MLA Format – The Basics
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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
Humanities
Modern Language Association Manual of
Style (MLA)
Sciences
Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (APA)
Journalism
Chicago Manual of Style
Here are the basics for setting up a document in MLA Style:
Here are the basics for setting up a document in MLA Style:
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First, set up the margins to 1” all the way around.
Here are the basics for setting up a document in MLA Style:
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First, set up the margins to 1” all the way around.
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Second, change the font to Times New Roman. (No other font is
acceptable.)
Here are the basics for setting up a document in MLA Style:
•
First, set up the margins to 1” all the way around.
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Second, change the font to Times New Roman.
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Third, change the font size to 12-point.
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.
•
Third, change the font size to 12-point.
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Fourth, change the spacing to double. (Check “Before” and “After”
paragraph)
Here are the basics for setting up a document in MLA Style:
•
First, set up the margins to 1” all the way around.
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Second, change the font to Times New Roman.
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Third, change the font size to 12-point.
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Fourth, change the spacing to double.
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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:
1”
½”
Brown 1
Sarah Brown
Mr. Spalding
1”
ENG 110A
1”
29 September 2013
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 . . .
Please note that the header, which is left
justified, is set up in a very specific order:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Your name
Your instructor’s name
Your class name and section
The date
Note: You may not vary or approximate
this order. It is what it is.
Sarah Brown
Mr. Spalding
ENG 110A
29 September 2013
Note, please, that the date is set up in a very specific way:
(a) the day
(b) the month
With no punctuation.
(c) the year
29 September 2013
You may not vary this structure. It is not optional. It may not be
abbreviated or rearranged according to your preferences.
September 29, 2013
29 Sep 2013
Sep 29, 2013
29/9/13
9/29/13
These are non-standard formats and are
unacceptable in an MLA paper.
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
Mr. Spalding
ENG 110A
29 September 2013
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 sensation 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/citma
nage/mla
Works Cited Page
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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
Brown 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.” YouTube. 2 Apr 2007. 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 of the
source.
• annotation also includes an evaluation of
the source (CARRDS)
What is an annotation?
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An annotation is a note on a particular source.
Annotations are usually no longer than 150 words (57 sentences).
They should describe the work briefly (summary) and
then address CARRDS (evaluation):
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Credibility
Accuracy
Reliability
Relevance
Date
Sources
Example of annotated
bibliography in MLA format:
Thompson 1
Elizabeth Thompson
Mrs. Stacks
English IV
20 August 2013
Stem 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 or in-slide citations
In-Text Citations
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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/project
All sources cited in the paper/project 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 linesindent 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 instructors who require variations on MLA Style:
And finally, a note on instructors who require variations on MLA Style:
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Periodically, you will run across instructors who insist on minor
variations from MLA Style.
And finally, a note on instructors who require variations on MLA Style:
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Periodically, you will run across instructors who insist on minor
variations from MLA Style.
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Humor them.
And finally, a note on instructors who require variations on MLA Style:
•
Periodically, you will run across instructors who insist on minor
variations from MLA Style.
•
Humor them.
•
If they want a cover page, give them their cover page.
And finally, a note on instructors who require variations on MLA Style:
•
Periodically, you will run across instructors who insist on minor
variations from MLA Style.
•
Humor them.
•
If they want a cover page, give them their cover page.
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If they want the title in block capitals, give them their block capitals.
And finally, a note on instructors who require variations on MLA Style:
•
Periodically, you will run across instructors who insist on minor
variations from MLA Style.
•
Humor them.
•
If they want a cover page, give them their cover page.
•
If they want the title in block capitals, give them their block capitals.
•
Remember, the instructor is the one who will give you your grade.
And finally, a note on instructors who require variations on MLA Style:
•
•
Periodically, you will run across instructors who insist on minor
variations from MLA Style.
Humor them.
•
If they want a cover page, give them their cover page.
•
If they want the title in block capitals, give them their block capitals.
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Remember, the instructor is the one who will give you your grade.
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That said, please observe the following rule of thumb:
When the monkey wants peanuts, give it
PEANUTS!