12 What Is a Works Cited List?

A Works Cited list is an alphabetized list located on a separate page at the end of your paper that lists all the citations for the sources used in your paper to support your research.

Each citation is based on core elements specific to the source you are using. There are up to nine core elements, and they are arranged in a certain order and with the punctuation as shown below. Note that you will not need all elements for most of your citations.

The Core elements

1. Author.
2. Title of Source.
3. Title of Container,
4. Contributor,
5. Version,
6. Number,
7. Publisher,
8. Publication Date,
9. Location.

Core elements 1 and 2 :

1. Author.
2. Title of Source.

• are individual units
• each is followed by a period
• are only used once in a citation

Core elements 3-9:

3. Title of Container,
4. Contributor,
5. Version,
6. Number,
7. Publisher,
8. Publication Date,
9. Location.

• together form a unit, or container
• each element is followed by a comma except the last element used, which is followed by a period
• may need to be repeated

More about containers

A container may be located within another container. For example, an article is contained in a journal, and that journal may be contained in a database. In a case like that, you would need to add a second container to your citation, i.e. repeat elements 3-9. It is unlikely that you will ever need more than 2 containers to cite a source.

The sequence would then be:

Author. Title of Source. Container One. Container Two.

For more explanation about core elements and containers, check out the MLA Online Guide.

What about information that doesn’t fit neatly into one of the core elements?

MLA allows for supplemental information to be added to a source if it helps for clarification. Depending on what this additional information is about, it may be added after the title or at the end of the citation.

The sequence would then be:

Author. Title of Source. Supplemental Information. Container One. Container Two. Supplemental Information.

Using this template and the MLA Online Guide to help create a reference citation is like using a recipe. The ingredients are the key pieces of information about a source. If you’re missing an ingredient, leave it out or substitute it.

Following a recipe’s directions is like following a citation example. If you follow the directions and add the ingredients at the right point, then your recipe (i.e. your citation) will turn out!

You are not expected to memorize MLA guidelines. Instead, use available resources (MLA Online Guide and this tutorial) to help guide you. Over time you will become more comfortable with creating citations yourself.

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