MLA F ORMATTING

M EET THE MLA At some point in history, a bunch of nerdy people got together and decided to make rules about punctuation, formatting papers, and citations. These people are called MLA (Modern Language Association). Because the rest of us aren’t quite as nerdy, we decided to go along with their rules to avoid a fight. MLA sets the rules for high school (in any subject) and college in English and “Humanities” classes.

MLA F ORMAT Basic Rules: Double space your entire paper Do not add extra spaces between paragraphs 1 in margins TIMES NEW ROMAN font, size 12—it may be boring, but it is correct “Heading” aligned to the left in this order: First and Last Name Teacher’s name Class Date Center your title—not italicized, bolded, or in quotes Header—your last name and the page number

WARNING: Trust me, it is very easy to spot someone who is trying to make their paper longer by adding in extra spaces or increasing margin or font size. Do not deviate from the previous list!

P ARENTHETICAL C ITATIONS MLA dictates that writers use parenthetical citations. These citations contain the author’s last name and the page number where you are paraphrasing or quoting information. Example: He argues that “quoted information” (Smith 1). They are placed at the end of the sentence.

E XCEPTIONS TO THE RULE Exceptions to the rule: If you have already given the author’s name in your sentence, you do not have to include it in your citation. Example: The renowned scholar of language, David Crystal, has promoted the idea of “dialect democracy” (168). Example: If indeed “anything goes” in art, Barry Gewen is right to question the role of an art critic (29).

E XCEPTIONS TO THE RULE Another exception: If the text is online AND does not have a page number, you will not include the page number in your parenthetical citation. Barry Gewen questions the role of an art critic if “anything goes” in art.

E XCEPTIONS TO THE RULE Sometimes resources do not have a clear author or editor (websites or dictionary entries, etc.) If your resource does not have an author or editor listed, refer to the title of the work in your sentence and abbreviate the title in your parenthetical citation. According to The Chicago Manual of Style, writers should always “break or bend” rules when necessary (xiii). Writers should always “break or bend” rules when necessary ( Chicago xiii).

M ORE RULES For more specific rules for each individual situation (2 authors, authors with the same last name, etc.) consult an online MLA reference like This website is a reputable resource for correct MLA citations. It may also benefit you to purchase a style book like Keys for Writers, sixth edition. These books provide suggestions for writing, finding good resources, MLA, and other citation formats.

W ORKS C ITED In MLA format is imperative that you include a Works Cited page as the last page of your research paper. Your works cited includes information about any paraphrases or direct quotations that you incorporate into your essay. Provides complete information so that readers can find the research you use in your essay. Each kind of resource requires specific information to be included. MLA gives rules for works cited pages down to periods and commas.

W ORKS C ITED P AGE R ULES Begin on a new page. Title the page Words Cited (no quotation marks, italics, or periods) Double space your works cited page. Give references in alphabetical order of the author’s last name. Use a hanging indent of.5 inch. MLA 2009 states that you do not have to give the URL of a website unless your instructor requires it. Dates are given in Day Month Year. (22 Sept. 2013)

B OOKS When citing a book with one author include the information EXACTLY as follows: Last name, first name. Title: Subtitle. City of publication: Publisher, year. Medium. If a book has two authors, list them as given in the title page. Only reverse the name of the first author. Separate authors by a comma. Baumol, William J., Robert E. Litan, and Carl J Schramm. Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalim, and the Economics of Growth and Prosperity. New Haven: Yale UP, Print.

R EFERENCE B OOKS “Entry Title.” Reference Book Title. # ed. Year. Medium. Last name, first name. “Entry Title.” Book Title. # ed. Year. Medium.

W EBSITES Last name, First name. “Title of Work.” Title of website. Site sponsor, date of posting. Medium. Access date. Vercammen, Paul. “Economic Troubles Bring Many to the Brink.” CNNhealth.com. Cable News Network, 28, Jan Web. 22 Mar Note: If information is missing, omit the information

W EBSITES Each specific type of website has its own requirements, especially if the original source was a magazine article or article in a scholarly journal that you happened to find online. BE CAREFUL!

S OME A DVICE Correctly citing websites is increasingly difficult. It is in your best interest to consult owl.english.perdue.edu or purchase a print MLA resource like Keys for Writers. Trust me, it is worth the effort.

H OW TO CHEAT Several websites exist to help students formulate works cited pages. Some of these include: Easybib.com Bibme.org Citationmachine.net The References tab of Word These resources are great if you are in a time crunch; however, they are not always accurate and they are only as good as the information that you give them. Use them sparingly. If your teacher is a stickler for exact punctuation, don’t use them at all or double check the citations they give you.