MLA paper format

1. MLA paper format from Title Page to Appendix and Works Cited

2. General guidelines • Type on white 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 one half-inch • Always check with your teacher on the format being used

3. Formatting First Page • No title page • Double space all lines • 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)

4. Example of first page format

5. 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

6. Headings example Numbered (all flush left with no underlining, bold, or italics): 1. Soil Conservation 1.1 Erosion 1.2 Terracing 2. Water Conservation 3. Energy Conservation Unnumbered (by level): Level 1 Heading: bold, flush left Level 2 Heading: italics, flush left Level 3 Heading: centered, bold Level 4 Heading: centered, italics Level 5 Heading: underlined, flush left

7. In-Text Citations: the Basics • MLA uses parenthetical citations • Parenthetical citations depend on the medium (e.g. Print, Web, DVD) • Parenthetical citations also depend on the source’s entry on the Works Cited page • Signal word in the text is the first words in the corresponding entry on the Works Cited page

8. In-text citation example 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 U.P., 1967. Print.

9. Tables and images • You must discuss the table in your paper by referring to the table and its corresponding numeral in-text. Do not capitalize the word table. This is typically done in parentheses.    Ex: (see table 1). • Embed the table in the paragraph where you are discussing the table. • Align the table flush-left to the margin. • Label it Table and provide its corresponding Arabic numeral. Ex: Table 3 • On the next line, double spaced, create a caption for the table (often the table title if it has one). Use standard capitalization rules. • Below the title, write the word Source followed by a colon, and then provide the correct MLA bibliographic information for the source. Use a hanging indent for lines after the first. If you provide source information with your illustrations, you do not need to provide this information on the Works Cited page.

10. Tables or Images Example Table (Image)

11. Appendix format • Appendices • In-text cite the Appendix # within the paper inside parenthesis [ie (Appendix 1)]. • The Appendices should appear before the works cited, with the heading “Appendices” centered at the top of the page. Each appendix should begin on a new page. • These should be numbered in the order in which they appear in the paper. The first one mentioned should be labeled Appendix 1 and the next one Appendix 2 and so on. • Only include an appendix if it is used in the paper. • Create a bibliography for each appendix and include it on a new line, double spaced below the “Appendix 1” heading, before the appendix content.

12. Appendix and Appendices example Within the paper: • Evidence of the golden ratio can be found in the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo DaVinci and calculated using the golden rectangle rule on the rectangle around Mona's face (from the top of the forehead to the base of the chin, and from left cheek to right cheek) (Appendix 1). In the Appendices section: Appendices Appendix 1 Goularte, Renée. Mona Lisa. Digital image. Math and Art of the Face. Asilomar, 2009. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

13. Works cited page format • Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your research paper. It should have the same one-inch margins and last name, page number header as the rest of your paper. • Label the page Works Cited (do not italicize the words Works Cited or put them in quotation marks) and center the words Works Cited at the top of the page. • Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries. • Entries should be in alphabetic order, from A to Z. • Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inches to create a hanging indent. • List page numbers of sources efficiently, when needed. If you refer to a journal article that appeared on pages 225 through 250, list the page numbers on your Works Cited page as 225-50. Note that MLA style uses a hyphen in a span of pages.

14. Works Cited Page

15. Need Help? • Contact your librarian • Check the posts from your teachers with information on MLA format • Ask a classmate who is knowledgeable in MLA format • Visit the user friendly Columbia State Library online MLA Citations guide at http://library.cscc.edu/mla • Visit the Owl Purdue website http://owl.english.purdue.edu/