MLA Formatting and Style Guide
General Format
The Modern Language Association (MLA style) specifies guidelines for formatting your
work and using the English language in writing. MLA style also provides you with a
system for referencing your sources.
By properly applying MLA formatting and style guidelines you also increase the
credibility of your work by showing where you have sourced your information which
protects you from accusations of plagiarism.
General Guidelines
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Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white A4 paper.
Double-space the text of your paper and use a recognizable and standard font
such as Times New Roman or Arial.
The font size should be 12 pt.
Set the margins of your document to 2.5 cm on all sides.
Indent the first line of paragraphs. Press the Tab key once.
Throughout your essay, when referencing, use italics for the titles of longer works
and quotations for shorter works. Only use italics for providing emphasis when
absolutely necessary.
If you have any footnotes these should be placed at the bottom left hand-side of
the page, numbered and in 8 pt font.
Formatting the First Page of Your Paper
Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested.
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In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your subject
teacher’s name, the subject, and the date DD/MM/YYYY, written as in the
example on the following page - double spaced.
If your teacher requires, make a header in the upper right hand corner with your
last name and the page number. This header will then appear on each page,
numbering the pages consecutively.
Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your
title in quotation marks; write the title using standard capitalization, not in all
capital letters, e.g., The Personal Project: What and How?
Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
Now look carefully at the example on page 2 and follow this format.
Updated 20/03/2014 by Kristine Sødal
Ann Chovey
Prof. D. Anger
English
1 March 2014
The Personal Project: What and How
The personal project will be the most significant and largest single piece of work
you will produce in the MYP. The project will run for about six months and will be
entirely your own work. You can do the project on any topic you like, but it is strongly
recommended that you select a topic you are interested in. There are many project
types you can do and once again you should choose something that reflects your
interests. ¹
Your project will need to follow a certain format as stated in The Middle Years
Programme: The Personal Project Guide August 2009 and be presented in a particular
way. You will need to make use of several different sources and acknowledge these in
your text body as well as in the bibliography. By clearly showing where you have
sourced your information, your work will “gain credibility and you will be protected from
accusations of plagiarism” (Smith & Wesson 357).
¹You could write a short story, design your own science experiment, set up and run a small business, write a research paper.
Updated 20/03/2014 by Kristine Sødal
Referencing in the Text
When you write research papers, you are showing the reader everything you have read
and thought about on a given subject. It means that you are taking other people’s
ideas, connecting them, and drawing conclusions, and then presenting those
conclusions and those other ideas to the reader. Keep in mind the following guidelines:
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Cite ALL research: facts, information, paraphrases, quotations. In research
papers, the vast majority of writing will be cited.
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Public knowledge does not need to be cited.
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Citation must occur in the research paper and not just in the Works Cited page.
This citation is called an in-text citation or in-text reference (in-text
referencing).
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Look at each sentence when considering what to cite. Ask: Has that question
come from my own ideas or from research?
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Your ideas include transitional material, logical conclusions, discussions, and
observations.
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In your in-text citation, you must have the first piece of information from your
Works Cited page. The first piece of information might be the author’s last name
(if only one author), the title of the article in quotation marks (you may shorten the
title somewhat if it is long), or the name of the web page.
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You may have your in-text citation after the fact inside parentheses or in the
introductory sentence – but you must have the first piece of information from your
works cited page.
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If including a name in the introductory sentence, use both first and last names. If
including a name in parentheses, use only the last name.
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Use the following guidelines for punctuating in-text references using
parentheses:
o Correct punctuation for one sentence citations:
(
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o Correct for multi-sentence citations citing one source:
o Do not double punctuate:
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o No punctuating inside the parentheses:
Updated 20/03/2014 by Kristine Sødal
(
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.(
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Use the following information for more specific guidelines for in-text referencing:
If your source is a book, you need the first piece of information and a page number:
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings"
(Wordsworth 263).
If your sources include authors with the same last names, also include a first initial.
(Note: You only need page numbers if your are citing books):
Although some medical ethicists claim that cloning will lead to designer children (R. Miller 12),
others note that the advantages for medical research outweigh this consideration (A. Miller
46).
When in-text referencing from the internet, use the first piece of information from your
Works Cited page:
*The first piece of information might be the author’s name, the title of the article/film in
quotation marks, or the name of the website.
* You do not need to give a paragraph number or a page number.
… which seems to be a likely source of inspiration for Mary Shelley (“Luigi Galvani and the
Twitching Frog’s Legs”).
If you are citing multiple references, separate the references with a semi-colon:
. . . as has been discussed elsewhere (Burke 3; Dewey 21).
If you are only citing from one piece of literature with one author, only the page number
is needed:
... stated the importance of communication (21).
When quoting another author, place the copied text in between inverted
commas/quotation marks and refer to its source:
By clearly showing your sources of information, your work will “gain credibility and you will be
protected from accusations of plagiarism” (Smith & Wesson 357).
When quoting poetry, only the line number(s) of the quoted material is needed. The
author’s name should be mentioned somewhere else in the essay.
My favorite line of poetry is still “and so are you” (4).
Updated 20/03/2014 by Kristine Sødal
Works Cited
Basic Rules
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Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your paper. It
should have the same margin, font and size as your paper. If required by your
teacher, it may have your last name and page number in the upper right hand
corner, as does the rest of your paper.
Label the page Works Cited (do not italicize the words Works Cited or put them
in quotation marks) and center the words Works Cited at the top of the page.
Only include works that you are citing in your paper.
Double space everything.
Alphabetize every entry. Ignore the first article when alphabetizing titles (The
Story…)
Use hanging indentations.
For every entry, you must determine the Medium of Publication. Most entries will
likely be listed as Print or Web sources, but other possibilities may include Film,
CD-ROM, or DVD.
As of 2009, you do not have to provide URLs for Web entries. However, you
need to ensure that the teacher can find the article on the website! So be certain
to provide additional information which will allow for this, e.g., author’s name,
article title, publisher, date published, etc.
Capitalization and Punctuation
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Capitalize each word in the titles of articles, books, etc, but do not capitalize
articles, short prepositions, or conjunctions unless one is the first word of the title
or subtitle: Gone with the Wind, The Art of War, There Is Nothing Left to Lose.
Use italics (instead of underlining) for titles of larger works (books, magazines)
and quotation marks for titles of shorter works (poems, articles)
Periods are considered “full stops” separating bits of information. Commas are
considered “soft stops” used between connecting bits of information such as the
name of the publisher and the date of publication.
Updated 20/03/2014 by Kristine Sødal
Works Cited: Entries for Books
References to an entire book should include the following elements in the given
order. Pay attention to the punctuation.
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author(s) or editor(s), last name first of the first name listed (or group name that
appears on title page)
the complete title.
Edition.
place of publication:
the name of the publisher,
date of publication – the year of the current publication (original publication
dates can be inserted before the other publication information).
medium of publication.
Stone, Carol. The Basics of Biology. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2004.Print.
Surname, First name. Title. Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication. Medium.
No author or editor:
Peterson's Annual Guides to Graduate Study. 33rd ed. Princeton, NJ: Peterson's Guides,
1999. Print.
Title. Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication. Medium.
One author:
Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. New York: Putnam, 1955. Print.
Surname, First name.Title. Place of publication:Publisher, Year of publication. Medium.
Another work, same author:
Nabokov, Vladimir. Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited. New York: Knopf, 1999.
Print.
Follow the same format. Alphabetize the titles.
Two authors:
Cross, Susan, and Christine Hoffman. Bruce Nauman: Theaters of Experience. New York:
Guggenheim Museum; London: Thames & Hudson, 2004. Print.
Three authors:
Lowi, Theodore, Benjamin Ginsberg, and Steve Jackson. Analyzing American Government:
American Government, Freedom and Power. 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 1994. Print.
More than three authors:
Gilman, Sandor, et al. Hysteria beyond Freud. Berkeley: U of California P, 1993. Print.
Updated 20/03/2014 by Kristine Sødal
Works Cited: Listing an Essay or Chapter in Edited Book
References to an essay or chapter in an edited book or compilation (anthology) must
include the following elements in the given order. Pay attention to the punctuation.
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essay or chapter author(s).
“essay or chapter title.”
book title.
book editor(s) or compilers.
place of publication:
the shortened name of the publisher,
date of publication.
inclusive page numbers of the cited piece, written concisely.
medium of publication.
Essay / Article in a book:
Kowalewski, Michael. "Jack Kerouac and the Beats in San Francisco." San Francisco in
Fiction: Essays in a Regional Literature. Ed. David Fine and Paul Skenazy. Albuquerque: U of
New Mexico P, 1995. 126-43. Print.
Reprinted article:
Hunt, Tim. "The Misreading of Kerouac." Review of Contemporary Fiction 3.2 (1983): 29-33.
Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Carl Riley. Vol. 61. Detroit: Gale, 1990. 308-10.
Print.
Encyclopedia entry:
Bergman, P. G. "Relativity." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15th ed. 1987. Print.
From a less familiar reference book:
For articles from less familiar reference sources, include the full publication
information.
Sherrow, Victoria. "Politics and Hair." Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History. Westport:
Greenwood, 2006. Print.
Updated 20/03/2014 by Kristine Sødal
Works Cited: Article in Journals, Magazines, and Newspapers
References to periodical articles must include the following elements in the given
order. Pay attention to the punctuation.
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author(s).
“article title.”
publication title (journal, magazine, etc.).
volume number.
Publication date (abbreviate months, if used):
the inclusive page numbers.
medium of publication.
Issue numbers should be stated as decimals to a given volume number. In the
example below, the number 25.4 reads as Volume 25, issue 4. When referencing
newspapers, it is important to specify the edition used (e.g., late ed.) because different
editions of a newspaper may contain different material.
Journal article, one author:
Shefter, Martin. "Institutional Conflict over Presidential Appointments: The Case of Clarence
Thomas." PS: Political Science & Politics 25.4 (1992): 676-79. Print.
Journal article, two authors:
Ginsberg, Benjamin, and Martin Shefter. "Ethics Probes as Political Weapons." Journal of Law
& Politics 11.3 (1995): 497-511. Print.
Magazine article:
Pirisi, Angela. "Eye-catching advertisements." Psychology Today Jan.-Feb. 1997: 14. Print.
Newspaper article, no author:
"Africa Day Celebrated in Havana." Granma International 31 May 2009, English ed.: 16. Print.
Newspaper article, one author, discontinuous pages:
Yurth, Cindy. "Goodbye to Forest Lake Hero." Navajo Times 11 June 2009: A1+. Print.
+ refers to the other pages
Updated 20/03/2014 by Kristine Sødal
Works Cited: Audio Visual
Film or video recording:
Annie Hall. Dir. Woody Allen. 1977. Video cassette. MGM/UA Home Video, 1991.
Title, director, date of release, medium, production company, Year of publication.
Sound recording:
Counting Crows. August and Everything After. DGC, 1993. CD.
Sound recording, specific song:
Counting Crows. “Mr. Jones.” August and Everything After. DGC, 1993. CD.
CD-ROM
References should include the medium of the electronic publication (CD-ROM), the
name of the vendor that made the material available on CD-ROM, and publication
dates for the version used, if relevant.
“Marriage.” Encyclopedia Judaica. CD-ROM. Vers. 1.0. Jerusalem: Judaica
Multimedia, 1997.
Broadcast television or Radio Program
“The Blessing Way.” The X-Files. Fox. WXIA, Atlanta. 19 Jul. 1998. Television.
Title, name of the series/program, network name, call letters of the station, date of broadcast, medium
Youtube Video
Clarkson, Alexander. “MLA Tutorial #1: Basic Paper Formatting.” Youtube: 23 July
2011. Web.
Author. “Title.” Publisher: Date of Publication. Medium
Updated 20/03/2014 by Kristine Sødal
Works Cited: Referencing Materials of Online Sources
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Referencing of online sources, like those for print sources, should provide
information that both identifies a source and allows that source to be located and
retrieved again.
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As of 2009, you do not have to provide URLs for Web entries unless your teacher
requires you to do so. However, you need to ensure that your teacher can
find the article on the website! Be certain to provide additional information
which will allow for this, e.g., author’s name, article title, date published, etc. If
you do include a URL, use angle brackets <>.
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Sometimes the name of the publisher is the same as the name of the website.
You must still include both.
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Finding the Publisher and the Date:
o 1. Look at the bottom of the page of the resource
o 2. Look at the bottom of the home page.
o 3. Look under a link that provides information “about us” or “contact
information.”
o 4. Look at any other place connected to the home page.
o If you cannot find the publisher or the date of publication, you may include
n.p. or n.d.
o You may decide it is not a good resource if it does not include a publisher
or date.
Updated 20/03/2014 by Kristine Sødal
Works Cited: Referencing Materials of Online Sources
References to information found on the internet should include the following
information in the following order. Pay attention to punctuation.
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Author(s), last name first of the first name listed. (If no author found, use the
group name or skip to the title)
“Article Title.”
Name of Website.
Publisher of Website, Date of Publication ( year only is acceptable).
Web.
Date of Access by Day Month Year (you may abbreviate month).
"Introduction to Research." Cornell University Library. Cornell University, 2009. Web.
19 June 2009.
Personal Web site:
If a work is untitled, you may use a genre label such as Home page, Introduction, etc.
Rule, Greg. Home page. Web. 16 Nov. 2008.
Entry in an online encyclopedia:
"Einstein, Albert." Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1999.
Web. 27 Apr. 2009.
Article from a less familiar online reference book:
Nielsen, Jorgen S. "European Culture and Islam." Encyclopedia of Islam and the
Muslim World. Ed. Richard C. Martin. New York: Macmillan Reference-Thomson/Gale,
2004. Web. 4 July 2009.
Article in an online periodical:
If page numbering is unavailable or is not continuous, use n. pag. in place of the page
numbers.
Chaplin, Heather. "Epidemic of Extravagance." Salon 19 February 1999: n. pag. Web.
12 July 1999.
Article in a full-text journal accessed from a database:
Fox, Justin. "Who Wants to Be an Internet Billionaire?" Fortune. ABI/INFORM Global
ProQuest Direct, 8 Nov. 1999. Web. 15 Nov. 2005.
Updated 20/03/2014 by Kristine Sødal
Online book with print information:
Frost, Robert. North of Boston. 2nd ed. Google Books. New York: Henry Holt and
Co., 1915. Web. 30 June 2009.
Email (including E-mail interviews)
Neyhart, David. “Re:Online Tutoring.” Message to Joe Barbato. 1 Dec. 2000. E-mail
Author of message, subject line in quotation marks, descriptor including to whom the message was sent, date, medium of
publication
Discussion Group or Blog Posting
Salmar1515 [Sal Hernandez]. “Re: Best Strategy: Fenced Pastures vs. Max Number
of Rooms?” BoardGameGeek. BoardGameGeek, 29 Sept. 2008. Web. 5 Apr. 2009.
Editor or compiler name, posting title in quotation marks, name of site, version number if available, name of site, sponsor or
publisher of the site, posting date, medium, date of access
Tweet
Harvard, Gerald (tweetybird). “The taming of America’s Wild West went relatively
quickly.” 12 Oct. 2010, 6:00 p.m. MST. Tweet.
User’s name, Twitter user name in parentheses, the tweet in its entirety in quotations, date, time of posting using reader’s time
zone, Tweet
Other Works Cited Information:
Personal Interview
Purdue, Pete. Personal interview. 1 Dec. 2000
Name of interviewee, descriptor, date of interview
Published Interview
Gaitskill, Mary. Interview with Charles Bock. Mississippi Review 27.3 (1999): 129-50.
Print.
Name of interviewee, descriptor, publisher with relevant information for the medium, medium of publication
Updated 20/03/2014 by Kristine Sødal
Speeches and Presentations
Stein, Bob. “Computers and Writing Conference Presentations.” Purdue University.
Union Club Hotel, West Lafayette, IN. 23 May 2003. Keynote Address.
Speaker’s name, title of speech, name of meeting and organization, location of the occasion, date, descriptor
Painting/Sculpture/Photograph
Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo del Prado, Madrid.
Artist’s name, title of artwork, date of composition, the name and location of the institution that houses the work or the bibliographic
information of the source in which it appears
Works Cited
Clarkson, Alexander. “MLA Tutorial #1-7.” Youtube, 23 July 2011. Web.
Cornell University Library. "Introduction to Research." Cornell University Library.
Cornell University, 2009. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
Humanities Department. “A Guide for Writing Research Papers Based on Modern
Language Association (MLA) Documentation.” Capital Community College.
Capital Community College, May 2004. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2010. Web. 17 Mar. 2014
On the following page, you will find a sample works cited page using correct MLA
formatting.
Updated 20/03/2014 by Kristine Sødal
Works Cited
Bellis, Mary. “Luigi Galvani.” About.com Inventors. IAC/InterActiveCorp, 20 Dec 2013.
Web. 17 Feb 2014.
“Can We Have Unlimited Power?” The Story of Science. BBC, 18 May 2010.
Television.
Cellania, Miss. “The Origin of Frankenstein.” Neatorama. Tech Media Network, 17 Oct
2011. Web.12 Jan 2014.
“Luigi Galvani and the Twitching Frog’s Legs.” Battery Facts. Curtiswood, n.d. Web. 18
Feb 2014.
Madsen, Ragnhild. Grøss. Biblioteksentralen, 2001. Print
“Mary Shelley-Biography.” The European Graduate School. The European Graduate
School, n.d. Web. 16 Feb 2014.
Nessheim, Ragnhild and Anne Synnøve Simensen. “Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.”
Store Norske Leksikon. Store Norske Leksikon, 29 Nov 2012. Web. 18 Feb 2014.
Updated 20/03/2014 by Kristine Sødal