The Works Cited page is where every source you used in your paper gets its full credit. It’s not optional; it’s not a bibliography of everything you read; and it’s not formatted like a reference list in APA. The MLA 9th edition has its own specific rules – and getting them right is one of the most direct ways to protect your grade.

This guide covers how to format the Works Cited page itself, the core rules that apply to every entry, and examples for the three source types students cite most: books, journal articles, and webpages.

What the Works Cited page is – and isn’t

A Works Cited page lists only the sources you actually cited in your paper – sources you quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. If you read something but didn’t cite it, it doesn’t belong on the Works Cited page. (That would be a bibliography, which is a different thing.)

Every source that appears in your Works Cited should have at least one corresponding in-text citation in the body of your paper, and every in-text citation should have a corresponding entry on the Works Cited page. The two go hand-in-hand.

How to format the Works Cited page

• Start on a new page at the end of your paper.
• Title: Center the words “Works Cited” at the top of the page. No bold, no italics, no underlining, no quotation marks. Just plain, centered text.
• Spacing: Double-space everything – the title, every entry, and the space between entries.
• Hanging indent: The first line of each entry is flush with the left margin. Every subsequent line of the same entry is indented 0.5 inches. This is what makes a Works Cited page look like a Works Cited page.
• Alphabetical order: Entries are listed alphabetically by the first word of the entry – usually the author’s last name. If there’s no author, alphabetize by the first significant word of the title. Ignore an initial “A,” “An,” or “The” when alphabetizing, but keep the article in the Works Cited entry.
• Margins and font: 1-inch margins on all sides, 12-point readable font (Times New Roman is standard), consistent with the rest of the paper.

Rules that apply to every Works Cited entry

Before getting into the specific source types, a few rules that apply across the board:

• Author names are inverted: Last name first, then a comma, then the first name: Keel, John. For two authors, only the first is inverted: Keel, John and Donnie Sergent.
• Titles follow consistent formatting: Titles of standalone works such as books are italicized. Titles of shorter works that appear within a larger work, such as journal articles or webpages, go in quotation marks. The larger work—the container—is usually italicized.
• Punctuation matters: MLA uses periods, commas, and other punctuation to separate the core elements of an entry. The author and title of the source are followed by periods; most elements that follow are separated by commas. The entry ends with a period.
• Capitalization: MLA uses headline-style capitalization for titles. Capitalize the first and last words and the principal words in a title, including nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
• Access dates: For online sources, an access date may be included when the publication or revision date is unavailable, when the content is likely to change, or when your instructor requires it. Format the date as day Month year (e.g., 3 Aug. 2026).

The MLA container system

MLA 9 organizes source information using a container system. The idea is that sources often live inside larger sources – an article lives inside a journal, which might live in a database. MLA calls these “containers,” and each one gets documented in order.

For most sources students cite, there’s only one container, and you won’t need to think about this much. But it’s worth knowing the term because MLA style guides and professors refer to it often.

Works Cited examples: The three sources students cite most

Book

Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

Example:

Keel, John A. The Mothman Prophecies. Saturday Review Press, 1975.

Book with two authors

Sergent, Donnie, and Jeff Wamsley. Mothman: The Facts Behind the Legend. Mothman Press, 2002.

Book with three or more authors

Use the first author’s name followed by “et al.”.

Keel, John A., et al. Cryptids of the Eastern Seaboard. Highland Press, 2010.

Journal article

Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Journal Name, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp.#–#. DOI or URL.

Example:

Cline, Bryan. “Eyewitness Consistency in Mothman Sightings: A Forty-Year Review.” Journal of Cryptozoological Studies, vol. 8, no. 2, 2022, pp. 34–51. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xyz.

A few things to note:

• The article title goes in quotation marks; the journal name is italicized.
• Include volume and issue number when available.
• Use a DOI when one is available. If there’s no DOI, but the article is online, use the URL.
• The page range uses an en dash (–), not a hyphen.

Webpage

Author Last Name, First Name (if available). “Title of Page.” Website Name, Day Month Year, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

Example with an author:

Wamsley, Jeff. “The Bridge Collapse and the Sightings That Preceded It.” Strange Appalachia, 12 Nov. 2023, www.strangeappalachia.com/bridge-collapse. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

Example without an author:

“Mothman Festival: A Brief History.” Point Pleasant Tourism Board, 2024, www.pointpleasanttourism.com/mothman-festival. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

When there’s no author, the entry begins with the title of the page in quotation marks. Alphabetize by the first significant word of the title.

Common Works Cited mistakes

• Missing hanging indent – one of the most common formatting errors. Every line after the first in an entry should be indented 0.5 inches.
• Extra space between entries – the whole page is double-spaced with no extra space between references.
• Using sentence case for titles – MLA uses title case. Capitalize every major word.
• Adding or omitting access dates incorrectly – An access date isn't required for every webpage. Include one when it provides useful information about when you consulted a potentially changeable or undated source, or when your instructor requires it.
• Listing sources you didn’t cite – the Works Cited page is not a bibliography. Only sources with in-text citations belong here.
• Forgetting the period at the end of each entry – every Works Cited entry ends with a period, including entries that end with a URL.

Let PERRLA build your Works Cited page

PERRLA formats Works Cited entries automatically for books, journal articles, and webpages – and every other source type covered in the MLA 9 Handbook. Add your references, and PERRLA handles the formatting, the hanging indents, the alphabetical order, and the punctuation. Try PERRLA free for 7 days – no credit card required.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Works Cited page in MLA?

A Works Cited page lists the sources you cited in your MLA paper. It appears on a new page at the end of the paper and is alphabetized by the first word of each entry. The page is double-spaced throughout, with a 0.5-inch hanging indent for each entry. It includes sources you quoted, paraphrased, or summarized—not everything you happened to read or consult.

What is the difference between a Works Cited page and a bibliography?

A Works Cited page lists the sources you cited in your paper. A bibliography can include sources you consulted during your research, even if you did not cite them in the paper. MLA uses the term “Works Cited” for a list of sources cited in the paper; other citation styles and research contexts may use terms such as References or Bibliography.

Does the Works Cited page need a hanging indent?

Yes. The first line of each entry is flush with the left margin, and every additional line of the same entry is indented 0.5 inches. The entire Works Cited page uses this hanging-indent format.

How do you alphabetize a Works Cited page?

Alphabetize entries by the first word of each entry – usually the author's last name. If there is no author, alphabetize by the first significant word of the title. Ignore an initial “A,” “An,” or “The” when alphabetizing, but keep it in the actual title.

Do you need an access date for websites in MLA?

Not always. MLA does not require an access date for every webpage. You may include an access date when the publication or revision date is unavailable, when the content is likely to change, or when the date you accessed the source provides useful context. Format the date as day Month year (e.g., 3 Aug. 2026). If your instructor requires access dates, follow those instructions.

Is the Works Cited page double-spaced in MLA?

Yes. The entire Works Cited page is double-spaced, including the title, every entry, and the space between entries. Do not add extra blank lines between entries.

‍