Transcript MLA Format

MLA Format
How to prepare your work for
publication
MLA
• MLA stands for the Modern Language
Association.
• It was founded in 1883.
• This group of teachers and scholars determine
acceptable guidelines for publishing academic
work (like your story/essay).
Basic MLA Format
The format has several key components that standardize
the look of the work. Your work should be:
• Double spaced
• 12 point font
• One inch margins
• Indented paragraphs
• Most word processing programs default
to the correct font size and margin
spacing.
• Double spacing must be done manually.
• Indent paragraphs by pressing the “tab”
key once.
Double Spacing
To double space text in Microsoft Word click:
• Format
• Paragraph
• Line Spacing
• Double
• Or click this button and select 2.0
(depending on your version of Word)
Header
Your work must contain a header with your last
name and page numbers.
Your header must be in the upper right corner of
each page.
Header
• Click the very top of
your page (body text
will turn grey to show
it is deactivated).
• Type your last name
and press Ctrl +R to
align the text to the
right.
• Click the insert page
number icon.
Header
• Do NOT type 1 on the
first page as the page
number because it will
appear on every page
of the document.
• Click the body text
again. The header will
go grey to show that it
is deactivated.
Vital Information
The top left side of your first page should
contain your vital information:
• First and last name
• Teacher’s name
• Class
• Due date
Directly below this, centered and in bold, should
be the (creative) title of your work.
The text of your work should begin on the next
line. Indent the first line of each paragraph!
Vital Information Example
Stuart Dent
Ms. Monroe
English 8A
August 25, 2078
Sample First Page
Dent 1
Stuart Dent
Ms. Monroe
English 8A
August 25, 2078
A Distressing Work of Astounding Brilliance
It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in
torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it
was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept
up the streets (for it is in London that our scene
lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely
agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that
struggled against the darkness.
Works Cited
• The works-cited page at the end of your essay
gives your readers the list of sources you
actually referenced within your paper,
allowing your readers to easily find those
sources themselves.
• This page should have a header as well as be
double spaced, including the citations.
• The citation entries should be listed in
alphabetical order by the authors' last names.
Underlining or Italics?
• When reports were written on typewriters,
the names of publications were underlined
because most typewriters had no way to print
italics. If you write a bibliography by hand, you
should still underline the names of
publications. But, if you use a computer, then
publication names should be in italics as they
are below. Always check with your instructor
regarding their preference of using italics or
underlining. Our examples use italics.
Hanging Indentation
All MLA citations should use hanging indents,
that is, the first line of an entry should be flush
left, and the second and subsequent lines
should be indented 1/2".
Capitalization, Abbreviation, and
Punctuation
The MLA guidelines specify using title case capitalization - capitalize
the first words, the last words, and all principal words, including those
that follow hyphens in compound terms. Use lowercase abbreviations
to identify the parts of a work (e.g., vol. for volume, ed. for editor)
except when these designations follow a period. Whenever possible,
use the appropriate abbreviated forms for the publisher's name
(Random instead of Random House).
Separate author, title, and publication information with a period
followed by one space. Use a colon and a space to separate a title from
a subtitle. Include other kinds of punctuation only if it is part of the
title. Use quotation marks to indicate the titles of short works
appearing within larger works (e.g., "Memories of Childhood."
American Short Stories). Also use quotation marks for titles of
unpublished works and songs.
Sample Works Cited Page
Dent 8
Works Cited
Allen, Thomas B. Vanishing Wildlife of North America.
Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society,
1974.
Boorstin, Daniel J. The Creators: A History of the Heroes of
the Imagination. New York: Random, 1992.
Hall, Donald, ed. The Oxford Book of American Literacy
Anecdotes. New York: Oxford UP, 1981.
Searles, Baird, and Martin Last. A Reader's Guide to
Science Fiction. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1979.
Toomer, Jean. Cane. Ed. Darwin T. Turner. New York:
Norton, 1988.
Purdue OWL
Still have questions about MLA format?
Check out the Purdue University Online Writing
Lab. They have everything you every wanted to
know about MLA format and more.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/74
7/01/