What Is a “work Cited” Page?

By Staff Writer | Last Updated August 4, 2015

A works cited page lists the references used in a paper written in MLA or APA format. The works cited page differs from a bibliography; a works cited page lists references used throughout the paper, while a bibliography page lists all the sources used for references.

The Modern Language Association, or MLA, is the style most commonly used for secondary and post-secondary undergraduate papers, especially those written for humanities courses, such as English. The American Psychological Association, or APA, style is used for graduate programs in the social sciences. Both MLA and APA use works cited pages to list references. The page enables the writer to use a more brief form of inline citation throughout the paper.

The works cited page has a specific format. For example, the references are double-spaced and require a hanging indentation, which means the first line is flush with the left margin, and subsequent lines of the reference are indented. Writers must list the references in alphabetical order by author’s last name. If there is no author, the reference should be listed by title. Titles of books and journals are italicized, while articles, essays, chapters of books and short stories are surrounded by quotation marks.