MLA Documentation

• A title (only include a title page if the assignment is a group project completed by multiple people OR if your instructor asks you to prepare a separate title page).

• Page numbers (place in the upper right hand corner of each page). Include your surname, followed by a space, before the page number. 

• Written text

• In-text citations

• Works Cited page

• May include tables and figures  as an appendix or in the written text

** Note:  you should always follow the guidelines provided by your teacher as to what they want included in your writing task.

Author and title information for your assignment is included on the first page of writing.

Include your name, your instructor's name, course name (Code) and date one inch from the top of the first page and flush with the left margin, double spaced.

On a separate line, center the title of the assignment.  DO NOT italicize, underline, boldface, put in quotation marks or type in all capital letters.  Do not use a period after your title.

Follow the same format for a group project title page by listing author and title information on a separate page placed at the start of your project.

(See the example provided below.)

Headings are used to help organize and structure your writing. Be careful not to over use headings in your work and avoid using in short pieces of writing. 

Be consistent with the styling of headings and subheadings in your work.  They should be styled in descending order of prominence, starting with a Level 1 Heading.  Level 1 is the highest or main level of heading.  Level 2 Headings, and so on, are considered subheadings in your work.  Use font style and size to signal prominence of each Level.  For example:  

Heading Level 1

Heading Level 2

Heading Level 3

Regardless of the number of headings you use, always start by using a Level 1 heading. Depending on the length of your work, you may only use Level 1 headings in your writing, or you may use a combination of Level 1 and Level 2 headings.  However, you should not included a heading level once in your work; if you use a Level 1 Heading in your writing, be sure to include at least one other Level 1 heading somewhere in your work.

All level headings must be flush with the left margin.  Do not center or indent your headings and subheading.  Include a space above and below each heading; capitalize and punctuate headings like the titles of works.  Also, do not number or letter your headings.

• Text should be justified to the left side of the page, double spaced with the line of each new paragraph indented one tab key.

• Depending on the type of writing assignment assigned, headings can be used to organize writing, although it is recommended to avoid overusing them. Heading and subheadings in your writing should be styled in descending order of significance - i.e. a boldface, larger font indicates an important heading, where smaller font, italics or lack of bold font indicates a less significant subheading.  Heading and subheadings should be justified to the left margin

• The entire writing assignment should be double spaced, including quotations and the works cited page.

• Use an easy to read font (Arial, Calibri, New Times Roman) in a size 11 - 13.  Use the same font throughout the entire assignment.

• Number each page of writing, starting with the first page of writing.  Include your last name, a space and the page number justified to the right margin.

• Place your works cited page at the very end of the paper.  Include the title Works Cited one inch from the top of the page.  This page must be numbered too.

(See the example provided below.)

YES! A works cited page is a list of sources you used to complete your assignment and is an important part of any academic work.  It allows readers to locate the sources you used to complete your work and gives credibility to your writing.

How do you format your works cited page?

• Start your works cited on a new page.  It should be the very last page of your writing.

• Number your works cited in the top right hand corner.

• Include the title Works Cited; if only one source is listed, the title should be Work Cited.

• Double space all entries, as well as between entries.

• The first line of each entry must be justified to the left margin; all subsequent lines must be indented by one tab (or five spaces).  This is called a hanging indentation. 

• Entries must be listed in alphabetical order by the author's last name.  Include the author's first and middle names, if provided.

• Access dates are no longer required in MLA 9 work cited entries.

Please note:  your works cited page will appear as the last page of your writing.

(See the example provided below)

Tables, illustrations and lists can  be included in writing to help the writer include a large amount of information in a concise, easy to understand manner.

Tables usually show numerical data and information.

Illustrations allow the writer to include charts, graphs, photographs, drawings - anything illustrating an idea or information.

Lists allow the writer to organize a lot of information economically in their work.  The goal of a list is to help the reader to easily understand information.

To include a table in your work:

• Include tables in the body of  your work; they should be placed as close to the parts of the text they relate to.

• Label tables as Table, give it a number (number consecutively) and include a title. The label and title must be justified to the left margin. 

• Include the source information and any related notes (a caption) below the table.

To include a figure in your work:

• Include figures (photos, charts, line drawings, etc.) in the body of your work;  they should be placed as close to the parts of the text they relate to.

• Label figures as Figure, give it a number (number consecutively) and give it a caption.  These should appear below the illustration.

**NOTE:  If the caption of a table or illustration includes complete information about the source AND the source is not cited in your writing, you do not have to include the source in your Works Cited.  If you include a full reference of the source in your caption, follow the proper MLA reference format except DO NOT invert the name of the author(s).

To include a list in your work:

• Lists can be included in your work two ways - integrated in your writing OR set vertically.  

• The preferred way to include lists in your work is by integrating it into your writing.  Use a colon to introduce your integrated list. (i.e. Ms. Szabo has four fiction books she calls her favourite: Slaughterhouse Five, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Fahrenheit 451, and The Summer That Melted Everything.)  You can also include numbers when listing information integrated in your work. Be sure to enclose numbers in brackets when listing information.  (i.e.  Ms. Szabo has three non-fiction books she calls her favourite: (1) Three Nights in Havana, (2) The Splendid and the Vile, and (3) Trudeaumania.)

• Use vertical lists when you have a lot of information to list,  when there are many parts to your list, or when there are benefits to setting the list apart from the main body of your writing. Vertical lists can be unnumbered, numbered or bulleted.  

(See example provided below)

You must include documentation for any work you quote directly or paraphrase from, however there are some circumstances when documentation for information included in your work is not needed.  The following are situations where documentation in MLA 9 is not needed:

1. Common Knowledge - Common knowledge is information that is widely known.  A general rule is that if information is found in two or more sources it is common knowledge, however if you are not sure if the information is common knowledge, be sure to document.

2. Passing Mentions - A passing mention is when you name the title of a source  or the name of an author in passing in your work, however you don't quote or paraphrase any part of the book or author's work, you don't refer to any part of the book or use the author's idea to support an idea in your work.

3. Allusions - An allusion (making an indirect or partial reference to a well-known passage) used for effect does not need to be documented.  i.e. The well known phrase is: "May the force be with you." The allusion is: "May the force be with you and your team at the championship game."

4. Epigraphs - An epigraph is a short quote used at the beginning of your work that helps to establish its theme or mood.  These should be used sparingly.  An epigraph is not usually discussed in your work; do not place it in quotation marks, however do state the name of the author and work with the quotation.                                     i.e.  All these beauties will already be familiar to the visitor, who has seen them also in other cities.    

                                                                                                    -Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities