The following bibliographic formats are based on the Modern Language Association
citation formats. For further information, students should consult a copy of
the Handbook. Copies are available at the WHS Library. MLA Handbook for Writers
of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: MLA, 2009. Return
to: WHS Library
1. Book with One Author 
Author's last name, First name. Title of the book:
Subtitle. City: Publisher,
Date. Print.
Schwaitz, Bernard. Decision: How the Supreme Court Decides
Cases. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Print.
2. Book with Two or More Authors
Author's last name, First name and Second Author's full name.
Title of the book: Subtitle. City: Publisher, Date. Print.
Neilson, Alleen Pace and Kenneth Donelson. Literature for Today's
Young Adults. New York: Harper Collins, 1993. Print.
If the names
listed on the title page are editors, place a comma after the final name and
add the abbreviation eds.
Henderson, Helene and Jay P. Pederson, eds. Twentieth Century
Literary Movements Dictionary. Detroit, Michigan: Omnigraphics, Inc., 2000. Print.
3. An Anthology or a Compilation (when using the
entire anthology)
Bernards, Neil ed. Euthanasia: Opposing Viewpoints. San
Diego: Greenhaven, 1989. Print.
4. A Work in an Anthology (short story, poem or
other work found within a collection or anthology)
Cantor, Norman L. "Euthanasia Should Be Based on Quality of Life."
Euthanasia: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Neil Bernards. San Diego:
Greenhaven, 1989. 107-113. Print.
5. Article in a Familiar Reference Book (encyclopedia
or dictionary)
"Geomorphology." World Book Encyclopedia. 1997 ed. Print.
6. A Multivolume Work with Signed Articles
Schmidt, Benno C., Jr. "Prior Restraint and Censorship." Ed.
Leonard W. Levy. Encyclopedia of the American Constitution.
Vol. 3. New York: Macmillan, 1986. 1453-56. Print.
7. Article in a Reference Book That Is Not
Attributed to a Particular Author
"Ethan Frome." Novels for Students. Eds. Sheryl Ciccrelli
and Marie Rose Napiekowski. Vol . 5. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 34-5. Print.
8. Previously Published Scholarly Article Appearing in a Collection
Rpt. in = reprinted in
Author's Last name, first name. "Title of
Article." Title of First Publication
in which the Article Appeared. Other
information Depending on the Type of Publication. Rpt in.Title of Collection. Ed. Name. Vol. number. Place of publication:
Publisher, Copyright Date. Page numbers. Print.
Roberts, Sheila. "A Confined World: A Rereading of Pauline Smith."
World Literature in English 24 (1984): 232-38. Rpt. in Twentieth Century Literary
Criticism. Ed. Dennis Poupard. Vol. 25. Detroit: Gale, 1988.
399-402. Print.
9. Pamphlets
Cite a pamphlet as you would a book.
10. Missing Information in Books
If information is unavailable, use the following abbreviations for
information you cannot supply
|
n.p. |
No place of publication |
|
n.p. |
No publisher given |
|
n.d. |
No date of publication given |
|
n. pag |
No pagination given |
1. Original Painting
Structure:
Artist's last name, First name. Title of work. Institution, City.
Example:
Blackburn, Joseph. Isaac Winslow and His Family. 1775. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
2. Reproduction of a Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph
When citing a reproduction of a painting, a piece of sculpture, or a photograph,
list the institution or private owner. Also, include all the publication information
for the source in which the photograph appears. Include the page, slide or plate
number, whichever is available. If you wish to indicate when the work was created,
add the date after the title.
Structure:
Artist's Last name, First name. Title of work. Institution that houses the work, City. Title of book. Author. City of publication: Publisher. page or plate number.
Example:
Monet, Claude. Floating Ice. 1880. Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont. Claude Monet 1840-1926. by Charles F. Stuckey. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1995. Slide 56.
O'Keefe, Georgia. Cow's Skull: Red, White and Blue. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Modern American Painting. by the editors of Time Life Books. Alexandria, Virginia: Time Life, 1970. 36. Print.
3. WWW Reproductions of Painting, Sculpture or Photographs
Sargent, John Singer. The Daughters of Edward D. Boit . 1882. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Web. 19 October 2009.
Remember, whenever you draw on another person's work for facts,
opinions, ideas, paraphrasing or exact quotes, you must give credit
to the source through documentation.
Citations in parenthesis tell the reader to turn to the "Works
Cited" page at the end of your paper. Alphabetically arranged, this
list gives full identification of the sources you have used.
For other examples and further information, students should consult the original
document. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed.
New York: MLA, 2009.
During the 1920s factories were very busy and most people had
secure jobs. Still problems began to show up in the economy because
during World War I "farmers borrowed money to buy more machinery and
land to meet the high demand for food in Europe. When the war ended
their foreign markets collapsed" (Scott 261).
The period, to end the sentence, comes after the parenthesis.
2. Other circumstances
Two authors with the same last name: (J. Scott 239).
Two books by the same author: (Scott, The Story of America
261).
Two or Three authors: (Smith and Jones 235).
Textual and Parenthetical Documentation
1. When incorporating the author's name:
John Scott explains that during World War I "farmers borrowed
money to buy more machinery and land to meet the high demand for food
in Europe. When the war ended their foreign markets collapsed" (261).
2. When incorporating the author's name and the title of
work:
In his book The Story of America, John Scott explains that
during World War I "farmers borrowed money to buy more machinery and
land to meet the high demand for food in Europe. When the war ended
their foreign markets collapsed" (261).
Literary Documentation
1. Dramatic Works
Structure:
Cite the act, scene and line(s)
Example:
Shakespeare's Hamlet seems resolute when he declares, "The play's the
thing / Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King" (2.2. 633 -
34).
2. Prose Works
Classic prose works are available in several editions. Therefore
it is helpful to provide the reader with enough information to locate
a quotation in any copy of the novel. Cite the page in the edition
used and follow it with a semi colon and a section or chapter number
to enable the reader to locate the passage in any copy of the novel.
Example:
Raskolnikov first appears in Crime and Punishment as a man
contemplating a terrible act but frightened of meeting his talkative
landlady on the stairs (Dostoevsky 1; pt. 1, ch. 1).
Citing Electronic Sources
1. Periodicals on CD-ROM
Structure:
Author's Last Name, First name (if available). "Title of Article."
Title of Magazine Date: pages. Name of Program. Name of vendor.
Date. Medium
Example:
Chollar, Susan. "Eating Disorders." Women's Day 3 July
1997: 47. EBSCO. Apr. 1996 - Aug. 1997. CD ROM.
2. Encyclopedia and Reference Works on CD ROM
Author's Last Name, First Name (if available). "Title of Article."
Name of Product. Version or release (if available). CD ROM. City of
Publication: Publisher, Date.
Flaubert, Gustave. "Madame Bovary". Monach Notes. New Jersey: Simon & Schuster. 1992. CD ROM.
3. World Wide Web (WWW)
a. Professional or Personal Internet Site
Structure:
Author's Last name, First name. "Title of www page." Sponsoring institution or organization. Date of publication. Web. Access Date.
O’Leary, Donal. ”Tellurium.” The Chemical
Elements. Department of Chemistry at University College Cork. 2000. Web.19 October
2009.
Example of a page within a site:
Author’s last name, first name. “Title of
the Page.” Name of the Site, Date of site. Medium. Date of Access.
<URL>.
Cody, David. “Dickens: A Brief Biography.” The Victorian Web, 1988. Web. 16 October 2009. <http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/dickensbio1.html>.
Example of a personal home page:
Bousfield, Wendy. Home Page. 25 July 2000. Web. 16 October 2009. <http://web.syr.edu/~blbousfi/>.
b. Online Encyclopedia
Structure:
Author's last name, first [if given]. "Article
or Web page title." Web site title, Publication date or latest update
of the site. Producer or sponsor of the site. Web. Access date.
Wilson, John F. "Puritans." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2009. Web. 26 October 2009.
c. Scholarly Project
Structure:
Author's Last name, First name. "Title of www page." Sponsoring institution or organization. Date of publication (day, month, year). Medium. (Web) Date of access. <full web address> (if required by teacher)
When information is missing cite what is available.
n.p. |
No place of publication |
n.p. |
No publisher given |
n.d. |
No date of publication given |
n. pag |
No pagination given |
Example:
Martin, Thomas R. "An overview of classical Greek history from
Homer to Alexander." The Perseus Project, n.d. Web. 20 October 2009. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0009:head%3D%2376>.
Example:
Thomas: Legislative Information on the internet. Lib. of Congress, Washington, 26 May 1998. Web 20 October 2009
d. Information Database
Structure for a periodical publication:
Author's Last name, First name. "Article Title." Magazine
Name. Volume number Issue number. Date: (for Scholarly Journal; the year, for other periodicals, the day, month and year if available) : pages or indicator of length. Title of the database.
Publisher. Medium. date of access.
Example:
Battersby, John. "Nelson Mandela's Moral Legacy." The Christian
Science Monitor. 10 May 1999: 9(1). General Reference Center Gold. Gale. Web. 21 October 2009.
e. Article in a Scholarly Journal
Structure:
Author's Last name, First name. "Title of the Work." Name
of periodical. vol. number or other identifying number (date of publication):
number range or total number of pages. medium. (Web) date of access.
Example:
Duc, P. A. et al. "Formation of a Tidal Dwarf Galaxy in the
Interacting System Arp 245 (NGC 2992/93). " The Astronomical Journal,
120:1238-1264, (2000). Web. 21 October 2009.
f. Reviews
Structure:
Author. Rev. of Title of work. Dir. Name. Name
of periodical vol. number or other identifying number. Total no. of pages.
Date of publication . Date of Access. address. Date of access.
Example:
Ebert, Roger. Rev. of The Way of the Gun, dir. Christopher
McQuarrie. Chicago Sun-Times. 8 September 2000. Web. 21 October 2009.
KIsor, Henry. Rev.of. "Nothing Like It in the World: The Men
Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad, 1863-1869." By Stephen E. Ambroise.
New York . 22 September 2000. Web. 21 October 2009.
g. E-mail
Structure:
Author's last name, First name. "Title of message."
Massage to recipient. Date of message.
Smith, John. "Planning State Budgets.'' Message to Mary Jones.
3 October 2009. E-mail.
h. Painting, Sculpture or Photograph on the World
Wide Web
When citing a reproduction of a painting or sculpture list the institution
or private owner and include all the publication information for the source
in which the photograph appears. Include the page, slide or plate number whichever
is available. If you wish to indicate when the work was created, add the date
after the title. For WWW publications include the date of access before the
url.
Sargent, John Singer. The Daughters of Edward D. Boit .
1882. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Web. 21 October 2009.
Evaluating Internet Resources
When selecting Internet resources it is important to choose
resources that contain valid information written by reliable authors.
Recognizing four categories of Web Pages that are useful for
research projects:
- Informational Pages
Individual research
Reference sources
Fact sheets
- News and Periodical Sources
News wire sites
Electronic journals
Online magazines Newspapers
- Advocacy Pages
Non-profit organizations
Independent-minded activists
- Personal Home Pages
Post their resumes
List links to their favorite sites
List their accomplishments
Write their ideas.
Source: Alexander, Jane and Marsha Tate. "Teaching Critical Evaluation Skills
for World Wide Web Resources." July 1996. Wolfgram Memorial Library. Widener
University.
Evaluating Internet Resources: A checklist
Consider the Author
The resource should include the author's name. Check
to see if the Web/Internet document gives biographical information
about the author. Many reliable sites are written by authors who list
their academic position, their institutional affiliation, and their
address.
A name and an e-mail address do not give enough information to
determine if the author is an authority on a given topic.
Does the author have an affiliation with a known institution
or respected organization?
If the site does not provide biographical information about the
author, see if you can find information about the author's
professional background. Return to the homepage of the document to
see if further information is given. Did you follow a link to this
site from a document that you trust?
Determine if the author will have personal gain from the site.For
example, is the site a platform for his political views? If so, find
other sites with opposing view points and evaluate the information to
form your own conclusions.
Consider the Content
Check the content for bias. Ask yourself if the author
uses judgmental language. Does the author repeatedly use superlatives
or words like "always" and "never." Evaluate the information in this
article and compare it with information from other resources in order
to determine if it is a valid site for your research.
Consider if this page presents a new perspective on the
topic, or is it just a summary of other documents.If it is just a summary, use it to find the originals. Use the original
authoriative source for your information.
Determine if the contents have been written for the
commercial purpose of introducing the reader to a subject in order to
sell a service or a product.This is not an authoritative site and
its information should not be used for a school assignment.
Oftentimes reliable resources will include a bibliography.
At the end of the site there should be a date when the site
was created and/or updated.For some assignments currency is not an issue, but other times you may want the most recent
information on a topic.
Consider the Address
- Know where the host computer is located.
- Addresses with ed are American educational institutes.
- Addresses with com are commercial or company sites.
- Addresses with org indicate a group or organization.
- Addresses with gov are U.S. government resources.
- Addresses with a tilde(~) indicate an individual's personal
web page and in most cases should not be used as a source for
research.
Read the Web site Evaluation Criteria developed by Susan E. Back of the New Mexixo State University Library
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: or, Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources
BOOKS: One Author • Two
Authors • Anthologies •
Reference Materials •
Scholarly Article •
Pamphlets • Missing
Information
OTHER: Periodicals •
Newspapers • Articles
• Editorials •
Interviews • Format
for Works Cited Page
Watertown High School Library
Watertown, Massachusetts MA 02472
R. Segal, Librarian
E. Westgate, Layout Consultant
Updated September 26, 2001
Updated November 9, 2005
Updated October 19, 2009