Proper MLA Format Helping you construct a paper that looks professional and meets standard guidelines

Margins and Text Margins: one inch on all sides Text: 12 point Times New Roman Spacing: double

Heading and Title Notice that the title is neither underlined, nor bolded, nor placed in a differently sized font.

Page Numbers -Notice that there is no “p.” or comma -These should appear on every page -These can be done as headers

Giving Credit Whenever you borrow someone else’s facts, opinions, or quotations, you must give credit. Giving credit is called “citing” or “making a citation.”

Form of Citations (Author’s Last Name #) Example: The aesthetic and ideological orientation of jazz underwent considerable scrutiny in the late 1950s and early 1960s (Anderson 7). The period always goes after the citation.

Two Types of Citations Paraphrases: summarizing an author’s thoughts in your own words Direct Quotes: using an author’s words exactly as they appear in the original text

Paraphrases The majority of your citations should be paraphrases. To create an effective paraphrase, you must summarize an author’s material in your own words. Changing only one or two words is plagiarism.

Direct Quotes Keep as brief as possible; use as little as possible. Only use when the author’s words are exceptionally original or vivid. Must integrate into your own writing.

Quote Integration Incorrect: Charles Dickens had mixed feelings about the eighteenth century. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” (Dickens 35). Correct: Charles Dickens had mixed feelings about the eighteenth century as he called it “the best of times” and “the worst of times” (Dickens 35).

Proper Parenthetical Citations Paraphrase: The aesthetic and ideological orientation of jazz underwent considerable scrutiny in the late 1950s and early 1960s (Anderson 7). Direct Quotation: “He was obeyed,” writes Joseph Conrad of the company manager in Heart of Darkness, “yet he inspired neither love nor fear, nor even respect” (Conrad 87).

Works Cited Page All sources cited throughout the paper must be listed, with full bibliographic information, on the Works Cited page. The Works Cited page should be arranged in alphabetical order by the first letter of the entry. Dolby, Nadine. “Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future Directions.” Social Work and Society: The International Online- Only Journal 6.2 (2008): n. pag. Web. 20 May 2009.

Website to Use http://www.citationmachine.net/mla/cite-a-website Fill out all available fields; make sure your entry is as complete as possible