🔖 Remember: NoodleTools
Remember that you have access to NoodleTools, which can automatically generate properly formatted MLA Works Cited pages for you. If you haven’t set it up yet, refer back to the NoodleTools guide.
How To Manually Set Up A Works Cited Page
The MLA Works Cited page is an essential part of any academic paper in the humanities, where all cited sources are listed.
Here are the requirements:
- Page Break: Insert a page break before starting the Works Cited page to ensure the title stays at the top. In Microsoft Word, place your cursor at the end of the text and use Insert > Page Break. In Google Docs, go to Insert > Break > Page break.
- Title: Center “Works Cited” at the top of a new page, in the same font and size as the rest of the document. Do not bold, italicize, or enlarge it.
- Font: Use Times New Roman, 12 pt. for the entire document.
- Hanging Indent: Apply a hanging indent of half an inch to each citation entry. This means the first line of each entry is flush with the left margin, and all subsequent lines are indented.
- Spacing and Margins: Maintain 1-inch margins on all sides and double-space all text — including between entries.
- Order of Entries: Alphabetize entries by the author’s last name. If a source has no author, alphabetize by the first major word of the title (ignore “A,” “An,” and “The”).
MLA Citation Format: Website Example
Each type of source—books, articles, websites, films, etc.—requires slightly different information in the citation.
The type of source determines which elements are relevant and in what order. This ensures the reader can locate the original source no matter its format. When citing a web page, use the following core elements. The core elements for a website citation are listed below — but if a piece of information isn’t available, see the notes beneath each item for what to do.
- Author(s): Start with the author’s last name, followed by a comma and the first name. If there is no author, skip this element and begin with the title of the page.
- “Title of the Page/Article”: Place the title of the web page in quotation marks. Capitalize each major word. If the page has no title, describe it briefly in brackets, e.g., [Homepage].
- Website Name: Italicize the name of the overall website — but only if it is different from the title of the page.
- Publication Date: Include the day, month, and year the page was published or last updated. If no date is available, omit it and include an access date at the end instead.
- URL: Provide the full URL without the “https://” at the beginning.
- Access Date (optional): Include the day, month, and year you visited the page. This is especially important if the page has no publication date or if the content is likely to change over time.
For guidance on citing other source types — such as books, journal articles, or films — visit Purdue OWL’s MLA Works Cited guide.
MLA Template for Citing a Web Page
Use this template when citing a web page.
Fill in each element in the order shown. Leave out any element that doesn’t apply to your source, and refer to the notes in the section above if something is missing.
Last Name, First Name. “Title of Web Page.” Website Name, Day Month Year, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.
Example:
Smith, John. “How to Write a Works Cited Page.” Writing Tips, 5 June 2023, writingtips.com/articles/how-to-write-a-works-cited-page.