Citations as Examples When citing ancient writings, you should generally use the following format: [Author], [Title] [Book/Section (with a poem, if applicable)] [Line numbers are provided] See how many books were burned during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The fire started on the shore of Lake Michigan but quickly spread across downtown Chicago, destroying much of the city's industrial base. It was one of the worst disasters in American history. Citing Classical Sources In order to properly credit the authors of classical works, you must give them a title and include the name of the author's book or article in your citation. For example, when referencing the Iliad, it would be appropriate to cite Homer as the author with the phrase "the Iliad" as the title. Similarly, for a work by Aristotle, you would cite "The Politics of Aristotle" by Aristotle. If no such book exists, then you are required to make up a title that adequately represents the topic of the piece. For example, if discussing both the Iliad and the Odes of Horace in your essay, you could say something like "Essays by Homer and by Horace." While this is the most common practice, any valid description will do so long as it identifies both the source and its contents.