Order of Information

You will need to consult a writing handbook such as The Bedford Handbook for Writers (used at Xavier) or the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers to determine the exact order of information needed to list a specific source on the Works Cited page. As a general rule of thumb, however, the author's name always comes first, followed by the title of the work.

The Bedford Handbook for Writers recommends that most book sources can be arranged by three units, each followed by a period:

1. the author's name, last name first
2. the title and subtitle, underlined
3. the place of publication, the publisher and the date

Where is this information to be found? Look at the title page of the book and the copyright page on the reverse side of the title page.

Do an exercise