Works Cited or

Bibliography Format Sheet

(Based on Modern Language Association Format)

Paper copies of this format sheet and live, personal help with writing bibliographies, are available in the school library!

A Works Cited List, or a Bibliography, is a list of sources (books, encyclopedias, web sites, etc…) that a student uses to gain information for a written paper or project. It is usually found at the end of a research paper or essay and the sources are listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. A Works Cited List is a crucial part of giving credit for information borrowed from books, web sites or other sources.  The sources of direct quotations, paraphrased material, original ideas, and photographs should be included in a Works Cited List.  The format used to list sources in a Works Cited List is shown below. There are web sites like citation machine that will automatically format citations for you.

Click Here for a fill-in-the-blank, simple bibliography template: Simple Bibliography Template 

BASIC FORMAT FOR           Last Name, First Name.  Title of Book.  Place of Publication:PRINT SOURCES:                            Publisher, Year of Publication. 

If no author is given for a book or article, start with and alphabetize by the title. Underlined titles may be italicized instead of underlined in word processed papers, but be consistent!

 Specific Examples:

 

BOOK WITH ONE AUTHOR:

Tillich, Paul.  Systematic Energy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 

       1963.

 

BOOK WITH TWO AUTHORS:

Houghton, Walter E., and Sally Jeffreys.  Energy-Water. Cambridge:

       Harvard University Press, 1959.

 

BOOK WITH NO NAMED AUTHOR:

Energy-Wind. London: J. Watts, 1977.

SIGNED ENCYCLOPEDIA ARTICLE:

Chambers, Ralph. “Energy-Thermal.” The World Book Encyclopedia.

       1979 ed.

 

UNSIGNED ENCYCLOPEDIA ARTICLE:

“Solar Energy.” Illustrated Science Encyclopedia.  1997 ed.

MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER ARTICLE:

  

Johnson, Don.  “Working with Solar Power.”  Time.  20 Nov. 2000:70-71.

 

PAMPHLET:

New York State Energy Dept. A Guide To Solar Heating.

       New York:  MLA, 1973.

 

SOUND RECORDING:

U2.  All That You Can’t Leave Behind.   Interscope, 2000.

 

VIDEO RECORDING OR FILM:

Places in the Heart.  Dir. Robert Benton.  Perf. Sally Field, Danny Glover,

      Ed Harris, and John Malcovich.  Paramount, 1984.

 


 

BASIC FORMAT FOR           Author(s) Name.  Name of Page.  Date of Posting/Revision.

ELECTRONIC SOURCES:                      Name of Organization Associated with the Site.  Date

                                                            Access.  <electronic address> .

                                                  

If no author is given for a web page or electronic source, start with and alphabetize by title. Whenever the information is available you should list both the date material was posted or revised and the date you accessed the information.

 

Specific examples: 

   

WEB PAGE:

Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. 28 Nov. 2003. Purdue

      University. 10 May 2006. <http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/>.

ARTICLE ON A WEB SITE:

Underwood, Karen.  “Wolves.”  Animal Diversity. 2005. University of

       Maine. 12 Feb. 2006. <www.animaldiversity.com/wolves.html>.

 

ARTICLE IN ONLINE JOURNAL:

Wheelis, Mark.  “Investigating Disease Outbreaks.”  Nursing.  March 2000: 

       5 pages.  5 May 2006. <http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol22.html>.

ARTICLE FROM CD-ROM:

Lonecke, William.  “The Civil War.”  Encarta.  CD-ROM.  Seattle:  

     Microsoft, 2005.

 

E-MAIL:

Fiedler, Bill.  “Re:  Online Tutoring.”  E-mail to Melinda Reid.

       1 Sep. 2001.

 

LISTSERV POSTING:

Karper, Erin.  “The Problem with Teachers.”  Online posting. 12 Sept. 2006.   

       Kids Complain listserv.  14 Sept. 2006. <http://mcskids.org>.

 

WEBLOG or “BLOG”:

Ratliff, Clancy. CultureCat: Rhetoric and Feminism. 7 May 2006. 11 May 2006.

       <http://culturecat.net>.

PHOTOGRAPH:

O'Sullivan, Timothy H.  “Incidents of the War.  c1865.”  Selected Civil War

       Photographs from the Library of Congress,  1861-1865.  12 Jan. 2000. 

       American Memory.  Lib. of Congress.  2 Aug. 2005 <http://memory.loc.gov>.

 

If your article does not include a piece of information shown on this format sheet (i.e. the author or posting date) you should go on to the next piece of information, using the same order shown above.

 

More information on writing a bibliography may be found online at this web site:

 

Stolley, Karl. “MLA Formating and Style Guide”  Online Writing Lab.  12 May 2006. Purdue University.  

       18 May 2006.  < http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/>.

 

OR ask for help from the library staff!

 

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