MLA Style Guide. for the preparation of assignments at

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1 MLA Style Guide for the preparation of assignments at Revised October

2 Table of Contents Margins... 3 Fonts... 3 Page Numbers... 3 Running Head... 3 Spacing... 3 Paper Heading... 4 Title... 4 Sample First Page... 4 In Text Citations... 5 Works Cited Page... 5 Works Cited Examples... 6 Formatting your Paper in Microsoft Word

3 Margins Papers typed in MLA format should have 1 inch margins on all four sides of the paper. Font Papers typed in MLA format should use Times New Roman or Arial font. Papers typed in MLA format should utilize a 12 point font. Page Numbers Papers typed in MLA format should have the page number in the upper right corner of the paper starting with the first page. The page number should be ½ from the top of the paper. Running Head Papers typed in MLA format should give the writer s last name as a running head in the upper right corner of the paper, to the left of the page number. The running head should be ½ from the top of the paper. Spacing Papers typed in MLA format should be double spaced throughout the paper. 3

4 Paper Heading Papers typed in MLA format should utilize the MLA heading which provides the writer s name, class, teacher name, and date. The heading should be provided in the upper left corner of the paper as follows: John Doe Mrs. Smith Fourth Period Science October 1, 2007 Title Papers typed in MLA format should have a centered title that is bold. Sample First Page 4

5 In Text Citations In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is done by using what's known as parenthetical citation. Immediately following a quotation from a source or a paraphrase of a source's ideas, you place the author's name followed by a space and the relevant page number(s). Human beings have been described as "symbol using animals," (Burke 3). When a source has no known author, use a shortened title of the work instead of an author name. Place the title in quotation marks if it's a short work, or italicize or underline it if it's a longer work. To cite multiple sources in the same parenthetical reference, separate the citations by a semi colon:...as has been discussed elsewhere (Burke 3; Dewey 21). Works Cited Page Your works cited page should begin on a separate sheet of paper. Your works cited page should have Works Cited centered at the top of the page. Each resource used in your paper should be listed on your Works Cited page. 5

6 Works Cited Examples Each type of resource has a different way of being listed on your Works Cited page. The following are examples of most resources you will use. You will be told what information is required and then will see a sample entry. Books Single Author or Editor (Format) Author s Last name, First Name. Title of book. Place of publication: Name of publisher, Copyright Date. Eliot, Alexander. The Horizon Concise History of Greece. New York: American Heritage, Two or Three Authors or Editors (Format) 1st authors last name, first name and 2nd and/ or 3rd authors first name and last names. Title of book. Place of publication: name of publisher, copyright date. Grant, Michael and Rachel Kitzinger. Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean: Greece and Rome. New York: Scribner s, More than Three Authors or Editors (Format) 1st authors last name, first name, et al. Title of book. Place of publication: name of publisher, copyright date. Andrew, William, et al. The Oxford companion to African American literature. New York: Oxford UP, Unknown author (Format) Title of book. 6

7 Atlas of the World. Work in an Anthology (Format) Name of Author that you have selected Last name, first name. Title of selection. Title of anthology. Name of the editor of the anthology. Name of publisher, copyright date. Page(s) of the selection. Ginsberg, Allen. America. The portable Beat Reader. Ed. Ann Charters. Viking Penguin: Penguin Books, Multivolume Set (Format) Editor/ authors Last name, first name. Title of set. Volume that was used. Place of publication: Publisher, copyright date. Number of volumes in set. Robinson, Richard, ed. Genetics. Vol. 3 New York: Thompson Gale, vols. Encyclopedia entry (Format) Editor/ authors(if given) Last name, first name. Title of selection. Title of encyclopedia. Edition used. Copyright date. Groundhog Day The Encyclopedia Americana. International ed Articles in Periodicals Single Author or Weekly Magazine: (Format) Author last name, first name. Title of article. Title of magazine and date: page number. Hendrickson, Matt. On the road. Rolling Stone 16 Oct. 1997: 28. Single author or Paginated by Issue: (Format) Author last name, first name. Title of article. Title of magazine and issue number, (year) and page numbers. 7

8 Kohn, Alfie. Unconditional teaching. Educational Leadership 63.1 (2005): Single author or Daily Newspaper (Format) Author last name, first name. Title of article. Title of newspaper and date, year: section. Pope, Justin. Princeton tops U.S. News rankings, again. U.S. News 17 Aug. 2007: A2 Electronic Sources Web site: (Format) Authors last name, first name (if known) OR Name of organization. Title of site. Date of publication or last update. Name of sponsoring organization (if given). Date of access and the URL. Public Broadcasting Station. 1951, The Catcher in the Rye. March Educational Broadcasting Corporation. 28 June < ml> Databases (Gale, Sirs, ProQuest, etc.): (Format) Authors last name, first name (if known). Title of article. Title of publication and publication information. The name of the database. Name of publisher. The date you accessed the information and URL. Hess, John L. "Second Front: Censorship and Propaganda in the Gulf War." The Nation. v256. n17 (May 3, 1993): p605(2). ProQuest. Thomson Gale. 17 Aug < & type=retrieve&tabid=t003&prodid=src 3&docId=A &source=gale&userGroupName=lanc45329&version= 1.0.> 8

9 Formatting your paper in Microsoft Word To Change the Font: 1. From the menu, select "Format Font..." 2. Click on the "Font" tab (if it is not already on top) 3. Set the font for Times New Roman, Regular, and Click "OK" or, to reset the default, click "Default..." and then "Yes" To Change the Margins: 1. From the menu, select "File Page Setup..." and click the Margins tab. 2. Set the top, bottom, left, and right margins to 1 inch. 3. Click "OK" or, to reset the default, click "Default..." and then "Yes". To Change the Spacing: 1. From the menu, select "Edit Select All". 2. From the menu, select "Format Paragraph..." and click the "Indents and Spacing" tab. 3. Set "Line spacing" to "Double". 4. Click "OK." To Add a Running Head: 1. Click View at the top of the screen and a list of options will appear. 2. Click Header and Footer. The header section will appear inside a gray dotted square. Inside the square you will see a flashing cursor. 3. On the menu bar just above the ruler, click the Align Right icon (it looks like four lines aligned to the right). 4. Type your Last Name. 5. Add a single blank space after your name. 6. On the floating menu bar, click the Insert Page Number icon (looks like a number symbol in a page). It will automatically place the current page number on every page of your report. 7. Click Close to return back to your document. You can look at the top right hand section of your page to see the header. It appears faint, to 9

10 remind you that it is automatic; when you print your paper it will not appear faded. 10

Basic Formatting of a Microsoft Word. Document for Word 2003 and 2007. Center for Writing Excellence

Basic Formatting 1 Basic Formatting of a Microsoft Word Document for Word 2003 and 2007 Center for Writing Excellence Updated April 2009 Basic Formatting 2 Table of Contents GENERAL FORMATTING INFORMATION...