Carrie Hollibaugh
Professor Jones
English 1301-01
14 September 2006
Writing In MLA Format
This paper is written as an MLA formatted document and should give you a quick review on the basics of MLA citation and formatting. Most English and composition courses rely on MLA formatting to make documents uniform in appearance. Consider this: you turn in a paper in full MLA format. It meets the three page minimum and has the correct one inch margins and citations. A fellow student, however, turns in a paper that is not in MLA format. His paper has two inch margins and uses triple-spaced 16 point font. His paper is also three pages. When you compare the two, you can see that you have easily written more. This is why we use MLA to help regulate the appearance of documents.
In order to meet the MLA formatting guidelines, you will need to know what they are. Margins are to be one inch on all sides, top, bottom, left, and right. The header contains your last name and the page number. It is in the upper right corner of the page and is 0.5 inches from the top of the page. This is the default setting for Microsoft Word. In order to type a header using this computer program, click View in the upper menu, then click Header/Footer. A box should be outlined at the top and bottom of each page.
You should be using a 10 or 12 point font, preferably Times New Roman or Arial, when typing your papers. Also, make sure you have double-spaced the entire paper. Everything in MLA is double-spaced. This includes the information block at the top of the first page, which can be substituted for a title page and includes the author’s name, the instructor’s name, the course, and the date. Overall, those are the basics behind what an MLA paper should look like, and as you can see, this paper follows those guidelines.
Now, the idea behind citations is a bit more in-depth. When using MLA formatted source citations, you must remember that there are two types: in-text (parenthetical) and end-of-text (works cited page). In-text/parenthetical citations are used in the body of the paper each time a source is used. If you directly cite a source, meaning that you quote the source word-for-word, you will include the source in quotation marks and use a parenthetical citation after it. For instance, we know that “MLA format can be a difficult thing for composition students to grasp” (Smith 27). The citation, as shown, will contain the author’s last name and the page number of the quoted material. Notice that there is no comma, date, or use of the word “page” or “p.” in the citation.
An in-text citation also needs to be used if you are paraphrasing the source. Paraphrasing occurs when you take the ideas from the source, but not the exact words. This can help you include ideas in the body of the paper while avoiding an overuse of direct quotes. However, you must make sure to paraphrase every source every time (Smith 14).
The end-of-text/works cited page citations are pointed to by the citations used in the paper. The works cited page will contain citations that include the publication information for the sources cited within the paper. The in-text citations work to tell the reader which works cited entries to view for the full citation.
The actual works cited entries will vary depending on the type of source you use. This is why it is important not only to read your source thoroughly, but also to “diagnose” what type of source you have. Is it a book, a journal article, a web site, a newspaper article? Did it come from an online database or from a hard copy? Each of these categories of source will have a citation that is a little different from the next. Because of this, there will not be a lengthy discussion of works cited citations. This information is best obtained from your instructor, the library staff, or the MLA Style Manual. However, there are a number of online sources and writing guides that also work with MLA style and can give you examples of citations.
Works Cited
Smith, Joan. “MLA and Students.” The Student Writer 77 (2005): 14-37.