Is a Works Cited Page Double Spaced? The Answer (And Why It Matters)
You're typing up your final paper, you've cited every source perfectly in your text, and now you're staring at the Works Cited page wondering: does this thing need to be double-spaced or not? It's one of those details that seems small but can cost you points if you get it wrong.
Here's the short answer: yes, your Works Cited page should be double-spaced. But — and this is the part most students miss — there's a specific way to do it that trips people up all the time.
What Is a Works Cited Page?
A Works Cited page is the list of all the sources you referenced in your essay. It goes at the very end of your paper, after your conclusion but before any appendices. This is the MLA (Modern Language Association) format — if you're using APA, you'll hear it called a "References" page, and Chicago style uses "Bibliography." They all serve the same purpose: giving credit where it's due and letting your reader find your sources Worth keeping that in mind..
Worth pausing on this one.
In MLA format — which is what you'll encounter in most English, literature, and humanities classes — the Works Cited is where every book, article, website, and interview you mentioned gets listed in full. Now, not a summary. Not a partial citation. The works cited page needs the complete publication details so someone could track down exactly what you used.
Not the most exciting part, but easily the most useful.
How It Differs From a Bibliography
Worth knowing: a bibliography and a Works Cited page aren't exactly the same thing. A Works Cited only includes sources you actually quoted, paraphrased, or referenced in your paper. A bibliography sometimes includes sources you read for background but didn't cite directly. Most professors are specific about which one they want, so check your assignment sheet That's the part that actually makes a difference. Less friction, more output..
Why the Spacing Matters
Here's the thing — your Works Cited page isn't just a random list you tacked on at the end. It's part of your grade, and your professor is absolutely going to look at it. Sloppy formatting there signals the same thing sloppy formatting everywhere else signals: you didn't pay attention to the details.
But there's a practical reason too. Double-spacing makes it easier for someone to read down the list and find what they're looking for. It gives each entry room to breathe. And when you're dealing with sources that have long titles or multiple authors, that spacing helps your eyes parse the information quickly.
The other reason it matters: consistency. Also, your entire MLA paper is double-spaced. In practice, your Works Cited should match that. A page that suddenly switches to single-spacing looks jarring and unfinished And it works..
How to Format Your Works Cited Page
Now let's get into the specifics. Here's what you need to do:
Double-Spacing Rules
Your entire Works Cited page should be double-spaced — no exceptions, no single-spaced sections. Every line, including your heading and the entries themselves, follows the same spacing. Practically speaking, this means no extra blank lines between entries, either. That's the mistake most people make. Because of that, they think double-spacing means "put a blank line between each source. " It doesn't. It means the whole page uses double-spacing throughout, just like the rest of your essay Simple, but easy to overlook..
Hanging Indent
This is the part that trips up almost everyone. Each entry on your Works Cited page needs a hanging indent — meaning the first line of each citation is flush left, and any additional lines are indented half an inch (or five spaces). You don't manually hit tab for each entry; you set up the hanging indent in your word processor.
In Microsoft Word, you do this by highlighting your citations, going to the paragraph settings, and checking the box that says "hanging indent." It's a two-second fix that makes your page look professional.
Alphabetical Order
Your entries go in alphabetical order by the author's last name. If a source doesn't have an author, you alphabetize by the first word of the title (ignoring "A," "An," or "The"). This seems straightforward, but it gets tricky when you have multiple sources by the same author — then you sort by title.
Font and Margins
Keep the same font you used in your essay — usually Times New Roman, 12-point. That's why your margins stay at one inch on all sides. These details seem minor, but they add up Worth keeping that in mind..
Common Mistakes People Make
Let me save you some points here. These are the errors I see over and over:
Adding extra space between entries. Like I mentioned above, double-spacing doesn't mean double the space between each source. One blank line between entries is wrong. The whole thing should flow as one double-spaced document.
Forgetting the hanging indent. This is the most common formatting mistake on Works Cited pages. Without it, your citations look like a wall of text, and it's harder to read.
Not starting on a new page. Your Works Cited goes on its own fresh page — not tacked onto the bottom of your conclusion. At the top, center the words "Works Cited" (no italics, no quotation marks) and then start your list.
Mixing up citation styles. If your professor asked for MLA, don't mix in APA-style dates or Chicago-style footnotes. Stick to one system throughout.
Practical Tips That Actually Help
A few things that'll make your life easier:
Use a citation generator for the heavy lifting. In practice, citation machines aren't perfect, but they get the basic format right, and you can tweak from there. Just double-check everything — they do make mistakes.
Build your Works Cited as you go, not at the end. It's so much easier to capture all the publication details while you're still using the source. Trying to track down a book's publisher six weeks later is a special kind of frustration Practical, not theoretical..
Print a sample Works Cited page from the Purdue OWL website (that's the gold standard for MLA formatting) and compare it to yours. Sometimes you need to see the real thing side-by-side with your own to catch what's off Most people skip this — try not to..
FAQ
Does a Works Cited page need to be double-spaced in APA format too?
Yes. APA References pages are also double-spaced, with the same hanging indent rule. The main difference is APA uses a reference list (not "Works Cited") and includes the year of publication That's the part that actually makes a difference..
Should I double-space after the title "Works Cited"?
Yes. Your title is centered, then you double-space down to your first entry, just like everything else on the page.
What if my teacher didn't mention spacing?
Assume double-spacing. It's the standard for almost all academic formatting styles in the US. If they wanted something different, they'd tell you.
Can I use extra space to separate different types of sources?
Don't. Keep it consistent. If you want to group books separate from websites, that's what section headings are for — but most assignments don't require that level of organization.
Is the Works Cited page numbered?
It continues the page numbering from your essay. Day to day, if your paper ends on page 7, your Works Cited starts on page 8. Put your last name and the page number in the header, right-aligned.
The Bottom Line
Yes, your Works Cited page is double-spaced — the whole thing, no extra gaps between entries, with a hanging indent on each citation. It follows the same formatting rules as the rest of your MLA paper: one-inch margins, Times New Roman 12-point, alphabetized, starting on its own page.
Some disagree here. Fair enough.
It's one of those details that's easy to get right once you know the rules, and easy to lose points on if you don't. Now you know.
