Bibliography, Works Cited, and Parenthetical or In-Text Citations

What's the difference between a Bibliography and a Works Cited?

A Bibliography and Works Cited are not the same. A Bibliography alphabetically lists all of the material you have consulted in preparing your essay/paper, whether or not you have actually referred to and cited the work.  In a Works Cited, you only list items you have actually referred to and cited in your paper. 

A Works Cited is an alphabetical list of sources to which you have made in-text citation to within your paper.  

What is an In-Text Citation?

• An in-text citation identifies for the reader the original source for an idea, information, or image that is referred to in a work.

• The in-text citation always corresponds to a full citation in the 'Works Cited' section at the end of the paper. These references are cited in alphabetical order, using the author's last name. If there is no author, it's alphabetized by its title. 

• Works Cited are generally used when citing sources using MLA (Modern Language Association) style.  

• As a rule, we use MLA 9, but you should always follow the format your classroom teacher recommends as this may differ on occasion.

See the Purdue Online Writing Lab for a good explanation of MLA citations and in-text citations.

General Guidelines for Citing Your Sources:

Why Cite?

• • To avoid plagiarism, give credit where credit is due: When using the works of others in your essays and research papers, make sure to give the original author credit by including an In-Text citation and list the source in your works cited or references page.

  • To give your readers more information: Providing In-Text citations and references allows your readers to find out where you found the information in your paper and where to locate the original source.

When to Cite? 

If an idea wasn't yours, you should cite in-text. This includes:

• • • Direct Quotations

    • Paraphrasing

    • Using an idea that someone else gave you in a conversation, email, class etc.

    • Describing an idea that influenced your work

    • Expert opinion or lending authority to your own opinion

    • Giving any information that isn't common knowledge

From SUNY Brockport's Guide to Citing (https://library.brockport.edu/citing) and Cornell University's LibGuide for Citations (http://guides.library.cornell.edu/c.php?g=31610&p=200436) 

Examples

In-Text Citation

The first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970 (Earth Day).  

Works Cited

"Earth Day." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 15 Jun. 2023. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/Earth-Day/311101. Accessed 13 Oct. 2023. 

Need help formatting a paper in MLA? Check out this great blog from EasyBib.

The following resources will help you properly create your bibliography, works cited, and parenthetical in-text references.