What is the purpose of the MLA format?

MLA Style creates rules for students to follow when writing and formatting papers. Using MLA Style not only helps your instructors read and understand your work, but the act of creating citations and citing sources helps prevent plagiarism.

Which formatting details are specified in the MLA style guidelines?

MLA style does not have a specific outline format. You should use the standard formatting (Times New Roman, 12 point, double-spaced) and include your information in the upper left corner and the title centered, as shown in the example on the Home tab above.

What is the correct margin width?

The top, bottom, and right margins are required to be 1 inch, but the left margin can either be 1 inch or 1.25 inches. All body text, tables, figures, appendices content, and any copies of published chapters must fit within the required 1-inch margins on all sides.

Where should the works cited page appear in a document?

The Works Cited page is the list of sources used in the research paper. It should be its own page at the end of the paper. Center the title, “Works Cited” (without quotation marks), at the top of the page. If only one source was consulted, title the page “Work Cited”.

How wide should the margins be on your works cited list?

In MLA style, the list of Works Cited (also known as a reference list or bibliography) appears at the end of your paper. It gives full details of every source that you cited in the text. Like the rest of an MLA format paper, the Works Cited should be left-aligned and double-spaced with 1-inch margins.

Where do I put the period after a quote?

Commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks in American English; dashes, colons, and semicolons almost always go outside the quotation marks; question marks and exclamation marks sometimes go inside, sometimes stay outside.

How do you organize a works cited page in MLA?

How to Alphabetize Your Print Sources. When using MLA style, organize your Works Cited by the last names of the authors (or editors). If a work has no author or editor, alphabetize by the first word of the title other than a, an, or the.

What discipline is MLA format?

For example: APA (American Psychological Association) is used by Education, Psychology, and Sciences. MLA (Modern Language Association) style is used by the Humanities. Chicago/Turabian style is generally used by Business, History, and the Fine Arts.