(TUC) Thematic Unit: Choices - MLA Review Lesson

Thematic Unit: Choices - MLA Review Lesson 

Setting Up an MLA Paper

Pencil ImageIt is now time to practice using MLA format. At this point, formatting an MLA paper should be common practice. Remember each of the following points when setting up an MLA style paper:

  • In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.
  • Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.
  • Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text: Choices made in The Diary of Anne Frank ; Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"
  • Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
  • Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number; number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. Start and show this on the first page of the paper.
  • Double-space the text of your paper, and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are recognizable one from another. The font size should be 12 pt.
  • 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.
  • Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, providing emphasis.

 

Reviewing Citations and Works Cited Pages

Remember the following points when gathering information for in-text citations and works cited pages:

  • Always cite words or ideas that are not your own.
  • Citations should include the author's last name and the page number. If no author is available, use the title of the work.
  • Punctuation for the sentence should come after the citation. Example: "She went to the store" (Gardner 12).
  • Include all information on the works cited page: author, title, publication information, publisher information, medium, as well as other information that is required for specific sources (ex. Page numbers, etc.).

 

MLA Formatting Review

For more review of the points mentioned in this lesson, browse through the following poster about MLA formatting. This poster demonstrates the key components used in MLA formatting.

PURDUE UNIVERSITY Modern Language Association (MLA) 8th Ed. Style Guidelines Overview OWL Writing La Introduction In-Text Citations One Author Use parenthetical citation to cite outside sources in your text. The page num ber(s) of your outside source should always appear in the parenthetical citation. The author's name of the outside source may appear in the sentence itself. Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings (263). Or the author's name can go in the parentheses following the quote. Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings (Wordsworth 263). Multiple Authors For a source with two authors, list the authors' last names in the text or in the parenthetical citation. This poster overviews basic guidelines for using MLA style. To supplement this poster, consult the MLA Handbook (8th edition). The MLA handbooks are available in most writing centers, libraries, and bookstores. The MLA also maintains a website with style infor mation at style.mla.org. You may also reference the Purdue Univer sity OWL for information on using MLA style: http://owl.english.pur due.edu/. Poster by Katellows and Allen Briepted for MLA Bby Rachel Acheron and Geb © 2017 The Werting Lab & CWL PUniversity Formatting Type MLA essays on white 8.5x11" paper. Margins should be 1" on all sides. All text should be double spaced. Use a legible font (eg. Times New Roman) in 10 to 12 pt. size. In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Headers should contain your last name and page numbers (1,2,3...) in the upper right-hand corner, 1/2" from the top and right-aligned. Double space between the essay's title (not bolded, underlined, etc.) and the first line of the text. Indent the first line of each paragraph. 1/2" (five spaces or press tab once) from the left margin. Works Cited Page Format Begin the Works Cited list on a separate page at the end of your essay. Maintain MLA formatting standards. Title the page Works Cited and center the title. Alphabetize the citations by the last name of the first author. Use a hanging indent (every line after the first line of a citation is indented 1/2", using tab or a word processor's set tings) on each citation. The Works Cited page should be double spaced throughout; do not add extra space between citations. Citing Indirect Sources Best and Marcus argon that one should read a text for what it says on its surface, rather than looking for some hidden meaning (9) The authors claim that surface reading looks at what is "evident, perceptible, apprehensible in texta" (Beat and Marcus 9). For a source with three or more authors, list the first author's last name, and re place the additional names with et al. According to Franck et al., "Current agricultural policies in the U.5. are contributing to the poor health of Asricana (327) The authors claim that one cause of obesity in the United States is government-funded farm subsidies (Franck et al. 327). No Known Author For a source with no known author, use a shortened title of the resource in the parenthetical citation. Many global warming hotspots exist in North America because this region has "comprehensive programs to monitor the environment" ("Impact of Global Warming" 6). While it is always best to find the original source, sometimes you may have to use an indirect source (a source cited in another source). For such indirect quo tations, use "qtd. in" to indicate the source you actually consulted. For example: Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as "social service centers, and they don't do that well (qtd. in Mainan 259). Internet Sources For Internet sources, include enough information to lead the reader to the ap propriate entry on the Works Cited page, usually the author's name. You do not need a page or paragraph number in the parenthetical citation. According to a 2014 Wall Street Journal article, vozen made up "about 48% of the game playing public in the us in 2014, largely due to the explosion of casual gaming on mobile devices (Grundberg and Hansegard). Works Cited Basics MLA style's 8th edition focuses on the principles of source documentation instead of on particular formats for different types of sources. This ap proach to citation emphasizes the many ways in which writers access infor mation and the many kinds of sources writers use. MLA now bases Works Cited entries on 'containers, a concept that allows writers to use a standard form for any kind of source. For example, if you cite an episode in a TV series, the series would be the container for the epi sode. Similarly, a book is a container for a chapter, a blog is a container for a blog post, and a journal is a container for a scholarly article. Since it is pos sible to find a copy of a given source in many different places (for instance, you might find an article published in a book, and in a scholarly journal, and on an online database, and each copy might be slightly different), it is im portant to account for all the containers of the original source you use. The basic format for an MLA Works Cited entry contains core elements first and additional elements second; the template is as follows: Author. Title. Title of container (self contained if book), Other contributors (translators or editors), Version (edition), Number (vol, and/or no.], Publisher, Publication Date, Location [pages, paragraphs URL or D01) 2nd container's title, other contributors, Version, Mumber, Publisher, Publication date, Location, Date of Access (if applicable). Book The author's name or a book with a single author's name appears in "last name, first name' format. For books with multiple authors, editions, or other circumstances, consult the MLA Handbook or the Purdue OWL Gleick, Janes. Chaca: Making a New Science. Penguin, 1987. Article in a Scholarly Journal Cite the author and title of article as you normally would. Then, put the title of the journal in italics. Include the volume number ("vol.") and issue number ("no.") when possible, separated by commas. Finally, add the year and page numbers. Bagchi, Alaknanda. "conflicting Nationalison: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahasweta Devi's Banhai Tuda. Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature, vol. 15, no. 1, 1996, DD 41-50. Internet Sources MLA encourages the use of date of access and the inclusion of containers such as Netflixx or YouTube, as URLS change over time. If you can provide a URL or a permanent link, do so. Editor, author, or coepiler name (if available). Hane of Bite. Version number, Hase of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available), URL, DOI or permalink. Date of access (if applicable). The Purdue OWL Family of sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdos U, 2008, owl.nglish.purdue.edu/cvl. Accessed 23 Apr. 2008.

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