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Chapter 17
How Do I Create a Works Cited Page?
A research paper is not a list of findings; it is the coherent communication of a meaningful pattern of information.
RICHARD COE
A Works Cited page list provides a complete citation for every work you cited in your research paper. A Bibliography (or Works Consulted list), in contrast, provides a full citation for every work you consulted as you wrote your paper.
In most scholastic research papers, instructors require a Works Cited page. However, in business or another environment you may be asked to prepare a Bibliography/Works Consulted list as well. Be sure you know what you're required to submit with your research paper.
MLA Citation Format
The standard MLA citation formats follow. Remember to use MLA-style formatting for papers in the humanities.
Citing Books
The basic citation for a book looks like this:
Author's Last Name, First Name. Book Title. Place of publication: Publisher, date of publication.

 

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Book with One Author
Example:
Hartz, Paula. Abortion: A Doctor's Perspective, a Woman's Dilemma. New York: Donald I. Fine, Inc., 1992.
Book with Two or More Authors
Notice that the first author's name is inverted for alphabetical order.
Example:
Landis, Jean M. and Rita J. Simon. Intelligence: Nature or Nurture? New York: HarperCollins, 1998.
Book with Four or More Authors
You can cite all the authors listed or only the first one and then write et al. ("and others") for the rest of the authors.
Example:
Frieze, Irene H., et. al. Women and Sex Roles: A Psychological Perspective. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1978.
Corporation
Give the name of the corporation as the author, even if it is the publisher as well.
Example:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Animal Rights. New York: PETA, 1995.
Author and an Editor
Include the author's name, the title of the book, and then the editor. Use the abbreviation Ed. whether there is one editor or many.
Example:
Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tales. Ed. James Macintosh. NewYork: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1987.
Editor
Give the name of the editor or editors, followed by ed. (if one editor) or eds. (if more than one editor).
Example:
Ellmann, Richard and Robert O'Clair, eds. The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1988.

 

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Book in a Series
After the title, include the name of the series and series number.
Example:
Spencer, Charles. Ernest Hemingway. Twayne's United States Authors Series 54. Boston:Twayne, 1990.
Translation
After the title, write Trans. ("translated by") and the name of the translator.
Example:
Voltaire. Candide or l'optimisme. Trans. George R. Havens. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969.
Selection Reprinted in Anthology
First give the name of the author and the title of selection, then the title of the book, the editor, the edition, and the publication information.
Example:
Mailer, Norman. "Censorship and Literary Cowardice." Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History. Ed.William Safire. New York:W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1992.
Citing Periodicals
The basic citation for an article looks like this:
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of the Article." Magazine. Month and year of publication: page numbers.
Note on Numbers:
• If the page numbers in an article are not consecutive, cite the first page number followed by a plus sign (+).
• The date in a bibliographic citation is written in European style, with the date before the month, rather than after.
Example:
12 September 1989
Here are some models to show you the variations on periodical citations.

 

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Article in Monthly Magazine
Example:
Crowley. J. E., T. E. Levitan and R. P. Quinn. "Seven Deadly Half-Truths about Women." Psychology Today, March 1978: 94-106.
Article in Weekly Magazine
Example:
Schwartz, Felice N. "Management, Women, and the New Facts of Life." Newsweek, 20 July 1998: 21-22.
Signed Newspaper Article
Example:
Ferraro, Susan. "In-law and Order: Finding Relative Calm." The Daily News, 30 June 1998: 73.
Unsigned Newspaper Article
Example:
Beanie Babies May Be a Rotten Nest Egg." Chicago Tribune, 21 June 1989:12.
Editorial
Show that the article is an editorial by writing Editorial after the title.
Example:
"Dealing with the National Debt." Editorial. Newsday, 12 October 1998, sec. 2:4.
Review
To indicate that an article is a book, movie, or play review, write Rev. of before the work being reviewed. Use the abbreviation dir. for the director.
Example:
Barnes, Clive. "The Story of a Life." Rev. of Collected Stories, dir. Liz Uslan. The New York Times, 1 August 1998: 34–35.
Citing Electronic Sources and CD-ROMS
Electronic sources are often missing key information such as the author and date. Use whatever information you can find.
Since electronic sources are updated often, the citations can change without notice—even from the time you use

 

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them to the time you create your Works Cited page! Again, try to get the most up-to-date information but recognize that this may not always be possible.
That said, here are some models.
Periodicals Available on Both CD-ROM and in Print
Include in your citation all the information you would for a print magazine, as well as:
• The publication medium (CD-ROM).
• The name of the distributor or vendor.
• The electronic publication date.
Example:
Moon, William Least Heat. "Blue Highways." U.S. News & World Report, 17 January 1993: 12+. Native American Voices. CD-ROM. Info Trak. March 1998.
Periodicals Available Only on CD-ROM
Include:
• Author.
• Title.
• Edition.
• Publication medium (CD-ROM).
• Distributor or vendor.
• City of publication.
• Publisher.
• Date of publication.
Example:
"Dinosaurs." Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia. 1995 ed. CD-ROM. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1997.
On-Line Sources
These include materials available through America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy, Dialog, Nexis, and other services. For these sources, give:
• Author's name (if available).
• Title of the source.

 

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• Publication date.
• Database.
• Publication medium (on-line).
• Name of the computer service.
• Date of access.
Example:
Henry, Veronica. "Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef." New York Times:A6. I February 1995. New York Times On-line. On-line. Prodigy 12 April 1998.
Electronic News Groups and Bulletin Boards
Include:
• Author's name.
• Title of the document.
• Date the source was posted.
• Medium (on-line posting).
• Location online.
• Name of the network.
• Date of access.
Example:
Brown, Margery. "Inclusion of Handicapped Children:" 20 March 1997. On-line posting. ivillage, Children with Special Needs.America Online 25 March 1997.
E-mail
Give:
• Sender's name.
• Description of the document.
• Date of the document.
Example:
Lawrence, Charles. "Fair Division." E-mail to Jill Fitzpatrick. 26 May 1996.
Citing Pamphlets
Cite a pamphlet the same way you would a book, but the pamphlet title is enclosed in quotes, not italicized.

 

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Example:
Jaffe, Natalie. ''Men's Jobs for Women:Toward Occupational Equality.'' Public Affairs Pamphlet 606 (August 1968): 10–17.
Citing Government Documents
The format varies with the information available. The basic citation for a government document looks like this:
Government agency. Subsidiary agency. Title of Document. Publication information.
Examples:
U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, 1997.
United States Congressional House Subcommittee on Health and Education. Federal Policies Regarding Distribution of Aid to Dependent Children. 97th Congress. Washington, DC: GPO, 1995.
Citing Lectures or Speeches
Include:
• Speaker.
• Title of the speech.
• Name of the occasion or sponsoring organization.
• Location.
• Date.
If you can't get all this information, provide as much as possible.
Example:
Sorenson, Sharon. "Addressing the Needs of the Learning-Disabled Middle-School Child." National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Detroit, Michigan: 22 November, 1998.
Citing Interviews
Name the subject of the interview, followed by Personal interview or Telephone interview. Then comes the date.
Example:
Goldish, Meish. Personal interview. 21 July 1998.

 

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Citing Television or Radio Shows
Identify significant people involved with the production, followed by their role:
• Writ. (writer)
• Dir. (director)
• Perf. (performer)
• Narr. (narrator)
• Prod. (producer)
Example:
"AIDS Research." 20/20. Narr. Barbara Walters. Prod. O.P. Malhotra. WABC, New York, 14 February 1997.
Page Format
The Works Cited page (or the Bibliography) is the last page of your paper. Here are some additional guidelines to follow as you prepare this page:
1. Title. Center the title "Works Cited" at the top of the page, about one inch from the top. Do not underline it, boldface it, or place it in italics.
2. Alphabetical order. Entries are arranged in alphabetical order according to the first author's last name. If the entry does not have an author (such as an encyclopedia entry or an editorial), alphabetize it according to the first word of the title. Ignore the prepositions "A," "An," and ''The."
3. Numbering. Do not number the entries.
4. Indentation. Start each entry flush left. Don't indent it, but do indent the second and all subsequent lines of an entry. Use the standard indent of five spaces.
5. Spacing. As in the rest of your paper, double space each entry on your Works Cited page.
So you've learned how to construct a Works Cited page. That means it's show time! In the next chapter, you'll learn how to present your research paper.

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