publication, publication date/copyright date. If there are more than three authors, you put the name of the first one (last name, first name), followed by "et al."
Gilbreth, Frank, Jr., & Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. Cheaper by the Dozen. Dell-Laurel Leaf: New York, 2001. Print.
Magazine articles - Similar to "Works in Anthologies" - The author is named first, followed by the article title, then the name of the magazine. The edition information for that magazine comes next. Last is the page(s) on which the short piece can be found in the anthology.
Wills, Garry. "The Words That Remade America: Lincoln at Gettysburg." Atlantic June 2002: 57-79. Print.
Newspaper articles - Similar to "Magazine Articles"; start with the author's name (or the news organization, such as AP or UPI), the title of the article, the name of the newspaper, the date of the paper, the section of the paper in which the article appeared, and the page number.
Barringer, Felicity. "Where Many Elderly Live, Signs of the New Future." New York Times 7 March 2003, sec. 1: 12. Print.
Works in Anthologies - This is for if you only use one (or a few) pieces out of the anthology. The author is named first, followed by the name of the short piece in the anthology, then the name of the anthology. The editors are named, the publishing house, place, and year. Last is the page(s) on which the short piece can be found in the anthology.
Siko, Leslie Marmon. "The Man to Send Rain Clouds." Imagining American: Stories from the Promised Land. Eds. Wesley Brown and Amy Ling. Persea: New York, 1991. 191-95. Print.
Signed articles in reference books - books like encyclopedias may have different entries written by different people. If the article in the encyclopedia lists the author's name, cite it as follows (similar to "Works in an Anthology"): The author is named first, followed by the name of the article, then the name of the reference book. The editors of the reference book are named, the publishing house, place, and year. Edition information should also be supplied, if available.
Tobias, Richard. "Jackson, Michael." Encyclopedia Americana. 2001 ed. Print.
Unsigned articles in reference or text books - Basically the same as for a signed article; start with the name of the article, the name of the reference book, page numbers of article. The editors of the reference book are named, the publishing house, place, and year. Edition information should also be supplied, if available.
"Women and Progressivism". American History: Reconstruction to the Present, 155-156. Editors: Robert Dallek, Jesus Garcia, Donna M. Ogle, C. Frederick Risinger. McDougal Littell. New York: 2008. Print.
"Balkan Mountains". Funk & Wagnall's New Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, pg 212. Funk & Wagnall's, New York: 1993. Print.
Published and Unpublished Letters - List the letter writer as the author; the title is the first line of the letter (usually the salutation). List the date the letter was written, the source from which you obtained the letter; the rest is as for "Works from an Anthology".
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "To Ernest Hemingway." 1 June 1934. The Letters of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ed. Andrew Turnbull. Scribner's: New York, 1963. 308-10. Print.
Interviews - List the name of the person interviewed, the title of the interview, the person who conducted the interview, where the interview was found, and relevant date and page information.
Ellison, Ralph. "Indivisible Man." Interview. By James Alan McPherson. Atlantic Dec. 1970: 45:60. Print.
Diamond, Carol. Telephone interview. 27 Dec. 2004. Audio.
Lectures, Speeches, and Addresses - List the speaker, the title of the speech, where the speech was given, when the speech was given.
Tetreault, Mr. "A Teacher Speaks His Mind." William R. Satz School, Holmdel NJ. 15 Feb. 2005. Speech.
Baker, Houston A., Jr. "The Presidential Address." MLA Convention. New York, 28 Dec. 1992. Speech.
Films - List the title of the movie, the director, the star (or stars), the company that made the movie, and the release date.
The Matrix. Dir. Larry & Andy Warchowski. With Keanu Reeves, Carriann Moss, and Lawrence Fishburne. Warner Bros., 1999. DVD.
TV Programs - List the episode's title, the series' name, the show's producer, the company that produced the show, the station on which you saw the show, what city the show broadcasts from, and the date you saw the show.
"Bart Gets an A." The Simpsons. Prod. Matt Groenig. Fox. WFXT, New York, 14 February 2005. TV.
Recordings - List the artist, the song or piece title, the album name, the type of recording, the company that released it, and the date of release.
Simon, Paul. "Under African Skies." Graceland. Audiotape. Warner, 1986. Audio.