A works cited page is organized in alphabetical order by the first word of each entry, typically the author’s last name. Every entry is double-spaced, formatted with a hanging indent, and the entire page uses the same one-inch margins as the rest of your paper. While that sounds simple, a few specific rules govern how you handle titles, missing authors, numbers, and multiple works by the same person.
Alphabetical Order by Author Last Name
The primary organizing principle is straightforward: sort every entry alphabetically by the author’s last name. If an entry has no author, you alphabetize by the first significant word of the title instead, skipping articles like “A,” “An,” and “The.” So a source titled “The Evolution of Jazz” would be alphabetized under “E,” not “T.”
When a title starts with a number, treat that number as if it were spelled out. A work called “12 Angry Men” would be alphabetized as though it read “Twelve Angry Men,” placing it in the T section of your list. This rule comes directly from MLA’s own style guidance and prevents numbers from clustering awkwardly at the top of your page.
Formatting the Page
The works cited page is a continuation of your paper, not a separate document. It keeps the same one-inch margins on all sides and the same header in the upper right corner (your last name followed by the page number). Center the title “Works Cited” at the top of the page in the same font and size as your body text, with no bold, underline, or quotation marks.
Double-space everything. That means double-spacing between lines within a single entry and between entries. Do not add extra blank lines between citations. The spacing should look uniform from top to bottom.
Each entry uses a hanging indent: the first line sits flush against the left margin, and every additional line of that same entry is indented 0.5 inches. This makes it easy for a reader to scan down the left edge and spot where each new source begins. Most word processors let you set a hanging indent automatically through the paragraph formatting menu, which is far easier than pressing Tab on each line.
Multiple Works by the Same Author
When you cite two or more works by the same person, list the entries alphabetically by title. Write the author’s full name only in the first entry. For every entry after that, replace the author’s name with three hyphens followed by a period (—.”), then continue with the title and the rest of the citation as usual.
For example, if you cite two books by Toni Morrison, the first entry would begin with “Morrison, Toni.” The second entry would begin with “—.” followed by the title of the other book. This convention signals to the reader that the author hasn’t changed.
Entries Without an Author
Not every source has a named author. Government reports, encyclopedia articles, and some news stories may lack one. When that happens, the entry simply begins with the title of the work. You then alphabetize it by the first meaningful word of that title, again ignoring “A,” “An,” or “The” at the beginning. The entry still follows the same hanging-indent format and double-spacing as everything else on the page.
Putting It All Together
A quick way to check your works cited page: read down the left margin. You should see a clean alphabetical sequence of last names and occasional titles. Every line should be evenly double-spaced with no gaps. The second and subsequent lines of longer entries should be uniformly indented. If your list passes those three visual checks, the organization is correct.
One practical tip: build your works cited page as you write, adding each source the first time you cite it. Rearranging a dozen entries into alphabetical order at the end is manageable. Hunting back through a finished paper to reconstruct every source you used is not.