MLA Format Writing and Citing

The Basics MLA Format Consists of three main pieces Is typed Is double spaced Is in 10-12 point format And don’t try the period/comma trick. I know it. Is in a basic font, such as Courier or Times New Roman Changes every few years Check online with a credible source for new formatting rules before writing new papers. Consists of three main pieces Heading In-text Citations Works Cited

MLA Headings—first page Set your paragraphs to double spacing. On the left of your first page, type your name. Enter, then type your teacher’s name. Enter, then type the name of the class. Enter, then type the due date (17 March 2008). Enter, then type the title of your paper and center align it. Your header on every page will be your last name + page # Taken from: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/

MLA in-text citations Every page will have the header with your last name and page number at the top right corner. Any time you use information from one of your sources, you must cite it in your text. All in-text citations come at the end of the sentence where you quoted them. The basic format is: (Author pg#). Taken from: http://www.dianahacker.com/pdfs/Hacker-Daly-MLA.pdf Daly 2 Academy midshipman crashed into their parked car. The driver said in court that when he looked up from the cell phone he was dialing, he was three feet from the car and had no time to stop (Stockwell B8). Expert testimony, public opinion, and even cartoons suggest that driving while phoning is dangerous. Frances Bents, an expert on the relation between cell phones and accidents, estimates that between 450 and 1,000 crashes a year This page is scaled, and much more information will fit on an actual MLA page.

Works cited Page Type “Works Cited” and center align it Put your sources in alphabetical order The first line of each citation is left aligned Any other lines are one tab in Your citations will vary, depending on your sources Taken from: http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/lhager/teaching/coursestaught/2001fall/mlaworkscitedpageexample.html

Citing sources Remember your checklist Make sure it’s credible Author Title (of article, of chapter, of book) Publisher (company and location) Date (of publication, and access) Entire web address Make sure it’s credible Cite it right Online citation makers MLA style sheet

Citing a book On your Works Cited page, a book will look like this: Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. Herland. New York: Dover Publications, 1998. In your paper, if you use this source, it will look like this: They wear their hair shorter, and as the men notice, there is little visible difference between them and the women they meet besides their own beards (Gilman 39). Note that this is paraphrasing, and not a direct quote.

Citing an article On your Works Cited page, an article will look something like this: Kreger, Erika M. “Depravity Dressed Up in a Fascinating Garb: Sentimental Motifs and the Seduced Hero(ine) in The Scarlet Letter.” Nineteenth-Century Literature. 54.3 (1999): 308-335. If you use it in your paper, it will look something like this:   Because of his perceived responsibility to society, he adds to his first sin by making “repeated errors in judgment” (Kreger 324). Articles change more than books depending on their actual source. This is from a collection of critical essays, not a newspaper. This is a direct quote.

Citing a website On your Works Cited page, a website will look like this: Global Warming. 2008. Cooler Heads Coalition. 17 March 2008 <http://www.globalwarming.org/>. If you use it in your paper, it will look like this: There is no scientifically proven link between global warming and huge hurricanes like Katrina (Global).

In-text citations If you use the exact words the author used, your text will look like this: Because of his perceived responsibility to society, he adds to his first sin by making “repeated errors in judgment” (Kreger 324). If you paraphrase the author, your text will look like this: They wear their hair shorter, and as the men notice, there is little visible difference between them and the women they meet besides their own beards (Gilman 39).

If you don’t ask, you’ll never know. Questions and answers If you don’t ask, you’ll never know.