MLA Format Tips
Why do I have to learn MLA format?
They don't even use MLA in colleges, do they?
MLA format changes so much, how do I know this is current?
MLA changes every year. What's the point in learning it then?
Is there some kind of quick reference guide for MLA format?
MLA format provides a way for all teachers and professors to follow a standard format for papers. In the old days, students would often have to use different standards for every class in which they wrote a paper.
Colleges absolutely do use MLA format. Colleges like Penn State, Yale, and Cornell all use MLA. MLA is the most common format used in liberal arts courses, and everyone has to take some of them. APA format is generally used in the social sciences.
All information on this page comes from the Seventh (most recent) Edition of the MLA Handbook.
MLA format does evolve over time, but most of the changes are in the area of citations of web/digital sources. The layout basics of MLA format have not changed for at least the past 15 years.
Penn State has a very good MLA 8: Quick Reference. Click on this link to check it out or you could go to Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL), which is always a solid choice.
Does my paper need a title page?
Does my paper need a title?
Do I bold or underline or italicize my paper's title?
Do I put my last name and page number on EVERY page? Even the first page?
Do I put my last name and page number on the works cited page too?
How do I format the heading of the paper?
Do I double space everything in the paper?
Do I double space the heading and any long quotations I might use?
Do I have to use Times New Roman font?
On the works cited page, do I center the words Works Cited?
No. MLA format does not require a title page (Gibaldi 116).
Yes. All papers should have a title. The title should refer to the main idea of the paper. Capitalize the first letter of each major word.
No. The paper's title should not be in bold, underlined, or italicized. It should be the same text as the rest of the page.
Yes. MLA format requires the paper author's last name and page number on EVERY page.
Yes. Last name and page number goes on every page. Including the Works Cited.
The paper heading is formatted in the following order:
Your name
Teacher's name
Course name
Date due
Yes. Double space everything in your paper.
Yes. Double space everything, even the heading and long quotations.
No. The MLA does not require the Times New Roman font. It states, "Always choose an easily readable typeface (e.g. Times New Roman)" (116). However, some instructors require Times New Roman font, so always check with your teacher first.
Yes. Center the words Works Cited. The first letter of each word should be capitalized.
Why do I have to make embedded citations?
Why are there so many different ways to make citations?
What if I'm using a source that has an author but no page number--such as an online database?
If i'm citing a web page, should I put paragraph numbers in the citation?
What if there's no author for the web page or database entry?
Citing an author is how one avoids plagiarism. Also, the information in the citation serves as a pointer that tells the reader where to look on the works cited page.
In-text citations vary based upon the information available for the works cited page. The rule is that the first item in the works cited entry is what appears in the parentheses.
The author's name goes in the parentheses--ex. (Hemingway)--and that's it. You should not write "n.p." in place of the page numbers. Just leave them out if you don't have them (220).
You should only use paragraph numbers if the original source has them.
If there is no author, then you put one or two key words from the works cited entry into the in-text citation.
Since it doesn't have an author, the in-text citation for the fifth source in the model paper below would look like this:
("Most Loved").
Model MLA Format Paper:
