MLA Format

For Research Papers

What is MLA Format? MLA stands for

Modern Language Association.

It was founded in 1883 There are over 100,000

members of the Association in 300 countries.

The main point… Is to make all papers

written for language arts purposes the same.

So, how do you do that? 1 inch margins Times New Roman size

12 font for EVERYTHING

Double spaced Centered title Running header with

your last name and the page number.

Internal citations Works cited page

Works Cited Page Separate from all of the

rest of the paper. Continues header Is listed alphabetically Has a hanging

indentation Is double spaced

Books Last Name, First Name. Title. City: Publisher,

copyright date.

Book ExampleOkuda, Michael, and Denise Okuda. Star Trek

Chronology: The History of the Future. New York: Pocket, 1993.

Newspaper or Magazine Article

Last name, First name. “Article Title.” Publication Title. Date published: volume and issue.

Newspaper or Magazine Article Di Rado, Alicia. "Trekking through College:

Classes Explore Modern Society Using the World of Star Trek." Los Angeles Times 15 Mar. 1995: A3.

Book Article or Chapter

Last name, first name. “Article Title/Chapter Title.” Book Title. Editor name. City: Publisher, Copyright. Page numbers.

Book Article or Chapter

James, Nancy E. "Two Sides of Paradise: The Eden Myth According to Kirk and Spock." Spectrum of the Fantastic. Ed. Donald Palumbo. Westport: Greenwood, 1988. 219-223.

Encyclopedia Article   (well known reference books)Last name, First name. “Article Title.”

Encyclopedia Title. Edition. Copyright date.

Encyclopedia Article   (well known reference books)Sturgeon, Theodore. "Science Fiction." The

Encyclopedia Americana. International ed. 1995.

WebsiteLast name, first name. “Article Title.” Website

Title. Date published. Publisher. Date accessed. Website URL.

WebsiteLynch, Tim. "DSN Trials and Tribble-ations

Review." Psi Phi: Bradley‘s Science Fiction Club. 1996. Bradley University. 8 Oct. 1997 <http://www.bradley.edu/campusorg/psiphi/DS9/ep/503r.html>.

Newspaper or Magazine Article on the InternetLast name, first name. “Article Title.”

Newspaper/Magazine Title. Date Published: Page Number. Website Title. Date Accessed. Website URL.

Newspaper or Magazine Article on the InternetAndreadis, Athena. "The Enterprise Finds Twin

Earths Everywhere It Goes, But Future Colonizers of Distant Planets Won't Be So Lucky." Astronomy Jan. 1999: 64- . Academic Universe. 7 Feb. 1999. <http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe>.

Internal Citations These are references

within the text of your paper.

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 authors name followed by a space and the relevant page number(s).

Internal Citation—Direct Quotation

Human beings have been described as "symbol-using animals" (Burke 3).

It is evident throughout the story that Ender has a propensity for violence. “Ender wanted to hit them, to throw them in the brook” (Card 71). “…Ender reached up with both hands, snatched the boy by the wrist, and then pulled down on the arm, hard” (Card 33).

Internal Citation-Paraphrasing

The biggest concept that people need to change about thinking of their occupations is that it is almost pointless to work so hard on improving what they are not good at. People should, instead, recognize their talents then focus on how those talents make them good at their jobs. If their talents do not lie within their occupations, then a career change is in order (Liesveld, Miller, and Robison 15-35).

BIG FAT NOTE ON I.C. If you don’t have an author, use the first two

words of your Works Cited Citation.“Trekking Through College: Classes Explore

Modern Society Using the World of Star Trek." Los Angeles Times 15 Mar.1995: A3. www.LATimes.com.

Example In Math in Modern Society, Math 111 at ISU,

students explore mapping concepts through mathematical equations (“Trekking Through”).