Basic MLA Formatting for Essays
I am by no means an MLA expert, but I can provide a quick guide for basic MLA formatting for formal essays.
MLA for essays consists of a few main elements:
Page Numbers
Heading
Spacing and Font
Works Cited
Visit this great site, run by the OWL, at Purdue for more MLA formatting.
Page Numbers
Page numbers go in the upper right hand corner in the header space in your word processor. Your last name preceeds the number. Depending on what the grader asks for, the first page may or may not have a page number because it is obviously the first page. The second page would simply continue with "Last Name 2."
Heading
MLA Heading sits in the upper right hand corner and follows the this format:
Name (First Last)
Teacher's Name (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr. Last Name)
Name of Class
Date in European Style (DD Month Spelled Out YYYY)
EXAMPLE:
Sammie Smith
Mr. Brown
English I
01 January 2009
As for the specific date, use the date on which the assignment is due, if possible.
Spacing and Font
All typed pieces of writing are double spaced. Before double spacing your document, enter no lines between the heading, title, and where the writing begins; the double spacing takes care of that. Indent paragraphs instead of entering a line between.
Print in black ink, size 12 font, in a standard font style such as Arial or Times New Roman.
For handwritten work, follow the same guidelines, omitting space between header, title, and first paragraph. Do not worry about double spacing. Write neatly in blue or black ink.
Works Cited
A works cited page differs from a bibliography in that the works cited includes works that you directly reference in your paper whereas a bibliography includes works from which you only gained information.
If you quote or paraphrase text from a source, you must cite the text in your essay. To do so, use parenthetical citations, unless told otherwise, of course.
The parenthetical consists of the following:
( First Word in Formal Citation Page # )
It would look something like this: (Austen 45)
The citation occurs at the end of the last sentence of a quotation or paraphrase.
In order to cite your sources in full form, please see the OWL at Purdue page for guidelines pertaining to each type of source specifically.
For the Works Cited page as a whole, make sure...
1. It is double spaced.
2. It is titled "Works Cited" or "Bibliography," accordingly, in the same font size and with no extra lines underneath.
3. Each line after the first line of each citation has a hanging indent.
4. Sources are organized alphabetically, not by types of sources.