Example Work Cited Page | Simple Student Template

When teachers ask for a sample works cited list, most students want something they can copy, adapt, and trust. You need a page that passes grading rubrics, lines up with MLA rules, and feels easy to build inside Word or Google Docs.

This guide walks through a complete example work cited page in MLA style, step by step. You will see how the page should look, how to shape each entry, and how to avoid the small mistakes that often cost marks.

Sample Works Cited Page Format And Layout

Before you type a single source, set up the page. A correct layout saves time and keeps every citation consistent. MLA style places the works cited list on a new page at the end of the paper, with the title centered at the top and the entries below, left aligned, double spaced, and arranged by author surname.

Layout Element	MLA Requirement	Student Tip
Title	Use “Works Cited” centered, same font as text	No bold, underline, or italics in the title line
Margins	One inch on all sides	Match the rest of your paper so the page lines up
Spacing	Double spacing across the whole page	Turn off extra spacing before and after paragraphs
Alignment	Left aligned text, ragged right edge	Avoid full justification, which can stretch words out
Font And Size	Readable font such as Times New Roman, 12 pt	Use the same font settings as the essay body
Hanging Indent	First line flush left, next lines indented 0.5 inches	Set a hanging indent once instead of tabbing each line
Order Of Entries	Alphabetical by author surname	When there is no author, sort by the first word of the title

These layout rules match current MLA guidance, which organizes every entry around a list of core elements such as author, title, container, publisher, and date. Once your page follows this base format, you only need to plug each source into the same pattern.

Sample Example Work Cited Page In Mla Style

The phrase example work cited page usually points to one clear model with book, article, and web entries on a single list. Below is a short sample set of entries in MLA ninth edition style. The layout would appear under the heading “Works Cited” in your document.

Book entry:

Smith, Jordan. Writing With Clarity. Greenbridge Press, 2022.

Journal article entry:

Lopez, Maria. “Reading Strategies For First Year Students.” College Literacy Review, vol. 14, no. 2, 2021, pp. 45–62.

Website entry:

Modern Language Association. “Works Cited: A Quick Guide.” MLA Style Center, 2024, MLA works cited quick guide.

These entries show the standard order of information: author, title of the source, title of the container, other contributors if any, version or number, publisher, publication date, and location such as page range or URL. Each detail sits in a specific place with a specific punctuation mark.

Building A Work Cited Entry Step By Step

To create a strong example work cited page, it helps to treat each citation like a small formula. MLA style describes nine core elements that can apply to almost any source. When you line them up in the correct order, you get a full reference that matches classroom expectations.

Step One: Identify Core Elements

Start with the source in front of you. For a book, look at the title page and copyright page. For a journal article, scan the first page of the PDF. For a website, check the top and bottom of the screen. Collect these items: author name, title of the piece, title of the larger work, other contributors such as editors, edition, volume or issue, publisher, publication date, and page numbers or URL.

If one element is missing, you simply skip it and move to the next. One case would be a web article with no publisher listed, or a streaming video with no page numbers. MLA rules allow that kind of gap as long as the remaining pieces appear in the right slots.

Step Two: Arrange Elements In Mla Order

Once you have the pieces, arrange them in the sequence suggested by the Purdue OWL works cited guide. Start with the author’s surname and first name, then the title of the source in quotation marks or italics, followed by the container title, other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date, and location. Use periods between large parts and commas within parts unless MLA gives a special rule.

Here is the general pattern for a single author book:

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

And here is the pattern for a standard journal article from a database:

Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, vol. number, no. number, Year, pp. page range.

Step Three: Match Punctuation And Capitalization

MLA style cares about small marks such as commas, colons, and quotation marks. Titles of shorter works such as articles or poems go in quotation marks, while titles of full works such as books or full websites go in italics. Each major word in a title starts with a capital letter, including verbs and nouns.

Pay attention to periods at the end of each main part of the entry. The author name ends with a period, the full title of a book ends with a period, and the publication date usually ends with a period as well. A clear rhythm appears once you write several entries in a row.

Step Four: Apply The Hanging Indent

The hanging indent is one of the most visible parts of a work cited list. In Word, you can create it by highlighting the whole list, opening the paragraph dialog, and setting Special Indent to “Hanging” with a value of 0.5 inches. In Google Docs, you can use the Indentation options menu to set the same effect.

When the hanging indent is in place, every entry starts at the left margin and wraps in by half an inch for all later lines. This shape helps readers scan down the author surnames and find a matching in text citation without confusion.

Handling Tricky Sources On A Work Cited Page

Real research projects rarely use only simple books and journal articles. Many students cite videos, datasets, social media posts, and sources with three or more authors. The same nine core elements still apply, but some special cases keep your sample page neat and readable.

Sources With Multiple Authors

When a source lists two authors, MLA style keeps the first name inverted and the second name in normal order. For three or more authors, MLA uses the first author followed by “et al.” to shorten the entry. This pattern also appears again in the in text citation, so the works cited page and body of the paper line up.

If you cite more than one source by the same author, list the entries together and sort them by title. MLA allows the use of three em dashes in place of the repeated author name after the first entry, which keeps the list tidy and easy to scan.

Sources With No Listed Author

Sometimes a website, report, or reference book has no named author. In that case, start the entry with the title of the work. When you order the list, sort this entry by that title, ignoring any starting article such as “A,” “An,” or “The.” The same title will appear in short form in the in text citation.

This rule helps you handle corporate authors as well. If a government agency or company appears as the author, write the full group name in the author position and sort it alphabetically in the same way you would sort a personal name.

Online Sources And Access Dates

Online sources often cause stress because URLs can be long and pages can change over time. MLA recommends including a stable URL or DOI at the end of the entry when available. If no publication date appears on the page, you may add the date you accessed the material after the URL.

When you copy a URL, remove any tracking codes at the end so the link looks clean. MLA style does not require “https://” before the link, though many teachers are comfortable with it. The goal is a link that works and does not distract from the rest of the citation.

Organizing Your Works Cited Page

Once each entry follows MLA format, you still need to arrange the full list. Organization helps readers match in text citations to the works cited list and check your research trail.

Alphabetical Order Rules

Order entries by the first element in each citation, usually the author surname. When two entries share the same author, place them in alphabetical order by title and use three em dashes in place of the repeated author in the second and later entries.

When no author exists, rely on the title and treat it the same way in the alphabet. Numbers at the start of a title are alphabetized as though the number were spelled out in words.

Balancing In Text Citations And Works Cited Entries

Every in text citation in the paper should match one entry on the work cited page, and every entry on the works cited list should appear in the body at least once. Teachers read for this one to one match when they grade research projects; it shows that sources shaped the writing rather than sitting in a separate list.

As you revise, move through the essay and underline each in text citation, then check it against the list. If the author and title details line up cleanly, you can feel confident that the example work cited page will make sense to anyone who reads your paper.

Common Mistakes On A Work Cited Page

Students often lose easy points on the work cited page because of small oversights. A quick review near the end of your writing process can clear up most of these problems.

Mistake	Why It Causes Trouble	Fast Fix
Title “Work Cited” Instead Of “Works Cited”	Does not match MLA wording	Use the exact two word title MLA gives
Single Spacing Or Extra Gaps	Breaks the smooth visual flow of the list	Apply double spacing with no extra space before or after
Wrong Order Of Author Names	Makes it hard to match in text citations to entries	Invert only the first author name, not the second
Missing Hanging Indent	Entries blend together and are hard to scan	Set a hanging indent through paragraph settings
Random Fonts Or Sizes	Makes the work cited page feel separate from the paper	Match the same font, size, and margins as the rest of the essay
Long, Messy URLs	Clutter the page and distract from main details	Cut tracking codes; keep only the stable part of the link
Entries With No Matching In Text Cite	Can suggest padding or rushed citation work	Remove unused entries or add missing in text references

Turning An Example Into Your Own Work Cited Page

A strong sample works cited page gives you more than one or two copied entries. It shows a pattern you can repeat with any source you meet this term and in future classes. Start with a short sample, compare it with trusted models from the MLA Style Center and similar guides, and build your own list from there.

As you gain practice, the process speeds up. You begin to spot author names, titles, and container titles at a glance. You learn which details matter for each source type and which can be skipped. Most of all, you build a citation habit that helps teachers follow your research and helps you avoid plagiarism problems.

When your final draft is ready, give the work cited page one last careful read. Check layout, entry order, punctuation, and links. That extra pass turns that model page into a clean, accurate list that backs your argument and shows respect for every author you quote.