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Published on: Jan 3, 2023
Last updated on: Jan 3, 2023
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If you're like most students, you have probably heard of MLA format but don't actually know what it is. MLA format is a way to organize and present information in a research paper. In order to use MLA format, you must first understand how to create citations using MLA style.
MLA referencing style is a common referencing method that's easy for students to follow. However, if you're new and unfamiliar with these guidelines, it may take some time before everything becomes clear in your mind.
This blog post will explain the concept in detail. Keep reading the blog to learn about MLA citations, templates and format.
MLA format was developed by an organization called the Modern Language Association. This format was specially designed for students, researchers and scholars of language & literature.
The format helped these students & scholars to format their assignments and research papers. MLA format helped the readers to read the papers easily. Nowadays, this format is not only used in language folded but in other fields also.
In April 2021, the Modern Langauge Association issued its 9th and the most outdated MLA Handbook. The handbook contains the instructions about citation. In addition, it includes guidelines related to paper submission according to the MLA standards.
Follow these steps to create a header for the first page of your paper:
Many teachers allow the students to submit papers electronically and some allow hard copies. This section discusses the formatting of papers to be submitted officially.
White is the best paper color to use for your final paper. It will make all of those beautiful designs stand out more and look cleaner.
Select a standard-size paper to print your project. Do not make the mistake of using cardstock or colored paper. Use a typical high-standard white paper for your project.
We recommend you to use 8 ½-by-11-inch paper. If you want to make use of any other type of paper, ask your teacher.
Leave a one-inch margin around the four sides of the page. The header and footer are only allowed to be in the one-inch margin around the page sides.
Most of the time the word software is default set to leave 1” margins around the pages. To make sure you’ve selected the correct margin, check out the margin size.
You need to indent each new paragraph. The sentences will start from a one-half inch away from the margin.
Use the ‘tab’ button to indent your paragraphs.
The MLA research paper format requires that the entire work or essay includes double-spaced lines. These are meant to be found between your written body of text in headings.
Double spacing is also used on the pages where you reference other sources such as books, chapters, quotes, etc.
Even though it may seem like any old font will do for an MLA paper, you’ll want to choose one that's easy on the eyes and has some style.
Two common types of fonts used in this kind of writing are Arial or Times New Roman - both these styles have small caps so they can be easily seen at a distance without having too much detail up close!
It is important that you use a font by which the reader can easily distinguish the italicized and bold words. Use a standard 12 pt font for your paper. In some areas, 11 pt font is also acceptable.
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to secure your project, there are several options available. You can staple it in the top left corner if that's what is allowed by the instructor. Otherwise, you can just leave paper clips attached when there is no tapper available.
It is best to follow the recommendations of the professor, however, the above-given guidelines are just instructions by our experts.
You can format your research paper in two ways:
1. MLA Format Heading on Top of Page
In this style, you will include the following four things:
Write your full name on the paper. Leave a one-inch margin from the top and left side of the page to write your name.
Give double space and then write the name of your instructor. Again double-space and write the course number, class & your section. Add one more double space and write the due date for the paper submission.
Check this example:
The title should be placed below the publication date, after a double space. Align it so that it sits in the center of MLA format paper and only include italics or quotation marks if your article includes another source's name as its own.
2. Title Page
The title page is a very important part of the paper. If your instructor requires you to create one, ask for specifications and follow MLA's instructions as closely as possible so that it will be submitted correctly.
In most cases, when writing research papers, we recommend using an official heading like this one from Modern Language Association (MLA).
Write the title page in this way:
The running head is a brief header that's placed in every page of your project. The Modern Language Association states it should consist only of one or more words and be centered.
Write out chapter titles for books and page numbers as:
Check out this example to know exactly how you’ll write your running head:
The power of quotes is undeniable. They can be used to strengthen an argument or to put emphasis on an idea.
Quotes are a great way to add some variety. But they shouldn't take up most of your paper or assignment. Sparingly scattered through with shorter quotes being MLA block quote format is recommended. So the reader can easily read what you are saying and get your ideas.
You can add a quotation to your text in two ways:
For instance,
Dan Gutman shares a glimpse into the overall plot by stating, “I didn’t know it at the time, but a baseball card—for me—could function like a time machine” (5).
Dan Gutman is the author of the book.
For instance,
The main character’s confusing experience is realized and explained when he states, “I didn’t know it at the time, but a baseball card—for me—could function like a time machine” (Gutman 5).
In this example the name of the author: ‘Gutman’ is not written within the sentence. The author’s name is written in the parentheses, outside the sentence.
Paraphrases are a great way to bring your own voice and writing style into the project while still staying true to what was originally said.
By paraphrasing the text you can void plagiarism but you still need to credit the original author. Check out this example:
Abbreviations are commonly used in many different types of sources, including websites and blog posts. It's acceptable to use them when writing an article for publication or even just sharing your thoughts with friends over dinner.
Abbreviations can be a useful way to save time and space when writing. Not only that, but many people read these short phrases or sentences as opposed to having long ones. For example kg for kilograms.
The following are the examples of abbreviations in MLA format:
The use of numerals in the context of measurements can help to set an authentic and professional tone. If there is frequent use of numbers in a paper then write numerals with preceding measurements.
For instance:
Write numbers as words, for example, 6 as six. Write longer numbers & fractional numbers in the form of digits, for instance in the following ways:
Write the digit of numbers when it comes before a measuring unit:
Illustrations and images are important for enhancing the quality of a project or paper. If an illustration does not help enhance understanding, then it should be avoided in favor of clear written language that provides meaning without needing any visual representation.
A picture is worth 1000 words - but only when those visuals aid your message! When using graphs, images or musical scores, use only the one that closely relates to the text.
Follow the given format to add an image to the text:
Add your image and information for it in one of the following ways:
In order to add a table or data set into your project, you will need to format it differently. The label “Table” must be placed above the actual content. Write an Arabic numeral and title that are on separate lines flushed to the left without any spaces between them for easy reading.
Give a name to the first table as ‘Table 1’ and to the second as ‘Table 2’, and so on. In tables, the first letter of each word is capita,.ized. Have a look at the following table example:
Label your musical scores with "Ex." This will help you keep them organized and coherent. Place this label below the actual musical score image.
Write the musical score information as ‘Ex.1’ and for the second one as ‘Ex.2’, and so on. You can also add a cation after the label for your musical score. Check out the given example:
There are some very important rules that should be followed when adding works cited lists into an MLA format essay.
The items in this list are included within your text rather than being listed horizontally like on a grocery bill. It's an interesting style that makes for some creative writing!
It's important to use a colon when listing items, but if the first item in your list is part of a sentence, then don't include one.
Many famous tragedies are written by William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, Julius Caesar and King Lear.
Keep the following items on your mind when citing work in your text in MLA format:
Cite works carefully and writes correct information in the cited sources section. In this way, the reader can easily locate the original source.
MLA format citation includes information like the name of the author, title of the source, publisher, publication, date, location and page number. However, your works cited pages should be added at the end of the research paper or essay.
How to cite in MLA format? Here you can learn to cite different types of sources:
MLA Format Works Cited
MLA Citation of Websites |
---|
Miranda, Lin-Manuel [@Lin_Manuel]. “Gmorning from a sky still blue above the smoke from a world still full of love and hope beyond the headlines from your own best self, whispering, ‘I’m still here, and it’s never too late to put me to work.’” Twitter, 22 June 2018, twitter.com/Lin_Manuel/status/1010165965378719745. |
MLA Citation of Books |
James, Henry. The Ambassadors. Serenity, 2009. |
MLA Citation of Journal/Articles |
Adams, Mark C. “Educating the Music User.” Music Educators Journal, vol. 103, no. 1, 2016, pp. 64–69. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44677803. Accessed 15 Feb. 2020. |
With the help of this table, next time don’t need to be worried about ‘how to do MLA format?’.
The key to a successful research paper is knowing how and where your work needs edits.
The research process is a long and tedious one, but it can be made much easier with some careful planning.
The key is to edit your assignment for errors before you submit them to ensure that they meet all of the criteria set by instructors. Editing an assignment consists of checking the following:
All of the proper names, places and other unique words in your text should be checked for the correct spelling. Once finished running through a spell checker, you can review all errors that were found to see if it needs correction before publishing or submitting.
Spell checking is a great feature to have, but it's not always perfect. Make sure you read through an assignment carefully and take the time necessary for your project so that there are no mistakes!
When you’re not sure if your project contains proper spelling, ask someone else to read through it. They might find mistakes that are difficult for you to find.
Check your assignment to make sure you’ve used proper grammar and vocabulary. There are numerous online tools available like Grammarly, that can help with this.
Make sure you review any recommendations from these programs before accepting them and be as specific about what changes need to happen.
Check for proper grammar and punctuation in your writing. Make sure every sentence has an ending period, exclamation mark or question mark, at the end.
Also check if you have properly placed commas, semi-colons, colons, hyphens and the other punctuation marks.
Also, check you have properly cited your work. Make sure if you have an in-text citation then you have formatted it according to the MLA citation format.
Don’t forget to include a citation for all quotations and paragraphs.
Here is an example of MLA-style formatting for you. This example essay can help you format your research paper according to the correct citation pattern of MLA. Check the example here:
This instructional exercise will tell you the best way to do MLA Format utilizing Google Docs on Google Drive. It is exceptionally simple and we will achieve the accompanying settings:
There are two different ways, one is to utilize a layout with every one of the settings preconfigured and the alternate way is to perform the settings yourself.
Method 1: Using a Template:
Method 2: How to Perform all the Settings Yourself- Set the Font and Size:
Google involves the default edge of 1 inch for all top, right, base and left so there is a compelling reason that needs to change. Assuming you might want to check the edges, here are the means: click on File => Page Setup
Other famous formatting styles for quotes or paraphrased content are APA, Chicago and ASA. Plus, we hope that the guide was helpful for you to understand how you can format your paper according to the MLA pattern? If you still need help writing or editing your paper, then contact YourEssayWriter.net.
We are the best essay writing service with professional essay writers. Delivering high-quality and plagiarism-free papers to clients is our top priority. We write papers at affordable rates for students.
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WRITTEN BY
Nova A. (Literature, Marketing)
As a Digital Content Strategist, Nova Allison has eight years of experience in writing both technical and scientific content. With a focus on developing online content plans that engage audiences, Nova strives to write pieces that are not only informative but captivating as well.
As a Digital Content Strategist, Nova Allison has eight years of experience in writing both technical and scientific content. With a focus on developing online content plans that engage audiences, Nova strives to write pieces that are not only informative but captivating as well.
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