Overview and Workshop
Formatting and Style Guide
Formatting and Style Guide
In-Text Citations: The Basics
Formatting Quotations
Endnotes and Footnotes
Works Cited Page: Books
Works Cited: Periodicals
Works Cited: Other Common Sources
Additional Resources
Abbreviations
Sample Works Cited Page
Sample Paper
Tables, Figures, and Examples
PowerPoint Presentation
Undergraduate Sample Paper
Classroom Poster
General Guidelines
Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
Double-space the text of your paper, and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever
font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles
contrast enough that they are recognizable one from another. The font size
should be 12 pt.
Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise
instructed by your instructor).
·
Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends
that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times.
Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner,
one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your
instructor may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow
your instructor's guidelines.)
Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and, only when
absolutely necessary, providing emphasis.
·
If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited
page. Entitle the section Notes (centered,
unformatted).
Formatting the First Page of Your Paper
Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically
requested.
In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's
name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced
text.
Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your
title in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case (standard
capitalization), not in all capital letters.
Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just
as you would in your text: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality
Play; Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"
Double space between the title and the first line of the
text.
Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed
by a space with a page number; number all pages consecutively with Arabic
numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right
margin. (Note: Your instructor or other readers may ask that you omit last
name/page number header on your first page. Always follow instructor
guidelines.)
Overview and Workshop
Formatting and Style Guide
Formatting and Style Guide
In-Text Citations: The Basics
Formatting Quotations
Endnotes and Footnotes
Works Cited Page: Books
Works Cited: Periodicals
Works Cited: Other Common Sources
Additional Resources
Abbreviations
Sample Works Cited Page
Sample Paper
Tables, Figures, and Examples
PowerPoint Presentation
Undergraduate Sample Paper
Classroom Poster