MLA Writing Style Handout
Sweiss, Language Arts, 2014
Basic Style of MLA Research Paper:
1. Double-Space the ENTIRE ESSAY
2. Use Font 10 or 12, Calibri
3. DO NOT Write in FIRST or SECOND person point of view; write in THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW
4. DO NOT PUT ANY TEXT IN BOLD OR ALL CAPITAL LETTERS; DO NOT UNDERLINE OR PUT YOUR TITLE IN QUOTATION
MARKS
5. Each page should have a header (top right corner of each page) that includes the author’s last name, followed by the
page number in the essay; example: Sweiss 1; Sweiss 2; Sweiss 3
6. Indent ALL paragraphs (DO NOT center the Entire Paper- keep it left justified and indent when necessary)
7. Center the Title (Do NOT capitalize or bold the entire text; capitalize ONLY FIRST, LAST, and IMPORTANT words)
8. For Section Headings, BOLD the text, press enter, and begin writing the paragraph
9. See Sample Page 1 (Title Page)
Sweiss 1
Caroline Sweiss
Instructor Griffith and Sweiss
Double-Space, Font Calibri, 10 or 12, No Bold/Caps
(Header)
English and History
22 April 2013
A “Blast” from the Past: Hiroshima and Nagasaki Revisited
(center the title, capitalize first, last, and important words, no bold or cap lettering)
Section Headings Sample: (press enter and begin writing the paragraph(s) for that section; remember to indent the first line)
Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The Basics
Hiroshima…..
Potsdam Declaration Ignored
Japan Threatens U.S. Presence in the Pacific
Parenthetical Citations:
A parenthetical citation is when a writer directly puts into the text a note from where he or she got the information. Parenthetical or
“in-text” citation allows your reader to know from what source each idea or fact came. This is how it looks in the text of your paper:
“In 2007, 37 percent of American adults sought medical information from the internet regarding a health problem they were
experiencing before consulting a doctor” (Smith 38).
Sample Article:
On August 6, 1945, during World War II (1939-45), an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the
Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people; tens of thousands more
would later die of radiation exposure. Three days later, a second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000
people. Japan's Emperor Hirohito announced his country's unconditional surrender in World War II in a radio address on August 15,
citing the devastating power of "a new and most cruel bomb."
“The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” 2013. The History Channel website. Mar 25 2013, 7:31
http://www.history.com/topics/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki.
Short Quote: (Three or Fewer Lines of Text)
Enclose the quotation within double quotation marks. Provide the author and specific page citation in the text, and include a
complete reference on the Works Cited page.
The Americans dropped the first bomb over the city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945; the bomb decimated
“90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80, 000 people” (“Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” 1).
According to the History Channel Website, the bomb “wiped out 90% of the city and immediately killed
80,000 people” (“Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” 1).
Block Quote: (Four or More Lines of Text)
Place the text in a free standing block and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote
indented one inch from the left margin, double spacing. The parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation
mark.
As expressed in “Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki”:
The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people; tens of thousands more would later
die of radiation exposure. Three days later, a second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki, killing an estimated
40,000 people. Japan's Emperor Hirohito announced his country's unconditional surrender in World War II in a radio
address on August 15, citing the devastating power of "a new and most cruel bomb." (1)
Paraphrase:
Even though you are not using the exact words of the author, you still got the information from a source, and you are still
responsible for citing the information. You do not need to put the text in quotation marks, but you do need to include a
parenthetical citation.
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ultimately led the Emperor of Japan Hirohito
to surrender (“Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” 1).
Works Cited Page
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Begin the Works Cited on a new page, but number consecutively (i.e., if the last page of your essay is page 3, the
Works Cited is page 4)
Alphabetize each entry by first letter
Use italics for all titles of books, magazines, films, etc.
Put quotation marks around the titles of poems, short stories, and articles
Indent the 2nd line, the 3rd line, and all subsequent lines of each citation
Double-space all entries
Correct citation
Type of citation
Gorman, Elizabeth. Prairie Women. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986.
Book (One author)
Caper, Charles and Lawrence T. Teamos. How to Camp. Philadelphia: Doubleday, 1986.
Book (Two authors)
Ellis, Doris et.al. History of Japan. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., 1989.
Book (Three or more
authors)
Allende, Isabel. "Toad's Mouth." Trans. Margaret Sayers Peden. A Hammock beneath the Mangoes: Stories
from Latin America. Ed. Thomas Colchie. New York: Plume, 1992. 83-88.
Book (Single work from an
anthology)
"Egypt." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Vers. 97.1.1. Mar. 1997. Encyclopedia Britannica. 29 Feb. 2000
<http://www.search.eb.com/>.
Encyclopedia (Internet) *
Whitehurst, Daniel, former mayor of Fresno. Personal interview. 5 Mar. 2003.
Interview (Personal)
Cannon, Angie. "Just Saying No to Tests." U.S. News & World Report. Oct. 1999: 34.
Magazine
Elliott, Michael. "The Biggest Fish of Them All." Time. 8 March 2003. 11 March 2003.
<http://www.time.com/time>.
Online Magazine
(Magazine web site)
Achenbach, Joel. "America's river." Washington Post. 5 May 2002. 20 July 2003
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13425-2202May1.html>.
Newspaper Article
(Newspaper Website)
"Castles in Medieval Times." yourchildlearns.com. 2000. Owl and Mouse Educational Software. 9 March
2003. <http://www.yourchildlearns.com/castle_history.htm>.
Web Page that is part of a
larger web site
Schrock, Kathleen. "Digital Gadgets." Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators. 20 February 2002. Discovery
Channel. 11 March 2003. <http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/gadgets.html>.
"Great Gatsby Study Guide." studyguide.org. 5 January 2002. 11 March 2003.
<http://www.studyguide.org/gatsby_study_guide.htm>.
Web page (Personal or
Professional)
Note: If no title for the page is provided, write Home page (do not underline and do not use quotation
marks).
The Cinderella Project. Ed. Michael N. Salda. Vers. 1.1.Dec. 1997. De Grummond Children's Lit. Research
Collection, University of Southern Mississippi. 9 March 2003.
<http://www-dept.usm.edu/~engdept/cinderella/cinderella.html>.
Web page from a
university (scholarly
online project)
"Langston Hughes Poetry Circles." February 2003. National Council of Teachers of English. 10 March 2003.
<http://www.ncte.org/special/LangstonHughes/>.
Web page (Professional
Organization)