MLA 7 th Edition Formatting and Style Guide W. edits from de Santiago 2014

What is MLA? MLA (Modern Language Association) style formatting is a guide for research papers.

What does MLA guide you on? MLA guides you on:  Document Format  In-text citations  Works Cited (a list of all sources used in the paper)

Your Instructor Knows Best #1 Rule for any formatting style: Always Follow your teacher’s guidelines

Format: General Guidelines Type on white 8.5“ x 11“ paper Double-space everything Use 12 pt. Times New Roman font (or similar font) Leave only one space after punctuation Set all margins to 1 inch on all sides Indent the first line of paragraphs by using tab key

Format: General Guidelines (continued)  Header with page numbers in the upper right corner  Titles are always in 12-pt. font and centered but not italicized, bolded, or put in quotation marks.  Endnotes go on a separate page before your Works Cited page

Formatting the 1st Page  No title page  Double space everything  In the upper left corner of the 1st page, list your  name, your instructor's name, the course, and date  Center the paper title (use standard caps but no underlining, italics, quote, or bold)  Create a header in the upper right corner at half inch from the top and one inch from the right of the page (include your last name and page number)

Sample 1st Page

Formatting Section Headings  Headings are generally optional  Headings in essays should be numbered  Headings should be consistent in grammar and formatting but are otherwise up to you

Sample Section Headings Numbered (all flush left with no underlining, bold, or italics): 1. Early Life 1.1 Education 1.2 Marriage 2. Presidency 3. Civil War

Socrative Room # In your opinion, what the most imporant things to remember

In-Text Citations

In-Text Citations: the Basics  MLA uses parenthetical citations which places relevant source information in parentheses.  E.g. (Biography: George Washington)  Parenthetical citations depend on the medium (e.g. book, Web, DVD)  Parenthetical citations also depend on the source’s information on the Works Cited page

Author Named in Signal Phrase In-text Example: McCullough describes John Adams’ hands as those of someone used to manual labor (18). Corresponding Works Cited Entry: McCullough, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford UP, Print.

Author Named in Parentheses In-text Example: Adams is said to have had “the hands of a man accustomed to pruning his own tress, cutting his own hay, and splitting his own firewood” (McCullough 18). Period placed after the citation Corresponding Works Cited Entry: McCullough, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford UP, Print.

Author unknown If you don’t know the author: 1.Use the work’s title 2.Shortened version of the title in parentheses. 1.Example: A powerful editorial in last week’s paper said that healthy liver donor Mike Smith died because of a bad hospital care (“Every Partient’s Nightmare”).

Work With no Page Numbers This includes many online sources Identify the source using 1.Author 2.Title of article 3.Title of web page Use signal Phrase or in parantheses Example: Information presented in History.com claimed that George Washington was a valiant leader with a kind heart (Biography: George Washington).

Signal Phrases Acknowledges Adds Admits Addresses Argues Asserts Believes Claims Comments Compares Confirms Contends Declares Denies Disputes Emphasizes Endorses Grants Illustrates Implies Insists Notes

More Examples In-text Example: Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (263). Romantic poetry is characterized by the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (Wordsworth 263). Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263). Corresponding Works Cited Entry: Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford UP, Print.

Formatting Short Quotations In-text Examples: According to some, dreams express “profound aspects of personality” (Foulkes 184), though others disagree. According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express “profound aspects of personality” (184). Is it possible that dreams may express “profound aspects of personality” (Foulkes 184)? Website: use name of site and the title of web page.

Formatting Long Quotations Must be indented Example: 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)

Adding/Omitting Words In-text Example for Adding Words: Jan Harold Brunvand, in an essay on urban legends, states: “some individuals [who retell urban legends] make a point of learning every rumor or tale” (78). In-text example for Omitting Words: In an essay on urban legends, Jan Harold Brunvand notes that “some individuals make a point of learning every recent rumor or tale... and in a short time a lively exchange of details occurs” (78).

Work Cited Page

Work Cited Slide For every site include: Author Title of Webpage Publisher information- N.p. Publishing date- use if not present -n.d. Medium Date used Url when requested by teacher

Works Cited Page: Sample Sample Works Cited Page:

Author Can be located either on top of page or at bottom Some site won’t have one- that’s ok Always use last name first in work cited History.com

Title of Webpage Not the url – sidents/abrahamlincoln.phphttp:// sidents/abrahamlincoln.php Not the domain name – Use the title of page you used Example: George Washington Carver

Publisher This is who is paying or paid to have the site on the internet. Usually a company or organization Information located on bottom of page in small print Continue

Publisher cont… Hard to find History.com –A.E. Television Network. If no publisher use: N.p.

Medium and Date Date is the date you visited the site –Should be earlier than due date of project –Format= Day Month Year Medium is the type of source: CD, Website, or Blog Use Web for website

Final Citation Author’s Last name, First name.Title of site.Publisher or Sponsor. Date last updated. Medium.Day Month Year of access. If no author use the Title of site first

Works Cited Page: Books Basic Format: Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication. Examples: Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, Print. Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Boston: Allyn, Print. Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism. New York: St. Martin's, Print The Films of the Eighties: A Social History. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, Print.

Book One Author Author's last name, First name. Title in italics. Publication City: Publisher, Year. Medium: print, web, cd, movie

Works Cited Page: Web Web Source Format: Editor, author. “Article Name.” Name of Site. Name of institution/ organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher). Date of last update. Medium of publication. Date of access.

Works Cited Page: Web Examples: Bernstein, Mark. “10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.” A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites. A List Apart Mag., 16 Aug Web. 4 May Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov Web. 10 May “How to Make Vegetarian Chili.” eHow.com. eHow. n.d. Web. 24 Feb

Works Cited Page: Other Film Example: The Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro. Polygram, Film.

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