- Your full name
- Your instructor’s name
- The course name and number
- The date of submission
Include your name and the page number right-aligned in the header on every page.
After the heading, the title of the paper is centred on a new line. The heading and title do not take any special styling, and should be the same font and size as the rest of the paper.
Most word processing programs will allow you to automatically add page numbers in the header. In Microsoft Word, you can do this by selecting the “Insert” menu and clicking on “Page Number”.
Table of contents
Put each piece of information on a separate line, and don’t use periods or other punctuation at the end of each line. The heading and title should be in plain text, without any styling.
The MLA heading follows the same format at the rest of an MLA paper.
The first page of your MLA format paper starts with a four-line left-aligned heading containing:
All of this information is left-aligned! The next line of your MLA style paper is the title of your work. The title is centered and capitalized.
Entire book
Collins, J. Modern History in Pictures. New York. 2015.
Even though in-text citations are a must for MLA style paper, the total amount of them should not exceed 10% of the entire work (preferably, even less than that). You can always double-check yourself with free online plagiarism checking tools — just to be on the safe side.
Differently from the majority of other formats, recognized in the academe, MLA bibliography section is called ‘Works Cited.' What does it mean, though — in practice? Do you include only the sources you quoted? Or the sources you paraphrased, too?
Adjusting fonts through the ENTIRE paper
If you were to quote a single chapter from the same book, the reference would look like this: Collins, J. “Shift from Renaissance to Baroque Style”. Modern History in Pictures. New York.
Typically, an MLA style paper does not presuppose a separate title page, which saves you some time on formatting. You can include your information on the first line of your page 1. Here’s what you’re going to need:
Exploring the Shift from Renaissance Traditions to the Baroque Style in Painting.
It is important for the reader to be able to distinguish the difference between italicized and regular font, so if you choose a font style different than Arial or Times New Roman, make sure the difference between the two type styles is evident.
This is important to keep in mind when including lists in a project.
Don’t forget to use the EasyBib citation generator to develop your Modern Language Association style references.EasyBib.com also has helpful guides on APA format and more styles. Lastly, stay up-to-date on what’s coming by following our EasyBib Twitter account.
Choose a standard, high quality paper to print your project on. Do not use cardstock. It is not necessary to use resume paper. Use typical, high quality printer or copy paper.
Use One-Inch Margins in MLA
“Formatting a Research Paper.” The MLA Style Center, Modern Language Association of America, https://style.mla.org/formatting-papers/.
A running head is a brief heading that is placed in the top right corner of every page in a project. The Modern Language Association Style Center (online) states that the running head consists of:
She rented out the beach house from May through September
When citing a research paper in MLA style, include references within two sections:
So, how to format a research paper in MLA style? There are four key components that a research paper in MLA format includes.
- The quotes used within the essay
- The Works Cited page at the end
For example, if the author's name is found within the in-text citation, then there is no need to add it at the end
The Works Cited page
When a source has two or three authors, you should include all authors' last names. Whereas, when you have four or more authors then you have to write them all out following the last name of the first Author.
Except for the running head, page margins should be precisely 1 inch on both sides of the text as well as on top and bottom.
Change the line spacing from single to double-spaced. That makes reading less crammed on the eye and allows the professor to make essential comments in a neat and organized manner. Also, make sure to indent the first line of a paragraph ВЅ inch from the left margin.
Enter the required course information on the top-left corner of the front page. The MLA format research paper title page should look like this:
Both of them contain a list of used sources in an alphabetized order according to the author’s last name, which should be double-spaced.
Choosing MLA vs APA format will depend on the questions you need to answer through your research, the way your research paper is completed and all the procedures that are applied to the writing process.
Papers, which need to be referenced according to an APA format, should include a separate page, which is called ‘References’ and is situated at the end of the whole work. MLA-formatted assignment contains a similar page, although it is called ‘Works cited’.
MLA-formatted work contains title on a first page, which is separated from the essay’s title by a double space only. In an MLA formatting style you need to write the header on the left, which consists of the author’s name, instructor’s name, name of the course and the date. Rest of the pages have headers on the right and include author’s last name and number of the page.
APA vs MLA differences: in-text citations
MLA formatted paper consist of last name of the author and page number after the cited text.
Such formats were created for fields with completely different research approaches, so if you are asked to write a work on humanities, you need to choose Modern Language Association (MLA) formatting. If you are writing a psychology work, it is necessary to stick to American Psychological Association (APA) style.
Note them down, print out or save on your laptop and always have it in front of you, when there is a need in formatting your academic essay. Below are the main requirements of both styles and what differences they have.
Both Modern Language Association and American Psychological Association formatting styles are used in all sorts of academic works, including reports and papers. APA is usually used for social sciences, while MLA is applied, when you need to write a paper on humanities or liberal arts. Both guidelines give recommendations on how to format style, content and references. While they are much alike, there are still many differences between MLA and APA, which you need to keep in mind.