List of Sources
Many documentation styles pair in-text citations with a detailed list of sources, called references in APA and works cited in MLA, that provides enough information for readers to find the sources themselves. This section of the tutorial includes guidelines for how to cite the most common types of sources. To learn how to cite others, consult Chapters 6 and 7 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed. or the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 8th ed.
General Format for References (APA) / Works Cited (MLA)
- Begin the list of sources on a separate numbered page at the end of the document.
- Provide a title at the top of the page, “References” for APA or “Works Cited” for MLA, with no special formatting: bolding, underlining, quotation marks, larger font size, etc.
- List all sources used in the document in alphabetical order.
- Use a hanging indent so that only the first line of each entry lines up at the left margin; if an entry is more than one line long, all subsequent lines should be indented 0.5 inches.
- Double space the entire list with no extra space between sources.
Rule to Remember
Any source cited in text must be included in the list of sources, and sources in the list of sources must be cited in text.
This tutorial includes only the most commonly cited kinds of sources. To learn how to cite less commonly seen works, consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed. by Joseph Gribaldi (New York: MLA, 2003) or the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. (Washington, DC: APA, 2003).
