The MLA format is one of the major writing styles used in academia and profession. If you have to write an essay in this format, keep the following stylistic rules in mind.
Steps
Method 1 of 8: Part One: Cover
Step 1. Do not insert a separate cover, unless specifically requested to do so
According to standard MLA formatting rules, a cover, or a different title page, is unnecessary and should not be added to most essays.
However, sometimes a teacher may require students to create a cover for an MLA-style essay, especially if it is long. There are guidelines regarding the type of information that should be included on this page
Step 2. Center the title
The title should be centered and written one third from the top of the page.
- The title of the page should be informative, but also creative.
- If you include a subtitle, write it on the same line as the title. Separate them with a colon, which you will enter after writing the title.
- Capitalize the first letter of each major word. Do not do this with minor words, such as "the", "e" or "a" (in short, articles, prepositions and conjunctions), unless it is the first word of the title or subtitle.
Step 3. Include your full name
In the center of the page, centering it, you should write your name, preceded by the preposition "Di".
- Type "Say" on one line, hit the "Enter" key on your keyboard and write your full name on the next line.
- Your name should be in the format "Name Surname".
Step 4. Enter the name of the course, the name of the teacher and the due date
Two-thirds from the beginning of the page, you should include this group of essential information pertaining to the assigned task.
- Write the name of the course and its details on one line.
- On the next line, write the teacher's name.
- On the final line, write the delivery date of the essay in the format “Month-Day Numeric-Year Numeric”.
Method 2 of 8: Part Two: General MLA Formatting
Step 1. Make 2 ½ cm margins
The top, bottom, left and right margins should be 2.5 cm wide.
As for most writing programs, you can change the margins by accessing the "Format" menu. Once the dialog box is open, click on "Page", where you will find the margins. From here, change each margin by entering the appropriate size
Step 2. Enter double spacing
From the first page on, the entire essay should be double-spaced. But remember that you don't have to include any extra space at the end of a paragraph.
For most writing software, you can always change the spacing by clicking on "Format", where you can choose the settings for the line spacing in the appropriate dialog box. Under the heading “Leading”, select the double one
Step 3. Use font 12
The font of choice for MLA essays is Times New Roman in size 12.
If you opt for another font, choose a font that is simple, easy to read, and not overly large
Step 4. Create a header row
This element will appear on every page in the same place. It should include your last name and page number and be located in the upper right corner of the page.
To include it, click on "Insert", where you will find the "Header Row" option. Write your surname and click on the page number icon in the options box to automatically insert the page number on the corresponding sheet
Method 3 of 8: Part Three: Format the First Page
Step 1. Write the title in the upper left corner
The title basically includes all the information a cover would have, if used. Write your full name, teacher name and course name and delivery date in the upper left corner.
- Write your full name in “Name Surname” format on the first line.
- On the next line, write the professor's title and name.
- On the third line, write the details about the course.
- Include the delivery date of the essay on the last line. It should be in “Numeric Day-Month-Numeric Year” format.
Step 2. Center the title
On the line immediately following the date, you should write the title of the essay, which should be centered.
- The title must not be larger, written in italics, underlined or in bold.
- The title should be informative and creative at the same time.
- If you enter a subtitle, write it on the same line as the title and separate the two information with a colon, inserted after the title.
- Capitalize the first letter of each major word. Leave minor words in lowercase, such as "the", "e" or "a", unless these words are the first letter of the title or subtitle.
Step 3. Write the body of the essay
On the line immediately following the title line, align the text to the left and start writing the introductory paragraph of the essay.
Method 4 of 8: Fourth Part: The Sage's Body
Step 1. Indent the first line of each paragraph
The first line of each paragraph should be indented by 1.25 cm.
- Indent the first line by clicking on the "Tab" key on the keyboard.
- You don't have to separate paragraphs with extra line of spacing. The indent alone is enough to mark the beginning of a new paragraph.
Step 2. If applicable, separate the body of the essay into titled sections
If the text is long, your professor may ask you to break it down to create several sections, each titled differently.
- As for the MLA style, it is recommended to number each section with an Arabic number and a period. After the period, insert a space and write the section title.
- The first letter of each word in the section title should be capitalized.
- Section titles should usually be centered on the page and should have their own separator lines.
Step 3. Enter a figure number when including a photo or graphic
If you insert a table or image into the MLA essay, center the figure and add a number, label, or source information.
- Use “Fig. 1 "," Fig. 2 ", etc. for illustrations and photographs and “Table 1”, “Table 2”, etc. for tables and graphs.
- Quickly label the picture with a descriptive term, such as "cartoon" or "statistical table".
- Provide the name of the creator, the source of publication of the figure, the date of publication and the page number.
- All information should be entered on a single line below the image.
Method 5 of 8: Part Five: Quotes in the Text
Step 1. Include citations of all borrowed materials in parentheses
Whenever you insert a direct quote, paraphrase, or summary into the essay, you must quote the source of the material in parentheses after submitting it.
- When the information is available, include the surname of the author and the number of the page the quote came from.
- If the quotes are from an online source and no page number is available, you just need to include the author's name.
- Don't have the author's name? Include the abbreviated title of the source of the quote.
- Remember that if you introduce the author's name in the sentence, you don't need to enter it in parentheses as well.
Step 2. Format a quote in the text
Most of the citations will be in the text, which means no special formatting is required and can be treated as normal part of the text.
- Always include a quote as part of another sentence. Never write a "pending citation," a type of citation in which only the quoted part is presented without any presentation.
- Commas and periods should follow the quotes in parentheses and the parentheses should be outside the ends of the quotes.
Step 3. Format a bulk quote
The reported parts that exceed three lines should be separated from the rest of the text by creating a separate block.
- After typing the last word that comes before the quote, click on the "Enter" key to move to a new line.
- Each line of a quote block should have an additional 1.25 cm indentation.
- You don't have to enter quotes for this type of citation, but you must still include the parentheses.
Method 6 of 8: Part Six: Final Notes Page
Step 1. Center the “Notes” title
Do not italicize or bold and do not underline it.
If you have entered notes in your document, they should be included in the endnote list on another page, after the main body of the text. Do not include them as footnotes, which are located on the pages on which they are indicated
Step 2. Number the final notes
If you entered the endnotes using a special tool in your writing program, the numbering should be done automatically.
- Otherwise, make sure that each final note is preceded by an Arabic number corresponding to the one entered in the body section of the essay linked to the information it provides.
- The first line of each final note should have an indentation of 1.25 cm.
Step 3. Enter only short but important information in your notes
Endnotes should be used to discuss information that does not consistently fit into the paragraphs referenced.
The final notes should not exceed three or four lines. Avoid long discussions. These notes are not the right occasion to raise entirely new points
Method 7 of 8: Part Seven: Include an Appendix
Step 1. Center the “Appendix” title
Do not italicize or bold and do not underline it.
If you include multiple appendices, label each one as “Appendix A”, “Appendix B”, and so on
Step 2. Add related but unnecessary information
The information in an appendix should connect to that in the essay, but not crucial or essential to your argument.
An appendix is a way to include related information without distracting from the basic argument of your essay
Method 8 of 8: Part Eight: Bibliographic Page
Step 1. Center the title “Bibliography”
Do not italicize or bold and do not underline it.
- The “Bibliography” page should include all the texts you directly refer to in the body of the essay.
- All essays written in MLA format should include the "Bibliography" page.
Step 2. Write the materials listed alphabetically
All your quotes should be listed this way based on the writers' surnames.
If you do not know the author of a text, organize this quote alphabetically based on the initial of the first word of the article or book title
Step 3. Cite a book
The basic format for a citation of a book includes the author's name, the title of the book, information about its publication, and the medium of publication.
- Write the name of the writer in the format "Surname, Name". Conclude with a period.
- Italicize the title of the book and capitalize the first letter of each word. End with a period.
- Write the city of publication followed by a colon and include the publisher's name immediately after. Follow with a comma and with the year of publication. Conclude with a period.
- Write the publication medium, "Print" or "eBook", at the end. Conclude with a period.
Step 4. Cite a newspaper article
A standard newspaper article includes the author's name, article title, newspaper title, publication information, and publication medium.
- Write the name of the writer in the format "Surname, Name". End with a period.
- Include the article title in quotation marks and close with a period. The initial of each word should be capitalized.
- Italicize the title of the newspaper and end with a period. The initial of each word should be capitalized.
- Write the number of the newspaper, followed by the year of publication, in parentheses. Insert the colon after writing the year and, after this information, include the page numbers. Conclude with a period.
- Conclude with the publication medium and an ending point.
