MLA Formatting Basic Rules

Why MLA Formatting? It provides a standard style of writing and formatting for universities – an essay will look the same whether it’s written by a student at Dal or Harvard PLAGIARISM!!!! – By clearly stating your sources, evaluators can quickly and easily check verify the authenticity of an essay – it’s like insurance against cheating charges

General Rules for Papers Paper should be typed on plain white paper Double spaces, using 12-point font (a “normal” one) Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides. Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times.

Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. Most times, the first page is not numbered Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works Your first page should look like this:

Parenthetical Citations Basically, this means putting the relevant author and page information in brackets For basic texts (novel, article, etc.), it is enough to place the author’s last name and the page #)

More than one text If you are citing more than one text by the same author in your essay you can use the title of whichever book is being cited If you are citing more than one author, last names are enough Keep it simple

An example The extent of Melinda’s self-hatred is made clear when she writes “I get out of bed and take down the mirror. I put it in the back of my closet facing the wall” (Anderson 17).

Please Note: you must cite indirect citations, too, or be subject to plagiarism charges! That is, you must still give credit to information you’ve gained from other sources (even if you’ve put it in your own words).

Indirect Quotation Example This scene is also reminiscent of the moment in The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy when Ford and Arthur are tortured with poetry (Adams 44).

Works Cited This page is also known as the “Bibliography” It gives a list of all the sources that you’ve used or referred to in your essay The Works Cited page is arranged with the authors cited in alphabetical order Last names first

Works Cited Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication. (Indent anything after the first line)

A Website to Remember to: This site will help you create a works cited page for more complex essays You just have to enter the information correctly, and this website will arrange it correctly

Your Task 1.Choose one of the important quotes you’ve selected from your novel. Write an explanation / analysis of the importance of this quote. 2.Include a parenthetical citation for this quote

3. Create a Works Cited entry for your novel. You will need this for your essay, too