Guidelines and Rules to Follow in an MLA Essay Format
Some academic disciplines require students to follow the Modern Language Association or the MLA essay format. This style is extensively used in the Humanities disciplines like History, English, Political science, and Sociology. When students reach the college level, their professors expect them to write essays in this format. Therefore, it’s necessary for you to learn how to write in MLA style. In this article, you’ll find general guidelines on formatting your paper in this style.
Writing in an MLA Essay Format
The MLA format is a style of referencing or crediting sources you utilize to compose a paper. In it, you must tell who composed a work, what it is called, and where the readers can find a copy.
Basics of MLA format
Students who don’t know what is MLA format can find it challenging to format their papers in this way. But with regular practice, you will become familiar with it. Below are some basic elements of this style of formatting that you should adhere to.
- Utilize white 8.5 X 11″ paper.
- Create an inch’s margin on the bottom sides and top of the paper.
- Indent one-half inch the first word in each para.
- Indent block quotations one-half inch from the paper’s left margin.
- Employ a legible font like Times New Roman. Check that the italics appear different from the regular font.
- Always utilize a 12-point size.
- Your research paper should be double-spaced. You need to use double-spacing even on the Works Cites page.
- Leave a space after periods and other marks of punctuation. But if your professor commands you to leave two spaces, do so.
Citations, Titles, and Page Numbers in an MLA Format
It’s important for you to learn how to put titles, citations, and page numbers in your paper. Keep the points below in mind while formatting your paper.
- The titles should be italicized for highlighting those points.
- You should list the endnotes on a different page. They should be just before the Works Cited page or bibliography.
- Create a title page only if your professor demands it.
- Type your name in the first page’s upper-left corner.
- You should type your professor’s name in the line below your name. The name of the course will come in the line that’s below the professor’s name.
- Insert the page numbers in the upper-right corner. Your last name must be on the left part of the page numbers.
- Your essay title should appear on the line directly below the date.
- If there’re any titles of longer works, use italics to emphasize them.
- Use numbers followed by a period or full stop to divide different essay sections.
The format of Works Cited Page
The Works Cited page is an integral part of the MLA essay format you should know. When you type this page, you should be mindful of a few things. According to the number of sources you have and the kind of sources you utilized, you’ll have to pay more attention to the following:
- Author’s name
- Book’s title
- Date of publication
- Publisher
- Place of publication
MLA 8 utilizes a new way to create a citation. It’s called a container system. This method offers flexibility by making nine major elements in a container. A basic format of the Works Cited page is as follows.
- Last name, first name. Book’s title. Publisher, publication date.
Suppose you have used books only as data sources. In this case, you need to list your sources alphabetically by the last name of the writer. If you include sources with an unknown author, insert the title as a first component and then order it alphabetically. Note that every in-text citation should correspond with a works-cited entry.
Final Words
Hopefully, this article will help you to comprehend the MLA essay format. It’s essential to follow it in many universities. If you need more help structuring your paper in this format, feel free to avail professional academic help. The writers will guide you in organizing your information and sources in the MLA format.
