MLA Format – The Basics. Modern Language Association (MLA) …is a standard way of laying out text on the page and citing sources. Provides scholars in

MLA Format – The Basics

Modern Language Association (MLA)

…is a standard way of laying out text on the page and citing sources.

• Provides scholars in the Humanities with a simple, neat, effective way of presenting information.

• Seems irritating to learn the format

• All disciplines adopt a style

• Conformity—at least at the college level—is required.

Styles Used by Various Disciplines

HumanitiesModern Language Association Manual of Style (MLA)

SciencesPublication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA)

JournalismChicago Manual of Style

Here are the basics for setting up a document in MLA Style:


• First, set up the margins to 1” all the way around.



• Second, change the font to Times New Roman. (No other font is acceptable.)



• Second, change the font to Times New Roman.

• Third, change the font size to 12-point.





• Fourth, change the spacing to double. (Check “Before” and “After” paragraph)





• Fourth, change the spacing to double.

• Fifth, insert a page number in the header and type your last name in front of it.(Check font and font size-it should be 12 point, TNR.)

Sample First Page in MLA Style:

Brown 1

Sarah Brown

Professor Spalding

ENG 110A

29 September 2007

Memoir: A Night to Remember

The moon was full, as I recall, casting long, blue

shadows against the wall. As we wound our way through

the streets, small, bright orange pumpkins clasped in our

hands, I had the eerie sense that we were being followed . . .

1” 1”

1” ½”

Please note that the header, which is left justified, is set up in a very specific order:

(1) Your name(2) Your professor’s name(3) Your class name and section(4) The date

Note: You may not vary or approximate this order. It is what it is.

Sarah Brown

Mrs. Smith

ENG IV

29 September 2013

Note, please, that the date is set up in a very specific way:

(a) the day

(b) the month

(c) the year

You may not vary this structure. It is not optional. It may not be abbreviated or rearranged according to your preferences.

September 29, 2007

29 Sep 2007

Sep 29, 2007

29/9/07

9/29/07

With no punctuation.

These are non-standard formats and are unacceptable in an MLA paper.

29 September 2007

A Note On The Title:

All MLA-style essays require a title. Note that the title is centered. It should not be in block capitals, italicized, bolded, in quotation marks, or underlined. All major words should begin with a capital letter.

Every Essay Requires a Title

Be aware, too, that there is no other spacing in MLA Format besides double spacing.

I repeat, there is no other spacing in MLA Format besides DOUBLE SPACING.

And for those of you who may be a little hard of hearing, I will reiterate for a third time:

THERE IS NO OTHER SPACING IN MLA FORMAT BESIDES DOUBLE SPACING.

None

No single spacing.

No triple spacing.

No quadruple spacing.

DOUBLE SPACING ONLY

If you can master the basics of setting up your page in MLA style, you will be well on the way toward understanding the MLA system.

Brown 1

Sarah Brown

Professor Spalding

ENG 110A

29 September 2007

Memoir: A Night to Remember

The moon was full, as I recall, casting long, blue

shadows against the wall. As we wound our way through

the streets, small, bright orange pumpkins clasped in our

hands, I had the eerie sense that we were being followed.

What made me believe this, besides a cold, prickling sen-

sation in my spine, and a distinct sense of unease, I may . . .

If you have questions. . .

• Perdue Online Writing Lab https://owl.english.purdue.edu/

• Citation Management-Cornell University http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/mla

Works Cited Page

• Always starts on a new page

• Center title

• Double spaced

• First line of entry at margin; next line(s) are indented

• Alphabetical by first letter of the entry

Smith 4 Works Cited

Adler, Jerry. “Unbeliever’s Quest.” Newsweek 31 Mar 1997: 64-66. Print.

Broad, William J. “Even in Death, Carl Sagan’s Influence is Still Cosmic.”

New York Times. New York Times, 1 Dec 1998. Web. 20 Mar 2008.

“Carl Sagan – Pale Blue Dot.” 2 Apr 2007. YouTube. Web. 7 Mar 2009.

Chyba, Christopher. Telephone interview. 22 Mar. 2009.

Drake, Frank. Personal interview. 5 Mar 2009.

Eicher, Dave. "CARL SAGAN, 1934-1996." Astronomy 25.3 (1997): 28.

Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Mar 2009. Harrison, Jane. "Incidental

music." The Oxford Companion to Music. Ed. Alison Latham. Oxford Music

Online. Web. 14 Dec. 2009.

<http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/opr/t114/e3406>.

Need help making a Works Cited page . . .

• Oregon School Library Information System http://oslis.org/

• DO NOT USE: – easybib.com– bibme.org– bibbuilder.com– citethisforme.com

What is an “annotated bibliography”?

• organized citation list of the sources that you have used

• each citation is followed by a brief note called the annotation (5-7 sentences)

• annotation is a brief summary and evaluation of the source.

What is an annotation?

An annotation is a note on a particular source. Annotations are usually no longer than 150 words (5-

7 sentences). They should describe the work briefly (summary)

and then address CARRDS: Credibility Accuracy Reliability Relevance Date Sources

Example of annotated bibliography in MLA format:

Elizabeth Thompson

Professor Stacks

English 102

20 August 2001Stem Cell Research: An Annotated Bibliography

Holland, Suzanne. The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate : Science, Ethics, and Public Policy. Boston: MIT Press, 2001. Print.

This is the annotation of the above source. In this example, I am following MLA 2009 (3rd ed.) guidelines for the bibliographic

information listed above. If I were really writing an annotation for this source, I would offer a brief summary of what this book says

about stem cell research. After a brief summary, it would be appropriate to assess this source and offer some criticisms of it. Does it

seem like a reliable and current source? Why? Is the research biased or objective? Are the facts well documented? Who is the author?

Is she qualified in this subject? Is this source scholarly, popular, some of both? The length of your annotation will depend on the

assignment or on the purpose of your annotated bibliography. After summarizing and assessing, you can now reflect on this source.

How does it fit into your research? Is this a helpful resource? Too scholarly? Not scholarly enough? Too general/specific? Since "stem

cell research" is a very broad topic, has this source helped you to narrow your topic?

In-Text Citations

• All quotations MUST be cited immediately following the quote

• All paraphrased/summarized information MUST be cited

• In other words, all information in the paper must be cited using in-text citations

In-Text Citations

• In-text citations point to a specific source in the works cited list.

• All sources on the Works Cited page must be cited in the paper

• All sources cited in the paper must be listed on the Works Cited page

• Author’s last name and page number (if available)• If no author use title of article (webpage) in quotation

marks • Period comes after citation

• All quotes should be surrounded by quotation marks

• If a quotation runs more than 4 lines-indent an additional ½ inch with no quotation marks

“ The idea that life could exist elsewhere in the universe fascinated Sagan and remained with him for the rest of his life” (Eicher 45).

Another work of his similar to Cosmos was his book Pale Blue Dot. In the book Sagan instills a sense of perspective and wonder into man’s position in the universe (“Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot”).

And finally, a note on professors who require variations on MLA Style:


• Periodically, you will run across professors who insist on minor variations from MLA Style.



• Humor them.



• Humor them.

• If they want a cover page, give them their cover page.



• Humor them.


• If they want the title in block capitals, give them their block capitals.



• Humor them.



• Remember, the professor is the one who will give you your grade.



• Humor them.



• Remember, the professor is the one who will give you your grade.

• That said, please observe the following rule of thumb:

When the monkey wants peanuts, give it PEANUTS!

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Documents

MLA Format – The Basics. Modern Language Association (MLA) …is a standard way of laying out text on the page and citing sources. Provides scholars in