1. A guide to student papers
The Basics of MLA Style
A guide to student papers

2. Three areas of concern:
Part I: Formatting your paper
Part II: The reference list
Part III: Parenthetical, or in-text citation

3. Part I: Formatting your paper
Use 8½ X 11 inch paper
12 point, New Times Roman, or similar font
1 inch margins
Double-space your text
Use a running header
Number pages consecutively, starting on the first page

4. Part I: Formatting your paper
A title page is not necessary
Your name
Instructor
Course number
Date
Title of paper

5. Part I: Formatting your paper
Indent the first line of each paragraph by five spaces (tab button)
Place tables and illustrations as close as possible to their related text
After the body of your paper comes the Works Cited page

6. Part II: The reference list
Reference sources used in your paper must be listed
In MLA format, this page is labeled “Works Cited”
List sources alphabetically by author’s last name (or title, if author not known)

7. Example
Works Cited
Heinerman, John. Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables and
Herbs. Paramus, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1988.
Kowalchik, Claire and William H. Hylton. Rodale’s Illustrated
Encyclopedia of Herbs. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1998.
Wardlaw, Gordon M. and Anne M. Smith. Contemporary Nutrition.
Boston: McGraw Hill, 2006.

8. Part II: The reference list
MLA is used mostly in the humanities disciplines (history, literature, fine arts)
MLA style emphasizes brevity and clarity
The purpose of a reference list is to:
Identify and credit the sources you used
Enable the reader to locate your sources

9. Part II: The reference list
Books
Lastname, Firstname. Title of book. Location: Publisher, Year.
Lipson, Charles. Doing Honest Work in College. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2004.

10. Part II: The reference list
Article in a journal
Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal volume (year): pp-pp.
Sacks, Samuel. “Fraud Risk: Are You Prepared?” Journal of Accountancy (2004):

11. Part II: The reference list
Article in a Magazine
Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Article.” Title of Magazine day month year: pp-pp.
Weintraub, Arlene, and Laura Cohan. “A Thousand-Year Plan for Nuclear Waste.” Business Week 6 May 2002:
Paul, Annie Murphy. “Self-Help: Shattering the Myths.” Psychology Today Mar.-Apr. 2001:

12. Part II: The reference list
References to Electronic Sources
Basic entry
Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Document.” Information about print publication. Information about electronic publication. Access information.
Belli, Brita. “Nuking Food: Contamination Fears and Market Possibilities Spur an Irradiation Revival.” E Magazine July-Aug. 2007: Sept <

13. Part II: The reference list
Periodical article from a library subscription database
Paul, Annie Murphy. “Self-Help: Shattering the Myths.” Psychology Today Mar.-Apr. 2001: Academic Search Elite. Ebsco. Brown Mackie College, Tucson, AZ. 1 Jan <

14. Part II: The reference list
Entire Web site, no author
Title of Web site. Editor. Electronic publication info including version #, date of publication or latest update. Name of any sponsoring organization. Date of access <URL>.
Jane Austen Information Page. Ed. Henry Churchyard. 6 Sept June 2002 <

15. Part II: The reference list
Page on a web site, with author.
Firstname, Lastname. “Title of Page.” Name of Web site. Date of publication or latest update. Sponsoring organization. Date of access <URL>.
Stolley, Karl. “MLA Formatting and Style Guide.” The OWL at Purdue.10 May Purdue University Writing Lab. 12 May 2006 <

16. Part III: Parenthetical, or in-text citation
Within the body of your text, you must cite your sources as you use them.
You must cite any and all data, facts, information, opinions, ideas, tables, charts, graphics, photographs, etc. that you obtained in your research.

17. Part III: Parenthetical, or in-text citation
References in the text must clearly point to specific sources in the list of works cited.
Identify the location of the borrowed information as specifically as possible.
Readability is important. Keep citations as brief as clarity and accuracy permit.

18. Part III: Parenthetical, or in-text citation
Author’s name in text
Lipson has argued this point (38-40).
Author’s name in reference
This point has already been argued (Lipson 38-40).
Lipson, Charles. Doing Honest Work in College. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2004.

19. Part III: Parenthetical, or in-text citation
Author’s name in text
Lipson’s first rule of academic honesty is, “When you say you did the work yourself, you actually did it” (3).
Author’s name in reference
“When you say you did the work yourself, you actually did it,” is a good rule to keep in mind (Lipson 3).
Lipson, Charles. Doing Honest Work in College. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2004.

20. Conclusion
Formatting rules make research papers uniform and easy to read
The ability to verify facts through proper citation of sources is essential to good scholarship
In-text citation and the reference list:
Identify and credit the sources you used
Enable the reader to locate your sources