The first thing you want to figure out when you are creating a Works Cited page entry is what type of material you are referencing. Depending on what your item is, the entry will look slightly different. Some different types of material you might be citing include a book, a journal article, a webpage on a website, a chapter in a book, an entry in a dictionary or encyclopedia, or a video. Of course, there are many more.
Once you've identified what type of source you have, take a look at this page to see a layout of how an entry for that type of source should look, and an example of a real citation of that type. If you need help figuring out what information should go where, check out the "Works Cited Visually" tab.
Some things to remember for your Works Cited Page:
Citing an entire book
Authorlastname, Firstname. Italicized Title: Subtitle if There is One. Publisher, Publication Date.
Damour, Lisa. Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls. Ballantine Books, 2019.
Citing a work in an anthology, reference or collection
Authorlastname, Firstname. "Title of Essay." Italicized Title of Collection, edited by Editor's Name(s), Publisher, Year, pp. Page Range of Entry.
Klein, Ellen. "Space Exploration is a Moral Imperative." The Future of Space Exploration, edited by Avery Elizabeth Hurt, Greenhaven Publishing, 2019, pp. 93-102.
Citing a book with an organizational author (if the author and the publisher are the same, list the title first and just list it as the publisher.)
Organization Name. Italicized Title: Subtitle if There is One. Publisher, Publication Date.
Calgary Educational Partnership Foundation. Employability Skills: Creating My Future. Nelson, 1996.
Citing an eBook from a library database
Authorlastname, Firstname. Title of Book: Subtitle if Any. Edition if Given and is Not First Edition, Publisher, Publication Date. Name of Library Database, DOI or URL.
Waldau, Paul. Animal Rights: What Everyone Needs To Know. Oxford University Press, 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), https://ezproxy.wctc.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=348353&site=eds-live&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_v.
Citing a journal article (can include a more specific date if available, like Jan. 2019 or Spring 2021).
Authorlastname, Firstname. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Year, pp. Page Numbers. DOI (if available).
Hang, Weiqiang, and Timothy Banks. “Machine Learning Applied to Pack Classification.” International Journal of Market Research, vol. 61, no. 6, 2019, pp. 601–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470785319841217.
Hickox, Stacy. “It’s Time to Rein in Employer Drug Testing.” Harvard Law & Policy Review, vol. 11, no. 2, 2017, pp. 419–62.
Citing a journal article from a database
Authorlastname, Firstname. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Journal, vol. Volume Number, no. Issue Number, Year, pp. Page Numbers. Name of Database, DOI (if available).
Häggström, Margaretha. “Being in the Forest—A Matter of Cultural Connections with a Natural Environment.” Plants, People, Planet, vol. 1, no. 3, 2019, pp. 221–32. Academic Search Complete, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10056.
Citing a film or movie
Title of Movie. Contributor(s), Publisher/Production Company, Year of Release.
The Menu. Directed by Mark Mylod, performances by Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, and Nicholas Hoult, Hyperobject Industries, 2022.
Citing an entire website
Putting the date the website was accessed is not required but is encouraged, especially for websites that may change or if there isn't a date available. You can usually omit http:// or https:// from URLS.
Authorlastname, Firstname. Italicized Title of Website. Name of Site/Organization, Date of Copyright or Last Update, URL. Date Accessed.
Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003, www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/. Accessed 10 May 2006.
Citing a webpage
If the name of the publisher organization is the same as the title of the website then only include the title of the website.
Authorlastname, Firstname. "Title of Page or Document." Title of Website, Name of Organization Affiliated with the Website, Date of Copyright or Date Last Modified/Updated, URL. Accessed Day Month Year Site Was Visited.
Peterson, Stacy M. "5 Ways to Bring Play Back into Your Life." Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 13 Mar. 2021, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/resilience-training/in-depth/5-ways-to-bring-play-back-into-your-life/art-20342117. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.
Citing a webpage with no author
If the site has no author, put the title of the webpage where the author would normally go.
"Title of Page or Document." Italicized Title of Website, Publisher Organization, Date of Copyright or Date Last Modified/Updated, URL. Accessed Day Month Year Site Was Visited.
"Birds: Living dinosaurs." American Museum of Natural History, 15 Sept. 2017, www.amnh.org/exhibitions/fighting-dinos/birds-living-dinosaurs. Accessed 11 July 2018.
Citing a webpage with no date
If the webpage you are using doesn't have a date, skip that section. It is recommended to add the date you accessed the item to the end of the citation.
"North American River Otters." National Wildlife Federation, www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/north-american-river-otter. Accessed 18 July 2022.