Library Research Guides

Formatting Citations

Works Cited

Examples of how to format citations for works cited lists are provided below for both MLA (Modern Languages Association) and APA (American Psychological Association) styles. For instructions on how to place citations in the text of your paper, please see our page about in-text citations. For assistance formatting in Chicago style, please see resources below.

Please note that the list below is only a partial list of resource types. For more resource types, fuller explanations, and detailed information about formatting your paper please see the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Additional online citation resources are listed below.

Book by one author
Key components: Author, title, year of publication, place of publication, and publisher.

MLA	Ackerman, Diane. A Natural History of the Senses. New York:      Random House, 1990.
APA	Ackerman, D. (1990). A natural history of the senses.       New York: Random House.

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Book by two or three authors
Key components: Authors, title, year of publication, place of publication, and publisher

MLA	Dahl, Robert A., and Edward R. Tufte. Size and Democracy.      Stanford: Stanford UP, 1973.
APA	Dahl, R. A., & Tufte, E. R. (1973). Size and      democracy. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

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Book by four or more authors
Key components: Authors, title, year of publication, place of publication, and publisher

MLA	Peterson, Marvin W., et al. Black Students on White       Campuses: the Impacts of Increased Black Enrollments.       Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, 1978.
APA	Peterson, M. W., Blackburn, R. T., Gamson, Z. F.,      Arce, C. H., Davenport, R. W., & Mingle, J. R. (1978).       Black students on white campuses: The impacts      of increased black enrollments. Ann Arbor: Institute      for Social Research. *APA: If more than six authors, use et al to indicate remaining authors.

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Edited anthology or collection
Key components: Editor(s), title, year of publication, place of publication, and publisher

MLA	Kaplan, E. Ann, ed.  Women in Film Noir.  London: BFI, 1980.
APA	Kaplan, E. Ann (Ed.).  (1980). Women in film noir.  London: BFI.

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Book with a corporate author
Key components: Organization, title, year of publication, place of publication, and publisher

MLA	American Civil Liberties Union. Why President Richard Nixon       Should Be Impeached. Washington: Public Affairs, 1973.
APA	American Civil Liberties Union. (1973). Why President      Richard Nixon should be impeached. Washington:      Public Affairs Press.

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Government Publication
Key components: Government, agency, title, place of publication, and publisher, year of publication

MLA

Cite name of the government first, then the name of the agency: United States.  Dept. of State.  Economic and Technical       Assistance: Agreement Between the United States of       America and Hungary.Washington: GPO, 1996. If citing a congressional document, cite the number and session of congress, the house, and the type and number of publication. United States.  House of Representatives.  Intelligence       Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004.  108th Cong.,      1st sess. H. Rept. 108-163. Washington: GPO, 2003 See MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (LB 2369 .G53 1999 - Reference Collection) --Section 5.6.21 "A Government Publication" for more examples and publication types

APA

See APA Publication Manual (Call number: BF 76 .7 .p83 2001 - Reference Collection):      -- Government report available from the Government Printing Office (GPO) (p. 256)       -- Government report not available from the Government Printing Office (GPO) (p. 257)       -- Statutes & Legislative materials(Appendix D, pp. 403-409)

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Court Case
Key components: Names of first plaintiff and first defendant, number of case, name of the court, date of decision

MLA	Hinnant v. Jones. No. 02-7134. Supreme Ct. of the US. 6 Dec. 2002.
APA	See APA Publication Manual (Call number: BF 76 .7 .p83 2001 - Reference Collection):       --Court Decisions, Appendix D.03 (pp. 399 - 403)

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Work in a collection/anthology (i.e. essay, short story, poem)
Key components: Author(s), title of work, editors of collection, title of collection, year of publication, place of publication, publisher, and page number(s)

MLA	Mercer, Kobena. "Monster Metaphors: Notes on Michael      Jackson's Thriller." Sound and Vision: the Music Video      Reader. Ed. Simon Frith, Andrew Goodwin, and      Lawrence Grossberg. New York: Routledge, 1993. 93-108.
APA	Mercer, K. (1993). Monster metaphors: Notes on Michael Jackson's      Thriller. In Simon Frith, Andrew Goodwin, & Lawrence      Grossberg (Eds.), Sound and vision: the music video      reader (pp. 93-108). New York: Routledge.

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Article in a magazine or newspaper
Key components: Author(s), title of article, name of publication, date of publication, volume, edition (newspaper)and page number(s)

MLA	Magazine: Ehrenreich, B. "Libation as Liberation?" Time 1 April 2002: 62. Newspaper: Pate, Kelly. "Welfare Caseload Up; Fewer Comply With Work       Rules." The Denver Post 22 Aug. 2003, Final ed.:C-01.
APA	159 is the volume number, include if available. Magazine: Ehrenreich, B. (2002, April 1). Libation as Liberation? Time, 159, 62. Newspaper: Pate, K. (2003, August 22). Welfare caseload up; Fewer comply      with work rules. The Denver Post, p. C-01.

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Article in a reference book
Key components: Author(s), title of article, name of reference book, volume, editors, edition, date of publication, and page number(s)

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Article in a continuously paginated journal
(Page numbering starts at page one with first issue of volume and continues to end of volume)
Key components: Author(s), title of article, name of publication, date of publication, volume, and page number(s)

MLA	44 is the volume number Eley, Thalia C., et al. "A Twin Study of Anxiety-related      Behaviours in Pre-school Children." Journal of Child      Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines      44(2003): 945-961.
APA	Eley, T. C., Bolton, D., O'Connor, T. G., Perrin, S.,      Smith, P., & Plomin, R. (2003). A Twin study of      anxiety-related behaviours in pre-school children.      Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied      Disciplines, 44, 945-961. *If more than six authors, use et al to indicate remaining authors.

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Article in a separately paginated journal
(Page numbering starts at page one at the beginning of each issue)
Key components: Author(s), title of article, name of publication, date of publication, volume, issue(MLA only), and page number(s)

MLA	The volume number is 21 and the issue is 4: Nicol, Natalie and Donald A. Hantula. "Decreasing Delivery      Drivers' Departure Times." Journal of Organizational       Behavior Management 21.4 (2001): 105-116.
APA	Nicol, N., & Hantula, D. A. (2001). "Decreasing       delivery drivers' departure times." Journal of       Organizational Behavior Management, 21, 105-116.

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An advertisement
Key components: Name of product, company, or institution in advertisement, label "Advertisement", name of publication/network, publication date/broadcast date, page number(s)

MLA	Carnival Cruises. Advertisement. ESPN. 16 July 2003. Glad Ziplock Bags. Advertisement. Cooking Light      June 2003: 112.
APA	No examples given.

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Interview
Key components: Person interviewed, interviewer (if known), title of interview (if given), publication information

MLA	Published: Herr, Michael. Interview with Salman Rushdie. "Michael Herr:      an Interview." Imaginary Homelands. By Salman Rushdie.      London: Granta, 1991. 333-336. Broadcast: Carey, Mariah. Interview with Larry King.  Larry King Live.      CNN. 19 Dec. 2002. Interview that you conducted: Figgs, Penelope. Personal interview. 21 June 2003.
APA	No examples given.

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Lecture/Speech
Key components: Speaker's name, title of lecture/speech, meeting and sponsoring organization (if applicable), location, date

MLA	Baker, WIlliam.  "When Is a Text Not a Text?: The Case      of Harold Pinter."  Bibliography and Textual Studies Session.       MMLA Convention.  Hilton Chicago, Chicago.  8 Nov. 2003.
APA	See APA Publication Manual (Call number: BF 76 .7 .p83 2001 - Reference Collection):       --Proceedings of Meetings & Symposia (pp. 259 - 260)

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Web site
Key components: Title of site, name of editor (if known), date of publication (if known), edition (if known), sponsoring organization (if known), date accessed/retrieved by you, URL

MLA	15 Aug. 2003 is the date the web site was accessed Marxists Internet Archive is both the name of the site and the sponsoring organization Marxists Internet Archive. 2003. Marxists Internet Archive.      15 Aug. 2003 <http://www.marxists.org/>. Incredible Art Department. Ed. Ken Rohrer. 2003.      15 Aug. 2003 <http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/>.
APA	Marxists Internet Archive 2003. Marxists internet archive.      Retrieved August 15, 2003, from http://www.marxists.org/ Rohrer, K. (2003).  Incredible art department.      Retrieved August 15, 2003, from      http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/

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Article on Web site
Key components: Author, title of article, title of site, date of publication (if known), edition (if known), sponsoring organization (if known), date accessed/retrieved by you, URL

MLA	The first date is the date of publication, of the latest update, or date of posting. Following the first date is the name the institution or organization sponsoring the site, if there is one. The second date is the date when the site was accessed. Coleman, Brooks. "Crawling Hand." The Robot Group.      6 Nov. 2001. The Robot Group. 13 October 2003      <http://www.robotgroup.org/>.
APA	Coleman, B. (2001). Crawling hand. Retrieved October      13, 2003, from the Robot Group Web site:      http://www.robotgroup.org/

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Article in online journal or magazine
Key components: Author, title of article, name of publication, volume, date of publication, URL

MLA	Kirk, John. "Shooting Soldiers: Civil War Medical Images,      Memory, and Identity in America." Invisible Culture:      An Electronic Journal for Visual Culture 5 (2003). 15 Oct. 2003       <http://www.rochester.edu/in_visible_culture/Issue%205/      ConnorRhode/ConnorRhode.html>
APA	Kirk, J. (2003). Shooting soldiers: Civil War medical      images, memory, and identity in America. Invisible      Culture: An Electronic Journal for Visual Culture, 5.      Retrieved October 15, 2003 http://www.rochester.edu/      in_visible_culture/Issue%205/ConnorRhode/ConnorRhode.html

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Article from online database
Key components: Author, title of article, name of publication, publication information (see article examples above), name of database, name of database provider, library, date of access, URL of database provider's home page (if known)

MLA	Arnaud, Marek. "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict: is there a way out?"      Australian Journal of International Affairs 57 (2003): 243-252.      Academic Search Elite. EBSCO. U of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, McIntyre      Lib. 13 Oct 2003 <http://www.epnet.com/>.
APA	Arnaud, M. (2003, July). The Israeli-Palestinian conflict: is there a way      out? Australian Journal of International Affairs, 57, 243-252.      Retrieved October 13, 2003, from Academic Search Elite database.

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Electronic discussion list
Key components: Author, title of posting, date of posting, name of discussion list, date accessed/retrieved by you, URL

MLA	Cultstud-L is the name of the forum.Ryan, Michael. "American Culture Resources." Online posting.      13 Oct. 2003. Cultstud-L. 15 Oct. 2003      <http://lists.acomp.usf.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?visit=      cultstud-l&id=224722666>.
APA	Ryan, M. (2003, October 13). American culture      resources. Message posted to Cultstud-L electronic      mailing list, archived at http://lists.acomp.usf.edu/      cgi-bin/lyris.pl?visit=cultstud-l&id=224722666

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E-mail
Key components: Author, title of email, recipient, date

MLA	Include subject line of email, if there is one. E-mail to you is indicated as "E-mail to the author." Tompkins, Esther. "Re: Lesser Values." E-mail to Vince      Glaser, 15 Oct. 2003. West, Charles. E-mail to the author. 15 Sept. 2002.
APA	CIted in text only, not in reference list. Cite as (Tompkins, personal communication, October 15, 2003) or (personal communication, October 15, 2003) if author referred to in text.

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Two or more works by the same author

MLA	--- indicates that the author is the same as the preceding entry. Arrange alphabetically by title. Jameson, Fredric. "The End of Temporality." Critical Inquiry      29(2003): 695-718. --- . Seeds of Time. New York: Columbia UP, 1994.
APA	List works in order of publication, starting with the earliest. Jameson, Fredric (1994). Seeds of time. New York:      Columbia University Press. Jameson, Fredric (2003). The end of temporality.      Critical Inquiry, 29, 659-718.

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Style Manuals:

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers: Call number: LB2369 .G53 2003 (Reference Collection)

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: Call number: BF76.7 .P83 2001 (Reference Collection)

Online Citation Resources:

• Guide for citing digitized materials, like online maps: "How to Cite Electronic Sources"
• More APA & MLA Guides: Purdue University's Online Writing Lab
• Examples of Chicago style, 15th edition
• FAQ from Chicago Manual of Style home page
• Turabian Style Guide
• Online government document citation generator: DocsCite
• Online MLA citation generator: Noodle Tools
• Sample government document citations: "Citing Government Information Sources using MLA"
• Geological Society of America (GSA)