Lesson Introduction

Introduction to Formatting

When being asked to "format a paper," "formatting" refers to how a paper is set-up.

There are a few major formatting styles used with academic texts. Which format you use depends on your course's discipline and ultimately the preference of your instructor. Although there are similarities between the different formats, they each have a different set of rules to understand and use, and it is ultimately up to you to ensure that your paper is formatted correctly.

Below is a list of different format-types and the disciplines they are most commonly used with:

AMA (American Medical Association)

• Disciplines: Medicine, health, and biological sciences

APA (American Psychological Association)

• Disciplines: Education, psychology, and the social sciences

Chicago Style

• Disciplines: Everyday publications like magazines, newspapers, and books

MLA (Modern Language Association)

• Disciplines: English, literature, arts, and humanities

Turabian

• Disciplines: Universally used across all subjects and disciplines

More information for these formatting structures can be found at Purdue OWL (“Online Writing Lab”). All of the papers you turn in for this class must be MLA formatted unless otherwise stated.

Overview of MLA Formatting

Modern Language Association (MLA) formatting refers to how a paper is set up, organized, the language used, and how sources are incorporated and cited.

MLA style is often used in the liberal arts and humanities. If you are taking an English, art history, or music appreciation class, chances are that you will be asked to write an essay in MLA format.

Let’s turn our attention to the formatting and citation style of the Modern Language Association, known as "MLA style." This lesson will focus on teaching you MLA's 8th Edition.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Identify the major components of a paper written using Modern Language Association (MLA) style.

2. Apply general MLA style and formatting conventions in a paper.

Lesson Sections

This lesson about about reading strategies and reading methods is divided-up into four sections, which are listed below. You may access these sections in the menu on the left (or the top-left by clicking the three lines if viewing on a mobile devices).

1. Activity

2. Reasons to Format

3. Formatting Instructions

4. Updated MLA 9th Edition

5. Resources & Wrap-Up

Please, work-through each of these informational sections to learn the concepts of this lesson before checking your understanding of the material through the "comprehension quiz" provided in our class's Canvas shell.

While progressing through the sections above, if you find yourself confused or need additional clarity, please feel free to reach-out through any communication option available to our class (listed in the Home and Syllabus tabs in our class's Canvas shell) that best suits your needs and comfort.