MODERN LANGUAGES ASSOCIATION MLA

MLA: What is it?  MLA is the formatting style we use here at AIS  It helps to keep documents regulated  This ensures that all students are producing papers that are styled and formatted in the same way

General Guidelines  Type your essay on white paper  Double space everything  Use 12 pt. Times New Roman or Arial font  Leave only one space after punctuation  Set all margins to one inch on all sides  Indent the first line of paragraphs  Create a header in the upper right corner where you include your last name and page number

Formatting the 1 st Page of your Essay  Do not include a title page  In the upper left corner of the 1 st page ONLY, list your name, instructor’s name, course name, and date  Center the title (no underlining, italics, quotes, or bold)  Create a header in the upper right corner where you include your last name and page number (repeat on every page)

Sample First Page Student Name Instructor Name Course Name Date Student Last Name & Page # Essay Title

In-Text Citations: The Basics  MLA uses parenthetical citations  This will depend on the medium (e.g. print, web, DVD, etc.)

In-Text Example Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry is a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263). OR Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263). Both examples above, (263) and (Wordsworth 263), tell readers that the information in the sentence can be located on page 263 of a work by an author named Wordsworth. If readers want more information about this source, they can turn to the Works Cited page, where, under the name of Wordsworth, they would find the following information:

Works Cited Example Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford U.P., Print.

Other Examples of In-Text Citation One online film critic stated that Fitzcarraldo is "...a beautiful and terrifying critique of obsession and colonialism" (Garcia, “Herzog: a Life”). In this example, “Herzog: a Life” is the article title from a website. Garcia is the author’s last name. If readers want more information about this source, they can turn to the Works Cited page, where, under the name of Garcia, they would find the following information:

Works Cited Example Garcia, Elizabeth. "Herzog: a Life." Online Film Critics Corner. The Film School of New Hampshire, 2 May Web. 8 Jan

Formatting Short Quotations  Text that is under 4 lines long are considered short quotations Example: According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (184).

Formatting Long Quotations  Text that is more than 4 lines is considered a long quotation  Place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit quotation marks  Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented one inch from the left margin; maintain double-spacing  Only indent the first line of the quotation by a half inch if you are citing multiple paragraphs

Example of Long Quotation Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration: They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78)

Sample Works Cited Page Student Last Name & Page # No bold, italics, or underline for title All works are in alphabetical order Reverse indentation Double spaced