LPC Library - Format & Information, Parenthetical Documentation, Sample Works Cited List

NoodleBib - Generate, edit, and publish an MLA Works Cited list or APA References list that complies with the rules of the current MLA Handbook and APA Publication Manual. It is a Web application that allows you to create and edit MLA works cited and APA Reference Lists online. Add and edit references on the fly. It will take care of punctuation and producing a polished source list that's correctly formatted and ready to print!

Create a personal ID first. Every list that you create in NoodleBib will be stored in a personal folder that you open by entering a personal ID and password of your choosing. Follow the directions on the login screen to create your personal ID and open your personal folder, then click the "Start New List" button on the personal folder screen. Select MLA or APA Advanced and give your new list a short name that will distinguish it in your folder from other lists you will create. Under the "My Bibliography" tab, select the source of your first citation from the dropdown menu at the top of the screen and click the "Go" button. You will be guided through a series of forms, which ask you to enter the information you know about the source. Fill in the forms with as much information as you can, and click the "Generate Citation"button at the bottom when you're done. Your first entry will be displayed, correctly formatted.

NoodleBib User's Guide - complete information on use and instructor and student information on sharing and emailing lists (page 34).

MLA Format

Papers should be typed, double spaced, including the works cited list; with 1 inch margins all around; student's last name and page numbers at the top right margin, ½-inch from the top (see sample).

Title Page: Center the title of the paper in capital letters and either underlined, bolded or italicized; about 3 inches from the top of the page. Center your name, about 3 inches below that; then about 1 inch lower, center the date and put the instructor's name is directly below the date; next the class for which the paper is written is directly below that.

First Page of Text: Begin about 1-1/2 inches from the top; the rest of the pages should return to the 1 inch margin.

Cite Sources: All direct quotes must be cited; all ideas or facts taken from some other writer, even though in your own words, must be cited. It is PLAGIARISM if you copy another's words without quoting! If you paraphrase another's ideas or words without giving credit to the author, it is also PLAGIARISM! A good student guide from Indiana University's Writing Tutorial Services can be found at Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It and an LPC guide can be found in Las Positas College Academic Honesty Statement.

Works Cited: Start the list of works cited (or bibliography) on a new page, following the body of the paper. Double space between the title and the first entry. Double space the entire list, between entries as well as within entries. Begin the entry flush with the left margin. If an entry runs more than one line, indent the subsequent lines five spaces from the left margin. Alphabetize the citations by the first word of each entry, ignoring A, AN and THE. See below for sample "Works Cited List."

Citation Rules

All titles of works that contributed ideas and information to the paper should be listed. Indent five spaces or one-half inch after the first line of each entry.
Underline or italicize titles of books, magazines, newspapers, journals, and titles of subscription databases. Enclose titles of articles, essays, poems, and short stories that are part of a source in quotations marks.
When citing Internet resources put the date you accessed the source right before the URL of the source, which is enclosed in angle brackets <>.
Abbreviate the names of all months in dates except May, June and July
Be sure to alphabetize your "Works Cited" page by the last name of the author of the citation or the first word of the title of the citation if the author’s name is not given.
Pay careful attention to the punctuation of the examples and type exactly what each example indicates.
Use quotation marks to indicate a direct quotation
Use parenthetical documentation to indicate the source of facts or ideas
Provide a works cited page to indicate fully the sources of the facts or ideas

Parenthetical Documentation

MLA recommends parenthetical documentation instead of footnoting. Parenthetical documentation is a brief reference in the paper directly after the sentence or paragraph in which you quote from the book or use its ideas. (Author 27) referring to page 27 of a book listed in the Works Cited takes the place of a footnote. (Author 27) guides the reader of the paper to the full entry for that author in the Works Cited. If the Works Cited lists a work by title, use a shortened form of the title and page number. Examples follow.
When the author is mentioned in the sentence only put the page number in the parentheses. Place the period after the parentheses, not within the quotation marks. For example: Carter Hardy believes that the "increased intake of sugar cereals among teachers has significantly raised classroom narcolepsy" (106).
When the author is not mentioned by name, put both the author's last name and the page number in the parentheses. Do not put a comma in between them. For example: "Increased intake of sugar cereals among teachers has significantly raised classroom narcolepsy" (Hardy 106).
When there is no author, use the first word (or first few words) of the title of the book or article (article title words in quotations). Many people lament the loss of quality television time to the imposition of family interaction ("America" 33).
When there are multiple authors: Two authors: "If you think about it, the human species produces more tin foil than plastic wrap" (Clinton and Bush 90). Three authors: (Clinton, Bush, and Reagan 99). More than three authors: (Clinton et al. 104.)
When using a quote that was already a quote in your sources: Lou Reed told us to "Take a walk on the wild side" (qtd. In Roller). In this situation, the quote by Lou Reed was found by the student as a quote in a book by Roller.
If your information is from a full-text article from a database or the Internet, there may be no page number. If so, use (Author n.pag.) to show that no pagination was available.

Important Information

Remember that works cited lists are alphabetized by the first word of each citation.

Ignore A, AN, or THE when alphabetizing.

Double space your Works Cited List within and between entries.

Abbreviate the names of all months in dates except May, June and July.

Title your works cited list "Works Cited".

The punctuation and hanging indentation for each citation is quite important.

Common Abbreviations Used in Works Cited Lists

comp. - compiler, compiled by
ed. - editor, edition, edited by
eds. - editors
n.d. - no date of publication
n.p. - no publisher given
n.p. - no place of publication
n.pag. - page numbering not available
prod. - producer, produced by
pt. - part
qtd. - quoted
rept. - report, reported by
rev. - review, reviewed by, revision, revised, revised by
rpt. - reprint, reprinted by
trans. - translator, translation, translated by
U - University
UP - University Press
vol. - volume
writ. - writer, written by
Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec.

Works Cited Sample Page

The following shows a complete works cited page for a paper on aids. Includes appropriate citations for print and online encyclopedia articles, books, magazine, newspaper, and journal articles from the actual periodicals or full-text databases, videotapes, and a web site.

Student Last Name 15

Works Cited

Altman, Lawrence K. "Aids Rate Will Triple in 20 Years." Contra Costa Times

3 July 2002: A1. America's Newspapers. NewsBank. LPC Lib.,

Livermore. 24 June. 2006 <http://infoweb.newsbank.com/>.

Bayer, Ronald. "AIDS: Social Issues." Encyclopedia Americana Online. Scholastic

Library Publishing. LPC Lib., Livermore. 11 June 2006 <http://ea.grolier.com>.

"Comprehensive Guide To HIV Testing." AIDS.ORG. 20 Nov. 2005. 20 June 2006

<http://www.aids.org/info/testing.html>.

Cooper, Mary H. "Combating AIDS." CQ Researcher Online 25 Apr. 2003: 345-367.

19 June 2006 <http://www.thecqresearcher.com>.

Gerhard, Susan. "Pregnant Women and Newborns Should Not Be Treated with AZT."

AIDS: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff. San Diego: Greenhaven,

2003. 197-206. Rpt.of "HIV-Positive Women Birthing Outside the System."

Mothering Magazine 2001. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale.

LPC Lib., Livermore. 19 June 1006 <http://www.galenet.com/servlet/OVRC/>.

Harmon, John. AIDS in the New Millennium. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: New Media, 2000.

Haseltine, William A. "AIDS." Encyclopedia Americana. Vol. 1. Danbury CT: Scholastic

Library, 2005. 365-368.

"HIV/AIDS in Women." AIDS Sourcebook: Health Reference Series. Ed. Karen Bellenir.

2nd ed. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 1998.

Hoskin, Fran. "Women and Health: The Pai Report Card 2002, Condoms Count in the

Era of HIV/AIDS." Women's International Network (WIN News) 31 Jan. 2003: 23.

GenderWatch. ProQuest Information and Learning. LPC Lib., Livermore.

19 June 2006 <http://proquest.umi.com/login>.

McCormic, Marie. "Voluntary HIV Tests Should Be Routine for Pregnant Women."

Aids: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff. San Diego, Greenhaven,

2003. 98-1001. Rpt. of "Prenatal HIV Test Could Save Lives." North Country

Times 7 Nov. 1998

"Study Analyzes Causes of Death among Women with AIDS." Women's Health Weekly

22 Aug. 2002: 17+. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. LPC Lib., Livermore.

19 June 2006<http://search.ebscohost.com/>.

Surviving Aids. Videocassette. Prod. Elizabeth Arledge. WGBH Boston Video, 1999.

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Page last modified: October 23, 2007

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