Bibliography/Works Cited Tips for MLA The following pages provide helpful MLA bibliography/works cited page tips, as well as examples of sources using MLA format. First, I wanted to provide you with some notes and details, so you will be able to create an accurate bibliography page for your project. Also, you will find a textbook explanation and example works cited page from the writing program our class will use for term papers later in the year. 1. List all sources used for any part of your oral presentation, reading journal responses, and/or projects, including images, graphics, and pictures. 2. Alphabetize each entry according to the author s last name. Works with more than one author are alphabetized under the name of whichever author is listed first in the source itself. 3. PUNCTUATION is VERY important. Observe the use and placement of periods and commas, especially in relation to parentheses and quotation marks. A colon separates a title from a subtitle and the place of publication from the publisher s name. A colon also precedes page numbers for articles from periodicals. Use angle brackets to set off an electronic address in citations to electronic sources. (Double space after periods and colons. Single space after commas.) 4. The first line of each cited source is at the left margin. Any additional lines need to be evenly indented (use the Tab button). Books: 1. Author. Give the last name first, followed by a comma and single space and the first name, followed by a period and a double space. 2. Title. Underline the title of the book, and capitalize all major words, followed by a period and a double space. Always include the book s subtitle, use a colon to separate the main title from the subtitle. Make the underlining continuous, not separate under each word. 3. Edition after the first. If the book is an edition later after the 1 st, provide the edition number of the book, followed by a period and a double space. 4. Reprinting of book. If the book was published over a century ago or has been reissued in a new format, then note the original publication date before the publisher s name, followed by a period and a double space, and the current publication date following the publisher s name, followed by a period. 5. Publication data. Provide the city of publication, followed by a colon and a double space; the brief name of the publisher, followed by a comma and a single space; and the latest copyright date shown on the copyright page, followed by a period. (Note: To cite books published by universities, abbreviate university as U and press as P but without periods. Also, leave out words such as Incorported, use the principal name of the publisher only.) Book template: Last name, First name. Title Underlined. City: Publisher, date. Last name, First name. Title Underlined. # ed. City: Publisher, date. Last name, First name. Title Underlined. Original Publication date. City: Publisher, Latest Publication date.
Various book examples: Example of a book with one author: Smith, Jeanne Rosier. Reading and Writing: The Real Story. Memphis: Random, Example of a book with two authors: Holdstein, Deborah H., and Cynthia L. Selfe, eds. Computers and Writing: Theories, Research, Practice. New York: MLA, 1990. Example of a book with a corporate author: Institute of Medicine. Blood Banking and Regulation: Procedures, Problems, and Alternatives. Washington: National Academy P, 1996. Example of a book with edition after the first: Fromkin, Victoria, and Robert Rodman. An Introduction to Language. 6 th ed. Ft. Worth: Harcourt, 1998. Example of a reprinted book: Alcott, Louisa May. Work: A Story of Experience. 1873. Harmondsworth: Penguin, Reference book, i.e. encyclopedia template: Last name, First name. Title of Work Referenced in Quotation Marks with period inside of the quotation marks. Underline the Name of the Encyclopedia. Year and abbreviation of edition. Example of an encyclopedia: Hopkinson, Ralph G. Electric Lighting. Encyclopedia Americana. 1985 ed. Article templates: Last name, First name. Title of Article in Quotation Marks with period inside of the quotation marks. Underline Name of Periodical day/month/year: pages. Last name, First name. Title of Article in Quotation Marks with period inside of the quotation marks. Underline Name of Journal volume (year): pages. Example of a weekly magazine or newspaper: Stresser, Stan. Report from Cambodia. New Yorker 18 May 1992: 43 75. Example of a daily newspaper: Ibata, David. Information Highway to the Future. Chicago Tribune 17 Nov. 1992, final ed.: A7. Example of an editorial: Lewis, Anthony. Black and White. Editorial. New York Times 18 June 1992, natl. ed.: A19. Example of a monthly magazine: Barlow, John Perry. Is There a There in Cyberspace? Utne Reader Mar. Apr. 1995: 53 56. Example of a journal with separate pagination: Leroux, Neil. Frederick Douglass and the Attention Shift. Rhetoric Society Quarterly 21.2 (1991): 36 46.
Nonprint sources: Example of a motion picture: Richard III. Dir. Richard Loncraine. MGM/United Artists. Example of a particular performance in screenplay, etc.: McKellen, Ian, perf. Richard III. By William Shakespeare. Screenplay by Ian McKellen. Dir. by Richard Loncraine. MGM/United Artists, 1996. Example of a television program: Leavitt, David. The Lost Language of Cranes. Prod. Ruth Caleb. Dir. Nigel Finch. Great Performances. PBS, WNET, New York. 24 June 1992. Example of a play: A Streetcar Named Desire. By Tennessee Williams. Dir. Gregory Mosher. Barrymore Theater, New York. 9 Aug. 1992. Example of a recording: Moby. Everything Is Wrong. Mute Records, 1996. Electronic media these forms are not always reliable. Be sure to use the most authoritative source and state the title, date, and editor of the source for the electronic version. Example of an electronic text: Shakespeare, William. Richard III. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. 2 Aug. The Tech. MIT. 20 Aug. 1998 <http://the tech.mit.edu/shakespeare/ History/kingrichardiii/kingrichardiii.html>. Example of an electronic journal: Harnack, Andrew, and Gene Kleppinger. Beyond the MLA Handbook: Documenting Sources on the Internet. Kairos 1.2 (1996). 14 Aug. 1997 <http://www.english.ttu/ acw/kairos/index.html>. Example of an article in an on line newspaper: Tornadoes Touch Down in S. Illinois. New York Times on the Web 16 Apr. 1998. 20 May 1998 <http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/a/ap Illinois Storms.html>. Example of World Wide Web: Richard III On Stage and Off. 22 Nov. Richard III Society. 7 July 1996 <http:// www.webcom.com/~blanchard/mckellen/index.html>. Example of an interview: Day, Michael. Personal interview. 31 May 1996. The above citations are just a few of the most common sources one may need to cite on a bibliography/works cited page. Please refer to handbook using MLA Style citations, as needed. The following page is a comprehensive bibliography/works cited page of the sample sources noted above. (Note: MLA called bibliography page Works Cited.)
Young 1 Works Cited Alcott, Louisa May. Work: A Story of Experience. 1873. Harmondsworth: Penguin, A Streetcar Named Desire. By Tennessee Williams. Dir. Gregory Mosher. Barrymore Theater, New York. 9 Aug. 1992. Barlow, John Perry. Is There a There in Cyberspace? Utne Reader Mar. Apr. 1995: 53 56. Day, Michael. Personal interview. 31 May 1996. Fromkin, Victoria, and Robert Rodman. An Introduction to Language. 6 th ed. Ft. Worth: Harcourt, 1998. Harnack, Andrew, and Gene Kleppinger. Beyond the MLA Handbook: Documenting Sources on the Internet. Kairos 1.2 (1996). 14 Aug. 1997 <http://www.english.ttu/ acw/kairos/index.html>. Holdstein, Deborah H., and Cynthia L. Selfe, eds. Computers and Writing: Theories, Research, Practice. New York: MLA, 1990. Hopkinson, Ralph G. Electric Lighting. Encyclopedia Americana. 1985 ed. Ibata, David. Information Highway to the Future. Chicago Tribune 17 Nov. 1992, final ed.: A7. Institute of Medicine. Blood Banking and Regulation: Procedures, Problems, and Alternatives. Washington: National Academy P, 1996. Leavitt, David. The Lost Language of Cranes. Prod. Ruth Caleb. Dir. Nigel Finch. Great Performances. PBS, WNET, New York. 24 June 1992.
Young 2 Leroux, Neil. Frederick Douglass and the Attention Shift. Rhetoric Society Quarterly 21.2 (1991): 36 46. Lewis, Anthony. Black and White. Editorial. New York Times 18 June 1992, natl. ed.: A19. McKellen, Ian, perf. Richard III. By William Shakespeare. Screenplay by Ian McKellen. Dir. by Richard Loncraine. MGM/United Artists, 1996. Moby. Everything Is Wrong. Mute Records, 1996. Richard III. Dir. Richard Loncraine. MGM/United Artists. Richard III On Stage and Off. 22 Nov. Richard III Society. 7 July 1996 <http:// www.webcom.com/~blanchard/mckellen/index.html>. Shakespeare, William. Richard III. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. 2 Aug. The Tech. MIT. 20 Aug. 1998 <http://the tech.mit.edu/shakespeare/ History/kingrichardiii/kingrichardiii.html>. Smith, Jeanne Rosier. Reading and Writing: The Real Story. Memphis: Random, Stresser, Stan. Report from Cambodia. New Yorker 18 May 1992: 43 75. Tornadoes Touch Down in S. Illinois. New York Times on the Web 16 Apr. 1998. 20 May 1998 <http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/a/ap Illinois Storms.html>.
Excerpt on Works Cited from Advanced Academic Writing, Volume 1 by Michael Clay Thompson: