IXL | Understand a Works Cited entry (MLA 8th–9th editions)

What does this Works Cited entry indicate about the cited work?

White, Julia. "In My Proud Moments." Spread My Soul, edited by L. Noel Harvey, Inhstudio, 2002, p. 38.

It has two authors.

Inhstudio is the publisher.

It is an online source.

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What does this Works Cited entry indicate about the cited work?

Davis, Lydia. Samuel Johnson is Indignant: Stories. McSweeney's Books, 2001.

It is an article.

It is a short story.

It is a book.

key idea

When writing research papers, you will often be asked to follow a particular style guide for your citations. One popular style guide is the Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook.

Below are the basic formats for some common types of Works Cited entries. Consult the MLA Handbook for a complete list.

Books:


Format	Author(s). Book Title. Publisher, Year of Publication.
Example	Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Dover Publications, 1995.

Essays, short stories, or poems in an anthology or book:


Format	Author(s). "Essay, Poem, or Short Story Title." Anthology or Book Title, edited by Editor Name, Publisher, Year of Publication, Page Number(s).
Example	James, Henry. "The Middle Years." The Oxford Book of American Short Stories, edited by Joyce Carol Oates, Oxford UP, 2013, pp. 116–135.

Magazine and newspaper articles:


Format	Author(s). "Article Title." Title of Magazine or Newspaper, Date of Publication, Page(s).
Example	Sharpe, Rochelle. "Those Hidden Fees." The New York Times Education Life, 6 Nov. 2016, pp. 18–19.

Journal articles:


Format	Author(s). "Article Title." Title of Journal, Volume, Issue, Year, Page(s).
Example	Boggs, Colleen Glenney. "Public Reading and the Civil War Draft Lottery." American Periodicals, vol. 26, no. 2, 2016, pp. 149–66.

Web pages:


Format	Author(s). "Page Title." Name of Website. Publisher, Date of Publication, URL. Date of Access (optional).
Example	Haag, Matthew, and Nicole Hong. "Google to Spend $2.1 Billion on Manhattan Office Building." The New York Times, 21 Sept. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/09/21/nyregion/google-buys-building-hudson-square.html.

Additional guidelines

Author

names:

The first author's name is written in last name, first name format (Smith, Jane). Additional author names are written in first name last name format (Smith, Jane, and John Doe). If there are more than two authors, the first author's name is followed by "et al.," which stands for and others (e.g., Smith, Jane, et al.).

Editors, translators, and

illustrators:

If a work has an editor, translator, or illustrator, this information must be added to the Works Cited entry using "edited by," "translated by," or "illustrated by."

Does-not-apply or missing

information:

If a citation element does not apply to the type of work being cited, or if the information is missing, that element should be left out of the citation. The only exception is the title of a work—if there is no clear title, supply your own description of the work.

solution

Look closely at the Works Cited entry:

Davis, Lydia. Samuel Johnson is Indignant: Stories. McSweeney's Books, 2001.

Book entries include the book title in italics followed by the publisher name and the year of publication.

Based on the formatting, the cited work must be a book.

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