Smith 1
Jane Smith
Dr. Williams
Eng. 101
MLA Format: doublespaced, 12 point font,
Times New Roman, 1 inch
margins
2 Jan. 2017
Sample Paper in MLA Format: The Great World and Other Stuff
The world is full of interesting trivia. For example, events in history often have strange back
stories. When a copy of Darwin’s Origin of Species was sent to an important British publisher, the
editor said the book was nice but wouldn’t sell. Bryson explains how Darwin’s editor advised him to
write a nice book on pigeons because, of course, everyone likes pigeons (381). Names are also
interesting. Although few have heard of “Yippies,” they were a short lived group in the 60’s who staged
some poorly planned protests (Holloway 214-15). Even animals have strange names. A cat
encyclopedia describes a Ragdoll as a cat, not a toy (“Ragdoll” 112). Although the name brings up
images of stupidity, the Dodo is just an extinct bird that was unable to fly (“Dodo”).
Not all the stories behind the names are believable, however. The book, A Short History of
Nearly Everything, tells how explorers came back with strange tales of the “homo caudatus” or “man
with a tail” (Bryson 382). Just as strange are some of the laws on the books. For example, according to
one source, it is illegal to walk around in high-heeled shoes in Carmel-by-the Sea, California (James).
Places can be interesting, too. One science website mentions how a person can “see both the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans on a clear day from the Republic of Panama” (Loveridge). Even fairy tales have
interesting origins. According to legend, the Man in the Moon was placed in the moon as punishment for
collecting sticks on Sunday (“Manic Man”). So a lot of interesting, if useless, information can be
discovered in the most unlikely of places. This all just goes to show we live in a really quirky world!
Smith 2
Works Cited Page:
The last page of your
Works Cited
paper; entries should
be in alphabetical
Bryson, Bill. A Short History of Nearly Everything. Broadway, 2003.
order with a hanging
“Dodo.” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009. indent.
Holloway, David. “Yippies.” St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, edited by Tom Pendergast,
vol. 5, St. James, 2000.
James, Tom. “Little-Known Foot Laws.” Podiatry Management, Mar. 2003, pp. 143-45. General
OneFile.
Loveridge, John. “The Middle Man.” NewScientist.com, Reed Business Information,
www.newscientist.com/id=lw498. Accessed 15 Aug. 2015.
“The Manic Man in the Moon.” All Info about Nursery Rhymes, 30
For Websites: If a website
has no publication date,
skip it, but add an Accessed
date to the end of the entry.
July 2015, www.nurseryrhymes.allinfoabout.com.
“Ragdoll.” The Encyclopedia of the Cat, edited by Bruce Fogle, DK, 1997, pp. 112-13.
MLA Formatting Style
1. MLA Header: Include a standard MLA header in the header section of each page in the top-right
corner. The header should be your last name and page number: Smith 1.
2. Standard MLA Format: Double space the entire paper, and use a standard 12-point font such as
Times New Roman. Use 1-inch margins.
3. Standard MLA Heading: Begin with the normal MLA heading (your name, instructor's name, course
section, and date each on a separate line) in the top-left corner.
4. Title: On the next line after the heading, center the title of your paper.
5. Body: On the line after your title, begin the body of your paper (no extra lines). Indent the first line
of each paragraph half an inch.
6. In-Text Citations: Include in-text citations in parenthesis ( ) throughout the body of your paper
whenever you borrow words or ideas from an outside source. See the Library’s Quick Guide for
MLA In-Text Citations for additional information.
7. Works Cited Page: The last page of your research paper should be a list of all the sources you’ve
cited throughout your paper. Title this page Work(s) Cited, and then list your sources in MLA
format. The entries should be in alphabetical order and have a hanging indent.
For additional formatting information, Ask-A-Librarian or see The MLA Style Center’s Website
(https://style.mla.org/formatting-papers/).