The reference list (also known as a works cited) is where you list every source you cited throughout your paper or presentation. This means every source you have an in-text citation for must be included in your reference list. Reference lists contain complete citations with all the required components of the citation style you are using (MLA, APA, etc). Reference lists are included at the end of your paper.
Here's the general format for citing a book in MLA:
Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date.
Here's an MLA book example!
Taylor, Chris. How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise. Basic, 2014.
Here's the general format for citing an article in MLA:
Last name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol., no. #, season year, page # used. Name of Database, doi/URL.
Here's an MLA article example:
Harack, Katrina. "Shifting Masculinities and Evolving Feminine Power: Progressive Gender Roles in Toni Morrison's Home." The Mississippi Quarterly, vol. 69, no. 3, summer 2016, pp. 375-378. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26536933.
The Online Writing Lab @ Purdue is a great source for help creating MLA Works Cited pages.
Here's the general format for citing articles in APA:
Author, A., & Author, B. (Date published). Title of article. Title of Journal, vol. number, page range. URL/DOI.
Here's an APA article example:
Schmitt, D.P., Shackelford T.K. (2003). "Nifty ways to leave your lover: the tactics people use to entice and disguise the process of human mate poaching.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29(8), 1018-1035. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167203253471
Here's the general format for citing books in APA:
Author, A. A. (Publication date). Title of book. Location: Publisher.
Here's an APA book example:
Hirshman, L. (2015). Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World. HarperCollins.
The Online Writing Lab @ Purdue lists helpful tips and examples for formatting an APA style reference list.
You quoted Malala Yousafzai in your paper... What do you do next?
Nothing because you put it in quotes
Try again...
Make an in-text citation
Yes but what else?
Add the citation to the reference list
Yes but what else?
Do both--an in-text citation and a reference list citation
Great!