A properly formatted Works Cited page is essential in academic writing, ensuring every source gets its credit. Yet many students struggle to distinguish between MLA, APA, and Chicago styles. So, what is a Works Cited page, and what should it look like? In this guide, I’ll highlight some clear Works cited page examples, including website MLA citation and MLA format for website, and introduce you to WPS Office so you can format your references easily.
A Review of the References Page
Brief Introduction
Speaking from personal experience, I know how confusing citations can get. Whether I’m working on an essay, research paper, or a work project, a Works Cited page is something I can never skip. It’s the final section of your paper where you cite every source you used, making sure credit goes to them. I’ll break down some quick notable differences between the 3 common formats, so you can easily differentiate them in your paper.
MLA Style
Used mostly in humanities such as literature or philosophy.
The page is titled Works Cited.
Author’s full name is used, titles are usually italicized or quoted, and dates come at the very end.
APA Style
Popular in social sciences like psychology or education.
The page is known as the References page.
Only the first initial of the author's name is used, and the date goes right after the name.
Chicago Style
Common in history and the arts.
You might see it called a Bibliography.
Footnotes or endnotes are used often, and full names with detailed publication info are listed.
Style-by-Style Works Cited Page Examples
Now that you’ve understood the basic differences between the formats,, let’s actually look at what a properly formatted MLA cite website looks like in each style. Seeing Works Cited Example page MLA side by side makes everything a lot clearer for me and honestly, once you get the hang of it, it’s not as scary as it might seem. I’ve broken down each format so you can see exactly how to cite books, websites, and journals in each format.
MLA Style
Rules:
It should be titled "Works Cited" (centered, no bold or underline).
The top of the page should have the right-justified header with your last name and the page number, just like the rest of the paper.
Use double spacing throughout the entire page.
Use a hanging indent for each entry (first line flush left, next lines indented).
List entries in alphabetical order by the author's last name.
Italicize book titles and website names, but put article or webpage titles in quotation marks.
Capitalize major words in titles (nouns, verbs, adjectives but not prepositions).
Always include the URL for online sources, without "https://".
Examples:
Book Citation: Jameson, Clara L. The Future of Digital Storytelling. New Dawn Press, 2022.
Journal Article Citation: Khan, Amir T. “Reframing Social Media Ethics in Higher Education.” Journal of Digital Culture Studies, vol. 14, no. 3, 2023, pp. 112–128.
Website Citation: Purdue Online Writing Lab. “MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications).” Purdue OWL, 9 May 2024, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_electronic_sources.html.
APA Style
Rules:
Title the page “References” (bold and centered at the top of the page).
Do not include a running head or your last name/page number on student papers unless your instructor asks.
Use double spacing throughout the entire page, make sure there’s no extra space between entries.
Apply a hanging indent: the first line of each entry should be flush left, and subsequent lines are indented by 0.5 inches.
Alphabetize entries by the author's last name (or by title if there is no author).
Italicize book and website titles; do not italicize article titles.
Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, plus the proper nouns (sentence case).
For online sources, include the full URL, including “https://”.
Examples:
Book Citation: McGonigal, J. Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. Penguin Press, 2011.
Journal Article Citation: Tufekci, Z. “Big Questions for Social Media Regulation: What Do We Know?” Political Communication, vol. 37, no. 2, 2020, pp. 246–253.
Webpage Citation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (2022, October 5). Citing sources in APA style. UNC Writing Center. https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/apa-style/
Chicago Style
Rules:
Title the page “Bibliography”, centered at the top with no bold, underline, or quotation marks.
Do not include a header with your last name and page number (unlike MLA/APA, Chicago format does not require this).
Use double spacing throughout the entire page.
Apply a hanging indent to each entry (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented).
Arrange all entries alphabetically by the author’s last name.
Italicize book and website names; use quotation marks for article and web page titles.
Capitalize all major words in titles (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns).
Chicago style prefers the full URL for online sources, however you can omit “https://” for cleaner presentation.
Always include the publication year immediately after the author’s name, in parentheses.
Examples:
Book Citation: Fukuyama, Francis. Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018.
Online Article Citation: Manjoo, Farhad. “The Tech Giants, Too Big to Fail?” The New York Times, October 3, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/03/opinion/tech-facebook-google-monopoly.html.
Format and Customize Your Works Cited Page in WPS Office
Introduction
I’ve spent a lot of my time dealing with citation formats, especially switching between MLA, APA and Chicago. What should be a simple task can often turn into a jumble of formatting rules and missed details. That’s where tools like WPS Office really come in and save the day for me. With its built-in Work Citation MLA format example templates and formatting tools, I don’t have to stress over minor details like hanging indents or title alignment anymore. Whenever I’m working on a research paper or just trying to get the Works Cited page right, WPS helps me keep everything polished and seamless.
Why Use WPS Office for Works Cited Pages?
WPS Office is an all-in-one productivity suite that equips me with all the tools I need to format and polish my academic papers, along with providing me with additional assistance with its AI toolset for completely free. WPS Office makes the entire formatting process so much simpler with its built-in
templates and formatting tools. The user interface is clean, intuitive and beginner-friendly, and I especially like how I can save my custom styles for future projects. I’ll highlight some of the notable features that really stood out to me and made my formatting experience much smoother.
Free and Easy to Use: WPS Office is completely free, making it a great alternative to other paid software. Its intuitive interface means I don’t need to be an expert to get started.
Built-in MLA and APA Templates: Instead of starting from scratch, I can choose a pre-formatted MLA or APA template which automatically applies the right margins, font, spacing, and title formatting.
Auto Indentation and Spacing: WPS handles all my hanging indents and double spacing effortlessly, which is essential for a polished Works Cited, References, or Bibliography page.
Fully Compatible with Microsoft Office Formats: I can open, edit, and save my documents in .doc or .docx format, which ensures compatibility with my instructors' or classmates' Microsoft Office based systems.
Lightweight and Fast: Unlike some bulky office suites, WPS runs smoothly even on low-end devices, which is great when I’m working on a low-end device.
A Manual Tutorial for Creating a References Page
Creating a properly formatted Works Cited page can feel overwhelming, especially when I’m dealing with multiple sources and citation styles. But with a clear step-by-step approach, I make the whole process simple and stress-free. I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to format an accurate and polished References page, regardless of the format you’re using.
Step 1: Title the Page Appropriately
APA: “References” (centered and bold).
MLA: “Works Cited” (centered, no bold or underline).
Chicago: “Bibliography” (centered, plain text).
Step 2: Insert Your Entries
Use the same font and size as the rest of the document. (usually Times New Roman 12 pt) and insert all your citation entries in the page.
Step 3: Arrange the Entries Alphabetically
Sort all your sources alphabetically by the order of the author's last name. If no author is available, alphabetize by the first word of the title (ignoring articles like “the” or “a”).
Step 4: Check for italics and quotation marks
Italicize book and website titles. Put article or webpage titles in quotation marks (MLA & Chicago).
Step 5: Use a Hanging Indent.
The first line of each entry stays flush left, and the following lines are indented by 0.5 inches. Most word processors (including WPS Office) let you set this automatically.
Step 6: Apply Double Spacing
Double space all entries by selecting them and pressing “Ctrl” + “2” simultaneously, and make sure there’s no extra spacing between them.
Use EndNote in WPS for Auto-Citation Management
If you're dealing with a large number of citations, EndNote integration in WPS Office is a powerful, advanced solution. It allows me to manage all my references efficiently, insert citations directly into my document, and automatically generate a complete bibliography in my chosen citation style. This method is especially recommended for academic researchers and students working on complex papers or theses, requiring extensive referencing needs.
Advantages
Automates citation and bibliography formatting, saving me time and reducing formatting errors.
Supports thousands of citation styles, including APA, MLA, Chicago, and more.
Allows seamless in-text citation insertion as I write my document.
Organizes all your references in one place, making it easy for me to access and manage all my sources.
Syncs across devices, so I can work on your research from multiple locations.
Easily imports references from databases and libraries, streamlining my workflow.
Integrates directly with WPS Writer, ensuring smooth citation management within my documents.
Facilitates collaboration by letting me share my reference library with co-authors.
Step-By-Step Guide
If you're new to EndNote, I will be walking you through the process of creating your own EndNote Library and managing references with ease. If you're writing a research paper, organizing sources for a thesis, or simply trying to keep your citations in order, these simple and easy steps will help you get started quickly and efficiently.
Download EndNote
In order to use EndNote, it is first important to have EndNote installed on your system. Now, this is a paid tool, which offers a discount for students. But in case you’re looking for a free trial, you can follow the steps below:
Step 1: You will need your browser for this, so open your browser and navigate to the EndNote: Download link for older EndNote versions webpage, from where you can download one of the older versions.
Step 2: Once the download is complete, open the EndNote installation file and follow the steps to install EndNote on your system.
With this, you now have one of the leading citation and reference management systems available on your system. Now, I have created a personal library that has tons of citations I had to use in the past. But you’ll start off with the sample library, and research paper by research paper, you can start building your very own custom library on EndNote.
Open a Citation on EndNote
Now let’s put the EndNote reference management system to use. I have one of my most recent papers ready on WPS Writer, and I’m currently looking to finish it up by adding the references. So let’s open it up and carry on the citation process from there:
Step 1: Let’s head over to Google Scholar; here I’ll search for the research paper which proved to be very helpful during my project research.
Step 2: Once you have the research papers you’re looking for in the Google Scholar results, click on the “Cite” button.
Step 3: A small dialog box will appear with a few options; click on the “EndNote” option to begin downloading the citation as an EndNote Import File (.enw).
Alt text; Download EndNote Import File
Step 4: Once the EndNote Import File is downloaded, go to your downloads folder and open the file to view it on EndNote.
Step 5: You will now have your EndNote library updated with your new citation. Click on it to select it and use the "CTRL + C" shortcut key to copy the in-text citation.
Step 6: Now simply paste it into your document on WPS Writer.
Create a Reference Page on WPS Writer:
In-text citations are not enough to follow a style, we need a reference page as well, where we can add all the references with the correct formatting to compile all our citations together. Here's how WPS Writer can help:
Step 1: Let’s open WPS Writer, and head over to the bottom of the document, where we will add a page break by clicking the "Breaks" button within the "Insert" tab.
Step 2: Once we have a fresh new page within our research paper or article, type in the "References:" title and format the font according to the reference style.
Step 3: Up next, let’s head back to our EndNote application, and this time we will make sure we have all the references uploaded and updated on our EndNote.
Bonus Tip: If you have previous references, or if you’re using the sample library, create a new library where you can have only the current references, to avoid any unused references being part of the list.
Step 4: Now click on the "File" menu and then click on the "Export" button from the drop-down menu.
Step 5: The Save dialog will appear. Here, make sure the "Save as type" field has ".TXT" format selected, and then click on the "Save" button.
Step 6: Now open the newly exported library file using WPS Writer. In this document, you have the complete reference list. Press "CTRL + A" to select all the references, and then press "CTRL + C" to copy all the citations.
Step 7: Once copied, head back to your research article, and right under the "References" title, press the "CTRL + V" button to paste all the references into your research paper.
Tip: Make sure to save your research so you don’t lose your work.
As I write my paper in WPS Writer, I keep EndNote open on the side. Whenever I need to add an in-text citation, I simply locate the relevant source in EndNote, copy the citation using CTRL + C, and paste it into my WPS document. This keeps things quick and clean, especially when working with multiple references across different sections.
What makes this integration especially helpful is the ability to compile all citations at the very end; gathering everything I’ve referenced throughout the paper and exporting it in one go. I just copy the formatted reference list from EndNote and paste it straight into my WPS Writer document under the “References” section. The combination of EndNote's reference management capabilities with WPS Office’s lightweight yet powerful writing tools makes it a solid productivity setup for me, a reliable citation engine paired with an all-in-one office suite that doesn't slow me down.
FAQs
Q1: Should entries be alphabetized on a Works Cited page?
Yes. Always alphabetize your entries by the author's last name. If there’s no author, alphabetize by the first significant word of the title (ignore articles like a, an, or the).
Q2: What is a hanging indent, and how do I format it?
A hanging indent means the first line of each citation is aligned with the left margin, while all subsequent lines are indented by 0.5 inches. In most word processors like WPS or Microsoft Word, you can apply this formatting under the paragraph settings.
Q3: Can I mix different citation styles on one Works Cited page?
No. You should stick to one citation style throughout your entire paper, such as MLA, APA, or Chicago. Mixing styles can confuse readers and reduce the credibility of your work.
Q4: What should I do if a source has no author?
Start the citation with the title of the work. Then alphabetize it based on the first main word in the title (skip articles like the or an).
Q5: Do I need to include every source I looked at?
No. Only list sources that you directly cited or referenced in your paper. Your Works Cited page should reflect only the sources used in your writing.
