writing essay using mla format

Jerz > Writing > Academic > 0.1) If you’ve been asked to submit a paper in MLA style, your instructor is asking you to format the page and present the content in a specific way. Just as football referees dress a certain way, and Japanese chefs cook a certain way, writers in certain disciplines follow a certain set of conventions. This document will show you how to format an essay in MLA style. 0.2) If, instead of questions about putting the final formatting touches on your essay, you have questions about what to write, see instead my handouts on writing a short research paper, coming up with a good thesis statement, and using quotations in the body of your paper. 0.3) On this page: Document Settings (1 inch margins; double spaced; 12-point) Page Header (name and page number, upper right of every page) Title Block (assignment info and an informative title) Citations (no comma between the author and page number; commas and periods go outside of inline quotes) Works Cited List (lots of tricky details! sort alphabetically by author, not by the order the quotes appear in your paper) For the most complete information, check your campus library or writing center for the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. How to format the first page of an MLA style paper. How to format the Works Cited page of an MLA style paper. 1. Document Settings Your word processor comes with default settings (margin, line height, paragraph spacing, and typeface) that will likely need adjustment. For MLA style, you need: 1-inch margins all around 2.0 line height (double-spaced) no extra spacing after paragraphs 12-point typeface (usually Times New Roman) (Jump directly to instructions for adjusting MS-Word settings in Windows or Mac; or, skip ahead to 2) Page Header.) 1.1 Adjusting Document Settings in MS-Word (Windows) My copy of Microsoft Word for Windows defaults to 1-inch margins.
The Modern Language Association (MLA) specifies a standard format for essays and research papers written in an academic setting: One-inch page margins. Double-spaced paragraphs. A header with author's last name and page number aligned on the right margin one-half inch from the top of each page. Name of author, name of professor, title of course, date of paper on the first page of the paper. Citations to borrowed information in parentheses in the body of the paper and a works cited page beginning on a separate page at the end of the paper whenever the paper includes summaries, paraphrases, or quotations from other sources. Follow the steps below to format your essay or research paper whenever you use Microsoft Word 2007. Note: If you are writing a research paper in the MLA format that includes a title page and an outline page or pages before the body of the paper, you can download a template and substitute your information on the title, outline pages, and first page of the body of the paper. This template includes no page number on the title page, lower case Roman numerals beginning with page i on the outline pages, and Arabic numerals beginning with page 1 on the first page of the body of the paper. Download Research Paper Template in Word 2007 When you open MS Word 2007, you will be looking at the the Home group of commands displayed below the MS Word 2007 Ribbon. Usually the Normal style in the MS Word 2007 program has been set with page margins of 1 inch top, bottom, left, and right. If those margins have been changed in your program, select the Page Layout tab from the ribbon at the top of Microsoft Word 2007 and then click Margins in the Page Setup group:From the Page Setup dialog box, set each margin at 1 inch by entering the number or using the up or down arrows beside each margin setting. Then click OK, as shown below. From the Home tab, in the Styles group.
The Modern Language Association (MLA) specifies a standard format for essays and research papers written in an academic setting: One-inch page margins. Double-spaced paragraphs A header with author's last name and page number one-half inch from the top of each page. Name of author, name of professor, title of course, date of paper on the first page of the paper. A works cited page beginning on a separate page at the end of the paper. Follow the steps below to format your essay or research paper according to MLA whenever you use Microsoft Word. Before you begin, however, make sure that you can see the Standard and Formatting toobars displayed on two rows on your screen. Note: If you are writing a research paper in the MLA format that includes a title page and an outline page or pages before the body of the paper, you can download a template and substitute your information on the title, outline pages, and first page of the body of the paper. This template includes no page number on the title page, lower case Roman numerals beginning with page i on the outline pages, and Arabic numerals beginning with page 1 on the first page of the body of the paper. Download Research Paper Template in Word 2003 To set the margins, select File and Page Setup from the Menu Bar:From the Page Format dialog box, set each margin at 1 inch by entering the number or using the up or down arrows beside each margin setting. Then click OK, as shown below. From the Menu Bar, select Format and Paragraph: Make sure to select the Indents and Spacing tab, as shown below. Under Line Spacing, select Double. Click OK. MLA format requires a header in the upper right-hand corner of each page set at 1/2 from the top of the page with the author's last name and a page number. To create the header and set automatic page numbering select View and then Header and Footer from the Menu Bar: The header will appear.
In this video tutorial, I explain how to set your essay to MLA format including the header and bibliography. This is the improved version featuring HD video.
Summary: MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page. Contributors:Tony Russell, Allen Brizee, Elizabeth Angeli, Russell Keck, Joshua M. Paiz, Michelle Campbell, Rodrigo Rodríguez-Fuentes, Daniel P. Kenzie, Purdue OWL StaffLast Edited: 2014-03-06 11:05:00 Guidelines for referring to the works of others in your text using MLA style are covered in chapter 6 of the MLA Handbook and in chapter 7 of the MLA Style Manual. Both books provide extensive examples, so it's a good idea to consult them if you want to become even more familiar with MLA guidelines or if you have a particular reference question. Basic in-text citation rules In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is done by using what is known as parenthetical citation. This method involves placing relevant source information in parentheses after a quote or a paraphrase. General Guidelines The source information required in a parenthetical citation depends (1.) upon the source medium (e.g. Print, Web, DVD) and (2.) upon the source’s entry on the Works Cited (bibliography) page. Any source information that you provide in-text must correspond to the source information on the Works Cited page. More specifically, whatever signal word or phrase you provide to your readers in the text, must be the first thing that appears on the left-hand margin of the corresponding entry in the Works Cited List. In-text citations: Author-page style MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last.