How to Write Work Cited

How to Write Work Cited Usually all of us refer to a number of sources when we write our seminar paper, project documents or dissertations. Even when we write essay and small articles, we often research on the topic in depth and browse though a lot of books and articles before starting to write or even while writing. Referring to various books and journals help us learn more about the topic we write on and times, we cite quotes from those books. When we cite somebody’s work in our dissertation, it is only moral and legal that we give enough credit to the original author. This is why the importance of a reference section in a book can not be overlooked.

The reference section records the sources from which we have been inspired from. This also helps the readers to conduct further extensive studies of the matter with the help of the reference section. There are various styles of work citation done, depending on the publishing style but mostly there are two types of work citation namely, Modern Language Association (MLA) style and American Psychological Association (APA) style which are commonly used. The ‘Reference’ or ‘Work Cited’ section is like any other section of the thesis and has regular margins on all the sides and is usually placed at the end of the thesis or dissertation.

The first row of the sentence needs to be indented. You can use a one an half inch tab for this purpose. The usual space between two rows is double than the space used inside the text.

Here are some guidelines for MLA style citations:

The list of authors can be placed alphabetically with their last name. In case you have used more than one book by an author, then after you place the name of the author, you must choose the title of the book and place them alphabetically. Usually the style omits the use of articles like a, an or the.
Example of work citation of a book: Name (Last Name), Author (First & Second Name). The Title of the Book. Publisher, Year.
Example of an Article in Journal: Name (Last Name), Author (First & Second Name). “Title of the Article”. The Name of the Journal Month or Week Year: Page no. (From-to).

Guidelines for APA style citation:

Arrange the author names alphabetically. And use the same rules as the MLA style but in the APA style the first and second name should be abbreviated. How to Write Work Cited

Example of work citation of a book: Name (Last Name), Initials (First & Second Name). (Year). The Title of the Book. Location: Publisher.
Example of an Article in Journal: Name (Last Name), Initials (First & Second Name). (Year). Title of the Article. The Name of the Journal Month or Week. Page no. (From-to). Location: Publisher.

Tips: For the MLA or APA style citations, one can always refer to the respective manuals which also provide guidance for the reference style inside the text. And as the style gets updated regularly, a manual would prove helpful.

Watch a video instruction on how to write work cited