5.5 The Works Cited List

Compiling & Formatting

Once you have constructed your citations according to MLA rules, it is just a few short steps to complete the Works Cited list.

  • Center the words, Works Cited, at the top of the page.
  • Alphabetize the citations by author’s last name, or by the first main word of the title if there is no author (skip A, An, The).
  • Make sure all lines are double-spaced.
  • Apply “hanging” indents to all citations: The first line of the citation is not indented. All subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inches.

Example Works Cited

Works Cited

Bender, Kimberly, et al. "Risk Detection and Self-Protection among Homeless Youth." Journal of Research on Adolescence, vol. 25, no. 2, 2015, pp. 352-65. Academic Search Complete, doi:10.1111/jora.12123.

Connolly, Deborah R. Homeless Mothers: Face to Face with Women and Poverty. U of Minnesota P, 2000.

“Homeless Families with Children.” National Coalition for the Homeless, 20 June 2012,
www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/facts/families.pdf.

“Obama Visits Homeless Shelter for Teens.” YouTube, uploaded by Associated Press, 19 Jan. 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwqmukp8zd8.

Snow, David A., and Leon Anderson. Down on Their Luck: A Study of Homeless Street People. U of California P, 1993. EBSCOHost eBook Collection, 0-search.ebscohost.com.library.cabrillo.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,url&db=nlebk&AN=10103&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Strong, James H., editor. Educating Homeless Children and Adolescents: Evaluating Policy and Practice. Sage Publications, 1992.