MLA Format

Reference Guide

Modern Language Association (MLA) Format

General guidelines:

Use 12 inch font, never larger (e.g. Times New Roman or Arial) Margins = one inch all around.

Double space the entire essay (including heading).

Heading:

The heading should be placed flush with the left margin of the page, one inch from the top of the paper and shouldinclude your name, your teacher’s or professor's name, the course name, and the date.

Page Numbers:

Your last name and the page number should appear in the upper right hand corner, one half inch from the top and flushwith the right margin of EACH page of your paper, except for cover page. If you are not using a cover page (may or may notbe required by your instructor) you must number all pages, starting with page 1.

Title/First Sentence:

The title appears on the first page of the paper, one return (2 spaces) below the heading, centered, with no quotation

marks, underline, italics, or bold face type. It should not be typed in all CAPS or be followed with a period. The first sentence of your essay begins one return (two spaces) below the title (no more!) and indented five spaces

from the left margin.

SHORT Quotation Citation:

A short quotation is... fewer than 4 lines of prose OR fewer than 3 lines of poetry. To cite short quotations:

Enclose the quotation within quotation mark

In parentheses, indicate the author’s last name & the page number (called the "parenthetical citation")

The period appears after the parenthetical citation

Question marks and exclamation points appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage butafter the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your own text.

LONG Quotation Citation:

A long quotation is... 4 or more lines of prose OR 3 or more lines of poetry. To cite long quotations:

Start the quotation on a new line, indented one inch from the left margin

Do not enclose quotation in quotation marks

Maintain double-spacing

Parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark

EXAMPLE:

'His primary focus is to continue further with the painted picture of the country side, to bring forth the opposing views of the

hills across the valley of Ebro:

The girl stood up and walked to the end of the station. Across, on the other side, were fields of grain and trees along the

banks of the Ebro. Far away, beyond the river, were mountains. The shadow of a cloud moved across the filed of grain

and she saw the river through the trees.

“And we could have all this,” she said. “And we could have everything and every day we make it more impossible.”

“What did you say?”

“We could have everything.”

“No, we can’t.” (Hemingway 2).

The female most certainly views the Ebro valley differently than the American man.'

Cover pages are not required by MLA, but your instructor may require one. Here is an example of a paper with a cover page:

Credit: mlaformat.org

Tables and Figures:

Place tables and illustrations as close as possible to the parts of the text to which they relate. A table is labeled Table, given an arabic numeral and titled. Photograph, map, drawing should be labeled Figure (usually abbreviated Fig.), assign an arabic numeral and give a caption.

Works Cited Page:

Use the heading “Works Cited” centered one inch below the top edge of a new page. Do not bold or underline this heading.

Begin the list on a new page and number each page, continuing the page numbers of the research paper.

Do not indent the first line of each entry. If an entry runs more than one line, indent the subsequent line or lines 1/2 inch from the left margin.Double-space the entire list, both between and within entries. Continue the list on as many pages as necessary.

Alphabetize entries in your list of works cited by the author’s last name.

Credit: mlaformat.org

The easiest way to create your Works Cited List is to use an automated generator. If you wish to create the list yourself, you need to follow the specific format for the type of resource you are citing. NOTE: Name of author inverted = author’s last name, author’s first name.

Book with One Author:Name of author inverted. Title of book. Place of publication: Name of publisher, Year of publication. Print.Lipson, Charles. Reliable Partners: How Democracies Have Made a Separate Piece. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2003. Print.

Book with Multiple Authors:

Author’s first name, last name, Author’s first name Author’s last name. Title of book. Place of publication: Name of publisher,

Year of publication. Print.Binder, Guyora, and Robert Weisberg. Literary Criticisms of Law. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2000. Print.

Book with Editors:Name of author inverted. Title. Ed. Editor’s first name Editor’s last name. Place: Pub, Year. Print.Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square-Pocket, 1992. Print.

Encyclopedia Article:Name of author inverted. “Article title.” Title. Edition. Date. Printed. Hernandez, Tomas. “Portugal.” The World Book. International ed. 1999. Printed.

Periodicals:Name of author inverted. “Title of article.” Name of periodical (omit any introductory a, an, or the) Volume number or issue number (Date of publication): Page numbers for the entire article. Printed.

Website:Name of author inverted. Full Title. Publisher, Publication date. Web. Access date.Nguyen, Stephen. MLA Format Works Cited. 17 Oct. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2012.

Thank you for downloading my MLA Format Handout. I hope that youenjoy the resource and get a lot of use out of it. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. My email address is happyedug8r@msn.com.

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