MLA

What is MLA Format?

MLA stands for the Modern Language Association, and it is the style of formatting used in the Liberal Arts and Humanities fields.  MLA format is used in these fields to stylize the look of the writing as well as the organization of the sources used within the writing.

Check with Your Institution

You will need to check with your school to determine the formatting guidelines and formatting edition that they wish you to follow.  Some schools have you follow the formatting style for the class you are attending.  For example, the field of English falls under the Humanities tier; therefore, if your school requires you to format your work according to the course you are attending, then you would format your work in MLA format.

However, if you attend a school that requires you to format your work based on the degree that you are seeking (let's say that you are pursuing a degree in Theology), then even if you are taking an English class (which falls under Humanities and thus MLA formatting), but you are a Theology major, then you would format your paper following the Turabian formatting style.

• MLA 7th Edition Tutorial
• MLA 8th Edition Tutorial

MLA Samples and Guides

See the samples posted below.  All of the numbered samples below come from the Liberty University Online Writing Center.

1. Title Page--all papers at Liberty require a title page, even MLA, click the Title Page link. Even though there is no 'pre-set' title page for MLA format in the formatting guide, for my classes, and ALL Liberty classes, where you are asked to create a title page, you will be using this sample to guide your crafting of a MLA Sample Title Page
• General Formatting Quick Guides
• Quick Guide to APA
• Quick Guide to MLA
• Quick Guide to Turabian
2. Paper Layout
• General Layout for Formatting Styles
• APA Sample Paper  
• MLA Sample Paper  
• Turabian Sample Paper 
3. Works Cited Page

Formatting MLA Documents

The information in this section (below) comes from the University of Mississippi's Library as assistance to writers using MLA format.  The MLA content below is not my own creation.  Please see the full tutorial at http://www.lib.usm.edu/legacy/tutorials/mlatutorial/. 

Introduction to MLA Style Using Microsoft Office WORD to create Essays
What is MLA style? 
MLA is an editorial style recommended by the Modern Language Association (MLA) for preparing scholarly manuscripts and student research papers. It is the standard format for papers, articles, and books in the arts and humanities.


In addition to providing standardized rules for formatting a paper (margins, line spacing, etc.), MLA provides a consistent method for citing ideas, quotations, facts, and paraphrases borrowed from other sources. This standardized format for identifying sources used in a paper makes the paper more credible and ensures that other authors are given credit for their original thoughts and ideas.

Are there other styles? Just as MLA is used by teachers in the arts and humanities, teachers in business and the social sciences may ask you to format your paper in APA style; a history professor may ask you to use Chicago or Turabian; a biology professor might want you to submit a paper in yet another format. There are slight differences between the formats and each has a unique set of rules. Note the differences between the MLA and APA citations given below:

A book citation in MLAKasson, John F. Civilizing the Machine: Technology and Republican Values in America 1776-1900.New York: Penguin, 1976.Print. Author's last name written out completely Date of publication appears at end of citation All major words in title capitalized	The same book citation in APAKasson, J. (1976). Civilizing the machine: technology and republican values in America 1776-1900.New York: Penguin. Author's last name and first initial only Date of publication appears at beginning of citation Only first word of title is capitalized (and proper nouns)

MLA 8th Edition Formatting - Quick Guide

MLA 8th Edition Sample Paper

Formatting

• 1’’ margins
• An easily readable font (most professors prefer Times New Roman; however, Arial is often accepted.  Do not use any other font besides Time or Arial, though.)
• Size 12 font [this includes what is directly within the margins of the paper as well as what is outside the margins: in the Header section of the document.]
• Double-spaced: [use your tool bar in M.O. Word to set the 2.0 parameter for all content of your essay before you begin writing, or you can select all of the content--after you are done writing--and use the toolbar to arrange all of the paper content into 2.0 spacing.]

Style

• 
  

  ·         Use active voice

  
  

  ·         [For ENGL101 and ENGL102 papers, use only 3rd person voice.  Do not use 1st person (I, me, my, etc.) or 2nd person voice (you, us, we, etc.).]

  
  

  ·         Use present tense when referring to events that happen within the literature

  
  

  ·         Remain consistent with tense (especially important to keep in mind when writing about historic non-fiction)

  
  

  ·         [Eliminate ALL contractions from your academic writing

  
  

  ·         Eliminate ALL questions from your body-paragraphs, and only use questions where permitted in the INTRODUCTION or CONCLUSION paragraphs.]

Title Page

All papers at Liberty University require a title page—even if it is to be documented and formatted in MLA style.  Therefore, you will need to create a title page that follows this layout:

First Page

Create a running header with your last name and page number in the upper right-hand corner (with only one space between name and number) one half inch from the top

In the upper left-hand corner, type your name, professor’s name, course name, and date.  [This is your HEADING section on the first page.]

Center the title of your paper just below following standard capitalization rules for titles.

Main Body

Your paper should include a thesis statement, “a single sentence the formulates both your topic and your point of view...your answer to the central question or problem you have raised” [in the INTRODUCTION paragraph.]

• Use only one space after a period unless professor prefers two
• Indent the first line of each paragraph ½ of an inch
• Use block quotes sparingly and only when the prose quotation exceeds four lines [after all, quotes do not count toward your overall word count since they are not written in your voice.  For best usage, you need to summarize or paraphrase source content into your own words so that 1) you are providing the bulk of the writing, and 2) so that you are fully integrating outside sources while arguing your thesis points in the body-paragraphs].
• Include parenthetical citations in your paper whenever you use another person's words or ideas. Usually this will include the author's last name and a page reference with no punctuation: (Smith 10).  [Any content that comes from an outside source—even if it is paraphrased or summarized—needs to have a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence where outside content was used, but the period for the sentence comes after the in-text citation.]
• When referencing plays and poetry, use the line number (not the page number)

Works Cited Examples

Your works cited page should have the words “Works Cited” center at the top [unless you have only used one source, and then it would be labeled Work Cited]. Your entries should begin right after the title Works Cited and should be left-aligned with hanging indents. Eighth edition MLA citations operate on model. The model is a one-size-fits-all approach that asks for nine different elements and takes whatever are available; [however, if your source choice does include at least half of these items, then you should consider the source a poor representation of a reliable and credible source since it is not properly labeled, and therefore, you should not use it at all in your paper for support].

These are the elements and the proper punctuation in a citation if they were all present in a source:

Generic example for all citations:

Author. “Title of Source.” Title of Container, Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.

Book:

Model: Last name, First name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date.

Example: Smith, John. Hunting for Peace. Mifflin Publishing, 2004.

Work in an anthology:

Model: Last name, First name. "Title of Source." Title of Container, Other Contributors, Publisher, Publication Date. Location.

Example: Smith, Joanna. “The Squirrel Poem.” Poems about Wildlife, edited by John Smith, Harvard UP, 2016, pp. 122-23.

Journal article retrieved from database:

Model: Author. “Title of Source.” Title of Container, Number, Publication Date, Location.

Example: Smith, Sara. “Squirrel Habitat Reduction.” The Journal of the Environment, vol. 30, no. 2, 2009, pp. 127-56. JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/10/1086/000001

Website:

Model: Author (if available). “Title of Source.” Title of Container, Other Contributors, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.

Example: “Human and Animal Relations.” Wildlife Details, edited by John Smith, Turtles Inc., 26 May 2011, www.turtlelist.com/squirrels. 

The sample information and formatting content above was provided courtesy of MLA 7th edition and MLA 8th edition handbooks.   Be sure to note the content in [ bracket marks] since these have been added in by me—your instructor—for clarification.

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Content above provided by the Liberty Online Writing Center.  Content can be located at https://www.liberty.edu/academics/casas/academicsuccess/index.cfm?PID=24015

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© 2018 by Jeanette L. H. Dick

MLA 8th Edition--Class-Specific Notations in [Brackets]

Formatting Your Paper

The Title Page
[While] the rules of MLA do not require a paper to have a separate title page, [your instructor--J. Dic--DOES require a title page for all essay work in class.  See this link for a MLA formatted Title Page]. [If you are not in J. Dick's classes, c]heck with your teacher to determine his or her preference. [...] all identifying information should appear on the first page of your paper [as well].

First page of a sample paper



Formatting the First Page
Set up 1" margins all around. Set up a running header with your last name and a page number in the upper right-hand corner. Lines should be double spaced. Follow the links to view and print formatting directions for Microsoft Word 2003, and Microsoft Word 2007.

Beginning your Paper - Heading and Title
Once the page has been formatted correctly, type your name, professor's name, the course number and the date (on separate lines). Double space, center, and type the title of your paper. (It's okay to have a title which runs onto more than one line.) Double space again before typing the first paragraph of your paper. Remember to indent (tab) the first line of each paragraph..

1. Headers and Headings

Citing Sources in MLA Style, part 1

Parenthetical or In-text References 
A parenthetical or in-text reference is the term for citing material within the body of your paper. Whenever you summarize, paraphrase or quote another author's material you must include a brief citation to tell the reader what information you have borrowed and from where (usually the author's last name and a page number - click here for the rule for non-paginated souces such as web sites). The brief in-text citation tells the reader that the complete citation can be found at the end of your paper in the Works Cited list.

An example of a parenthetical reference:

The modern world requires both the ability to concentrate on one thing and the ability to attend to more than one thing at a time: "Ideally, each individual would cultivate a repertoire of styles of attention, appropriate to different situations, and would learn how to embed activities and types of attention one within another" (Bateson 97).

When you write (Bateson 97) after a quote in your paper, the reader knows that you have borrowed the quote from an author named Bateson (on page 97) and that the full citation to Bateson's work can be found in the Works Cited list at the end of your paper.



Citing Sources in MLA Style, part 2

How to Format a Basic Parenthetical Reference
A parenthetical reference will usually have the author's last name and the page number from where the work was borrowed (click here for the rule for non-paginated souces such as web sites). These two parts act as tags to inform the reader what information has been borrowed and from whom. The 'tags' point to the full citation at the end in on the Works Cited page.
Paraphrases, summaries, or quotes can be formatted or 'tagged' in a variety of ways:

Parenthetical for a summary or paraphrase 
Here is a parenthetical reference for part of a work that has been summarized or paraphrased. The borrowed information has been condensed into a paragraph that is "tagged" at the end with the author and page number. (This and the following examples are taken from: Trushell, John M. "American Dreams of Mutants: The X-Men-"Pulp" Fiction, Science Fiction, and Superheroes."Journal of Popular Culture 38.1 (Aug 2004): 149.)

The X-Men, however, featured not only psioid mutants (the telepathic Professor Xavier and the telekinetic Marvel Girl) but also mutants with grotesque deformities. The Angel was endowed with avian wings, and the Beast had simian characteristics, including prehensile feet and enhanced agility and strength, despite such grotesquerie having become a cliché in sophisticated science fiction literature of the 1950s (Turney 127).

Parenthetical for a quotation
Quotations should not stand alone in a sentence but should be worked into your narrative. Here is a parenthetical reference for a quotation. The quote is introduced with the author's name so that only the page number is needed at the end in parentheses:

A new writer, Grant Morrison, maintains that the New X-Men was "not a story about super-heroes but about the ongoing evolutionary struggle between good/new and bad/old," and a story that "kids will dig for their sheer gee-whiz, kinetic strut, which college kids will buy for the rebel irony and adults will love for the distraction . . . [a story] aimed at the mainstream, media-literate audience of kids, teenagers and adults with disposable income" (2-3).

Parenthetical for an entire work
When an entire work is referenced, it is preferable to include just the author (or the author and title) in your narrative and indicate in your passage that the work is being summarized. Remember to reference the entire work in the Works Cited page:

A similar premise was provided by Greg Bear's Darwin's Radio . . .

This future Middle Ages, as Umberto Eco has remarked,

Edward James found acceptance that science fiction was a serious literature. . . . The pulp fiction origins of science fiction and detective noir, James observes, were shared by American comic books . . .

Here's a list of signal phrases that help introduce quotes, summaries or paraphrases (from St. Martin's Guide): admits, agrees, argues, asserts, believes, claims, compares, confirms, contends, denies, emphasizes, insists, notes, observes, points out, reasons, refutes, rejects, reports, responds, replies, suggests, thinks, writes In addition to the above list of verbs, there are other phrases you might use: In _____'s words... According to ____'s (notes, study, narrative, novel, etc.)...

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When creating your Works Cited page, if you use items from the Internet, you MUST include the full source citation, as well as the URL address for where to find the source.  

Click below if you would like specific information about:

• Format of Titles in a full source citation
• Punctuation Tips (where to put periods, exclamation points, etc)
• Citing Quotes within Quotes
• Block Quotes
• Quoting Poetry or Lyrics

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Often it helps to understand the layout of your formatting style by seeing it compared to another formatting style.  MLA, APA, and Turabian are the three most commonly used formatting styles.  To see a formatting comparison chart--created the the OWL Purdue--between these three styles, click HERE.

Please visit the OWL Purdue MLA vidcast series on the Purdue OWL YouTube Channel.