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MLA Format – The Basics Center for Academic Excellence

Very basically, the Modern Language Association (MLA) has prescribed a standard way of laying out text on the page. This format provides scholars in the Humanities with a simple, neat, and effective way of presenting information and of communicating ideas. At first the rules may seem irritating and even pointless—but the reality is that most disciplines adopt a style, and conformity simply makes communication easier.

Styles Used by Various Disciplines Humanities Sciences Journalism Modern Language Association Manual of Style (MLA) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) Associated Press Stylebook Chicago Manual of Style

Here are the basics for setting up a document in MLA Style: First, set up the margins so that they are 1” all the way around. Second, change the font to Times New Roman. Third, change the font size to 12-point. Fourth, change the spacing to double. Fifth, insert a page number in the header and type your last name in front of it.

Sample First Page in MLA Style: Brown 1 Sarah Brown Professor Smith ENGL C 29 September 2014 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” 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 Professor Smith ENGL C 29 September 2014

Just a word about the Professor’s name: In general, you ought to write the title out in full, i.e., Professor Smith. If you are tempted to abbreviate and use Prof., then there are a number of MLA rules to keep in mind. It is only proper to use the term Prof. if you include the Professor’s first name. Hence, Prof. Kevin Smith is acceptable, whereas Prof. Smith is incorrect. This is true of most professional titles, i.e., Doctor Watson, but Dr. Jonathan Watson, etc.

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, Sep 2014 Sep 29, /9/14 9/29/14 With no punctuation. These are non-standard formats and are unacceptable in an MLA paper. 29 September 2014

A Note about 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 Smith ENGL C 29 September 2014 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...

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. If they want a cover page, give them a cover page. If they want the title in block capitals, give them block capitals. 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!

PowerPoint Presentation by Mark A. Spalding, BA, MEd, MA, 2007.

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