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MLA 2009 Formatting and Style GuideThis resource was written by Tony Russell.Last full revision by Allen Brizee.Last edited by Allen Brizee on August 18th 2009 at 12:27PM

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. Please use the example at the bottom of this page to cite the Purdue OWL in MLA. If you are using the older version of MLA (6th ed.) as a citation style, please reference these pages.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/

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Jump to listing of all of this resource's sections

MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide

General Format

MLA style specifies guidelines for formatting manuscripts and using the English language in writing. MLA style also provides writers with a system for referencing their sources through parenthetical citation in their essays and Works Cited pages.

Writers who properly use MLA also build their credibility by demonstrating accountability to their source material. Most importantly, the use of MLA style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism, which is the purposeful or accidental uncredited use of source material by other writers.

If you are asked to use MLA format, be sure to consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition). Publishing scholars and graduate students should also consult the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd edition). The MLA Handbook is available in most writing centers and reference libraries; it is also widely available in bookstores, libraries, and at the MLA web site. See the Additional Resources section of this handout for a list of helpful books and sites about using MLA style. For an overview of the 2009 guideline changes, please visit the OWL's MLA Update 2009 resource.

Paper Format

The preparation of papers and manuscripts in MLA style is covered in chapter four of the MLA Handbook, and chapter four of the MLA Style Manual. Below are some basic guidelines for formatting a paper in MLA style.

General Guidelines

Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper. Double-space the text of your paper, and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever

font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are recognizable one from another. The font size should be 12 pt.

Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise instructed by your instructor).

Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides. Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you

use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times. Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch

from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow your instructor's guidelines.)

Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, providing emphasis.

If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited page. Entitle the section Notes (centered, unformatted).

Formatting the First Page of Your Paper

Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested. In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course,

and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text. Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation

marks; write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters. Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in

your text: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality Play; Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"

Double space between the title and the first line of the text. Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space

with a page number; number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor or other readers may ask that you omit last name/page number header on your first page. Always follow instructor guidelines.)

Here is a sample of the top half of a first page in MLA style:

Image Caption: A sample first page of an MLA-formatted paper.

Section Headings

Writers sometimes use Section Headings to improve a document’s readability. These sections may include individual chapters or other named parts of a book or essay.

Essays

MLA recommends that when you divide an essay into sections that you number those sections with an arabic number and a period followed by a space and the section name.

1. Early Writings2. The London Years3. Traveling the Continent4. Final Years

Books

MLA does not have a prescribed system of headings for books. If you are only using one level of headings, meaning that all of the sections are distinct and parallel and have no additional sections that fit within them, MLA recommends that these sections resemble one another grammatically. For instance, if your headings are typically short phrases, make all of the headings short phrases (and not, for example, full sentences). Otherwise, the formatting is up to you. It should, however, be consistent throughout the document.

If you employ multiple levels of headings (some of your sections have sections within sections), you may want to provide a key of your chosen level headings and their formatting to your instructor or editor.

Sample Section Headings

The following sample headings are meant to be used only as a reference. You may employ whatever system of formatting that works best for you so long as it remains consistent throughout the document.

Numbered:

1. Soil Conservation1.1 Erosion1.2 Terracing2. Water Conservation3. Energy Conservation

Formatted, unnumbered:

Level 1 Heading: bold, flush left

Level 2 Heading: italics, flush left

     Level 3 Heading: centered, bold

     Level 4 Heading: centered, italics

Level 5 Heading: underlined, flush left

How to Cite the Purdue OWL in MLA:

Entire Website

The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2008. Web. 27 Dec. 2008.

Individual Resources

Purdue OWL. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 10 May 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2008.

All Sections in MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide:

1. MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide2. MLA 2009 In-Text Citations: The Basics 3. MLA 2009 Formatting Quotations 4. MLA 2009 Footnotes and Endnotes 5. MLA 2009 Works Cited Page: Basic Format 6. MLA 2009 Works Cited Page: Books 7. MLA 2009 Works Cited: Periodicals 8. MLA 2009 Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications) 9. MLA 2009 Works Cited: Other Common Sources 10. MLA 2009 Additional Resources 11. MLA 2009 Abbreviations 12. MLA 2009 Sample Works Cited Page 13. MLA 2009 Sample Papers 14. MLA 2009 Tables, Figures, and Examples 15. MLA 2009 PowerPoint Presentation 16. MLA 2009 Undergraduate Sample Paper

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