MLA WORKS CITED GUIDE

DID I CORRECTLY CITE MY SOURCES Alphabetize

all sources
Put the Works Cited page
on its own page at the end of
your document.
Title the Works Cited page
with the words “Works Cited.”
Center the title and do not
Keep your last name
and page number
in the header as you
do on the rest of your
document in MLA
format.

U S I N G A P A O R M L A F O R M A T ?
by author last italicize.
name or first
entry (match Newbold 27
with in-text
citations).
WORKS CITED
Keep
margins the Allen, Jo. “The Case Against Defining Technical Writing.” Teaching Technical
same as the Communication, James Dubinski, ed., Bedford St. Martin’s, 2004, pp. 67 – 76
rest of your
YES document Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulation, trans. Sheila Faria Glaser, University of

HOW ARE YOU YES!

If you’re confident
that the information NO! If you are paraphrasing
someone or multiple people DID YOU PROVIDE YES NO at 1”. Michigan Press, 1994.

Connors, Robert. “The Rise of Technical Writing Instruction in America.” Teaching

USING THE you are discussing

is widely and
but you didn’t introduce the
ideas as not your own before
APPROPRIATE IN- Space your
text the
Technical Communication, edited by James Dubinski, Bedford St. Martin’s, 2004,
pp. 77 – 98.

SOURCE? unequivocally you use their ideas, go back TEXT REFERENCES? DID YOU CITE same as the
rest of your Cope, Bill and Mary Kalntzis. “A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies.” Multiliteracies: Literacy
Learning and the Design of Social Futures, Routlege, 2000, pp. 9 – 37.
known as common and make clear reference to document,

knowledge, you a person or group of people.

Did you include, in parentheses, the YOUR SOURCE IN A whether single
or double- Geisler, Cheryl, et al. “IText: Future Directions for Research on the Relationship
page number, name of work, or other between Information Technology and Writing.” Journal of Business and
Make sure the ideas cannot be
don’t need to do
“WORKS CITED” OR spacing.
Technical Communication, vol. 15, no. 3, 2001, pp. 269 – 308.
anything to cite your misconstrued as your own.
appropriate information according to
MLA or APA guidelines to help your NO! Even if you
Create
“REFERENCES” PAGE
Katz, Steven B. “The Ethic of Expediency: Classical Rhetoric, Technology, and the
inserted an
COMMON source. When in hanging Holocaust.” College English, vol. 54, no. 3, 1992, pp. 255 – 275.
reader find the context of the original author’s name indents by
doubt, though, follow Example: “According to John
Medina, author of ‘Brain Rules,’
source? USING APPROPRIATE and included
indenting ---. The Epistemic Music of Rhetoric. Southern Illinois University Press, 1996.

KNOWLEDGE the paraphrasing 0.5” the

guidelines below. the brain...” an in-text second and Miller, Carolyn. “A Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing.” Teaching Technical
See APA or MLA quick reference guides MLA OR APA reference,
subsequent
lines of each
Communication, edited by James Dubinski, Bedford St. Martin’s, 2004, pp. 15–23.

Are you YES to the right for appropriate citation. if you fail to include Selber, Stuart A., et al. “Contexts for Faculty Professional Development in the Age of

discussing a FORMATTING? a “Works Cited” or

source.
Double-space


Electronic Writing and Communication.” Teaching Technical Communication,
edited by James Dubinski, Bedford St. Martin’s, 2004, pp. 500 – 504.
topic, in your own
DID YOU MAKE A DID YOU USE NO Did you include, at the end of “References” page between
sources. Stafford, Barbara. “Visual Pragmatism for a Virtual World.” Visual Rhetoric in a Digital
words, that has your document, all of the citation at the end of your World, edited by Carolyn Handa, Bedford St. Martin’s, 2004, pp. 209 – 221.
been so widely
STATEMENT THAT QUOTATION MARKS information required by either MLA or document, your readers
Capitalize
author names Tufte, Edward. Envisioning Information, Graphics Press, 1990.
established by
science or by a CLARIFIES THE AROUND THE If you forgot to include
APA guidelines? Be sure to know the will likely still have a and all words
in titles Turkle, Sherry. Simulation and Its Discontents, MIT Press, 2009.

field of study that it no longer needs PARAPHRASED NO! an in-text reference

type of source you are citing (book, difficult time finding
the original source. It
except for
prepositions
to be cited—such as the earth being IDEAS YOU ARE after including quoted
magazine, digital media, interview, etc.)
and follow the guidelines according is important that you
(on, in, of),

round or the principles of gravity?

PRESENTING ARE MATERIAL? or paraphrased material, the associated style. include all citation
articles (a,
an, the), and
Use italics for titles of
larger works like books,
Use quotation marks for
titles of works within a
When you have more than
one work by the same
be sure to go back and information required by conjunctions journals, and magazines. larger work, like articles, author, use three hyphens
(but, and, or).
NOT YOUR OWN? include the reference. the style guide you are chapters, and songs. for every entry after the first.

NO In other words, did you state the following in order to give

YES NO appropriate credit to the
original author’s full or last name or MLA FORMAT COMPONENT SEQUENCE
If you are quoting someone original author’s ideas.
did you say something that indicates
what you are about to say is not your NO! verbatim but it isn’t clear
PARAPHRASE original idea?
NO! Quotation marks suggest
that the person said
to the reader who is saying
NO! If you are
YES it before you include it, quoting MLA format generally follows this order when citing sources. Not all sources will use all ten components.
Are you using exactly, word-for-word go back and find ways of someone

YES!
someone what is in quotes. If you introducing the author of directly, it is If you were
else’s thoughts, YES NO paraphrased, remove all the original quote before important able to
research, ideas, or quotation marks. you quote it. that you put answer
conclusions but
their words in quotation appropriately

APA REFERENCES GUIDE

writing them in
marks. If you made any to make it
your own words
modifications to the this far in the
and phrases? Did the original
original text, it is critical
concepts come from someone DID YOU USE that you appropriately
flow chart,
else, but you’re writing them in a DID YOU IS IT CLEAR WHO IS congrats! Put the References page on Include the page

way that flows with your own style? QUOTATION MARKS use brackets to insert You have its own page at the end of number in the header

INTRODUCE THE STATING THE QUOTE your own wording or most likely introduced and your document.
Title the References page with
as you do on the rest of

AROUND THE
your document in APA
modifications within the cited your source correctly. Alphabetize the word “References.” Center format.
ORIGINAL AUTHOR BEFORE THE READER quote. It is considered Remember that every all sources the title and do not italicize,

QUOTED MATERIAL? unethical and misleading source you reference in your

by author last underline, or use all caps.

NO
IN THE BODY OF READS IT? to change someone’s document needs to be cited,
name or first
entry (match
with in-text
27

YOUR TEXT? If you didn’t mention the author’s name

immediately before introducing the
quote without properly
identifying that you did it.
so go through this process
over and over again on every
citations).
Keep
References
Did you state the original author’s quote, will the reader know who is saying YES NO margins the
document you create that same as the
Allen, J. (2004). The case against defining technical writing. Teaching Technical
Communication (pp. 67 – 76), J. Dubinski (Ed.). Bedford St. Martin’s.

DIRECT QUOTE full name or last name (not just the

first name), before stating the actual
it? If you have mentioned the author
previously , you may only need an in-text
includes references to other
people’s ideas.
rest of your
document
at 1”.
Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and Simulation. (S. F. Glaser, Trans.). University of
Michigan Press.
Are you quoting citation rather than stating the author’s
someone verbatim,
quote?
name in the body of the text. DID YOU CLARIFY ANY MODIFICATIONS Space your
Connors, R. (2004). The rise of technical writing instruction in America. Teaching
Technical Communication (pp. 77 – 98), J. Dubinski (Ed.). Bedford St. Martin’s.
meaning that you
are using a person’s
TO THE ORIGINAL QUOTE BY text the
same as the Cope, B. and M. Kalntzis. (2000). A pedagogy of multiliteracies. Multiliteracies: Literacy
rest of your Learning and the Design of Social Futures (pp. 9 – 37). Routlege.
exact words, spelling, YES APPROPRIATELY USING BRACKETS? document,
and phrasing? Or, are you quoting YES NO YES NO whether single Geisler, C. (2001). IText: future directions for research on the relationship
between information technology and writing. Journal of Business and Technical
If you modified the direct quote in any way for readability or clarity, did or double-
Communication, 15(3), 269 – 308.
someone verbatim, but making slight you use brackets to indicate the change? spacing.
modifications, such as to verb tense Create
Katz, S. B. (1992). The ethic of expediency: classical rhetoric, technology, and the
holocaust. College English, 54(3), 255 – 275.
or pronouns for clarity and flow? hanging
indents by
YES NO indenting
0.5” the
Katz, S. B. (1996). The Epistemic Music of Rhetoric. Southern Illinois University Press.

second and Miller, C. (2004). A humanistic rationale for technical writing. Teaching Technical
subsequent Communication (pp. 15 – 33), J. Dubinski (Ed.). Bedford St. Martin’s.
Icons in this graphic used by creative commons licenses and were
developed by Smashicons, geotatah, and Freepik via flaticon.com. lines of each
source. Selber, S. A. (2004). Contexts for faculty professional development in the age of
electronic writing and communication. Teaching Technical Communication (pp. 500 –
Double-space 504), J. Dubinski (Ed.). Bedford St. Martin’s.
between
sources. Stafford, B. (2004). Visual pragmatism for a virtual world. Visual Rhetoric in a Digital

IN-TEXT CITATIONS QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE Capitalize

author last
World (209 – 221), C. Handa (Ed.). Bedford St. Martin’s.

Tufte, E. (1990). Envisioning Information, Graphics Press.

name and
include Turkle, S. (2009). Simulation and Its Discontents, MIT Press.
only first

MLA FORMAT (note the emphasis on page number) APA FORMAT (note the emphasis on publication year) initial. Don’t
capitalize
words in Use italics for titles of Do not use quotation When you have more than
names of
larger works like books, marks for titles of works one work by the same
Author Included in Sentence: (75) Multiple Works by Same Author: (Kuhn, Structure of Scientific 214) Author Included in Sentence: Anderson (2014) Multiple Authors with Same Last Name: (J. Smith, 2007); (B. Smith, 1991) articles, just journals, and magazines. within a larger work, like author, simply repeat the last
books.
Author NOT Included in Sentence: ( Anderson 75) Works with No Page Numbers: (Dickens, para. 7) Author NOT Included in Sentence: (Anderson, 2014) Multiple Works by Same Author: Newbold (2016a); Newbold (2016b) articles, chapters, and name as you did the first.
songs.
Corporate or Organizational Author: (Internal Revenue Service 126) Works with No Known Author: (“How Birds Migrate” 8) Corporate or Organizational Author: Internal Revenue Service (1998) Works with No Known Author: (“How Birds Migrate,” 1995)
Two Authors: (Jones and Anderson 97) The Bible: (King James Version, Matthew 3:7) Two Authors: Research by Jones and Anderson (2016) Unknown Author: (“The Basics of Astrology,” 1995) APA FORMAT COMPONENT SEQUENCE
Three Authors: (Harrison, Handa, and Peterson 217) Indirect Sources: (qtd. in McCloud 27) (Jones & Anderson 2016) Unknown Date: (n.d.)
More than Three Authors: (Johnson et al. 161) Multiple Citations in Same Sentence: (Barthes 48; Ulmer 112) Three to Five Authors: (Harrison, Handa, Peterson, & Thomas 2004) Indirect Sources: (as cited in McCloud, 2003) LAST NAME, FIRST INITIAL. (PUBLICATION TITLE OF TITLE OF (EDITORS & VERSION # (ISSUE),
PUBLISHER.
or URL.
TRANSLATORS).
Multiple Authors with Same Last Name: (J. Smith 23); (B. Smith 97) More than Five Authors: Harrison et. al (2006); or (Harrison et al., 2006) Multiple Citations in Same Sentence: (Barthes, 1963; Ulmer, 2001) YEAR). SOURCE. CONTAINER. PAGES.

APA format generally follows this order when citing sources. Not all sources will use all ten components.
Some changes occur with page numbers on books versus page numbers on periodicals. See examples.
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