Formatting Tips for MLA Papers

Based on The St. Martin’s Guide to Research and Documentation (Lunsford and Muth). These are availabel for purchase every year during registration and contain the most recent MLA and APA updates.

1. Name Block: Should have the following aligned LEFT.

Student’s First and Last NameTeacher/ProfessorClass level or sectionDue date

2. Paper Title (centered) This is considered part of your “Hook” for the opening. Try to link it to unique ideas attention getters fro your opening or closing paragraph.

3. Page Numbers in Header section. You can set this to automatically update using the “Insert” tab

on the menu. Note: You must use the “page number” function in order for the numbers to update automatically. If you simply type your last name and a page number, it will not automatically progress to the next page. To insert the page number, go to “page number”, then “Top of Page”, then select the page number that is aligned RIGHT.

Once your page number has come up, add your last name BEFORE the number and skip one space. It should look like this:

Formatting Tips for MLA Papers

4. Parenthetical citations: Every quote, paraphrase, summary or other material from sources should be documented using parenthetical citations.

For novels: (Faulkner 232).For poetry: (Frost lines 12-15).For novels by the same author: (The Sun Also Rises 48). For poems by the same author: (“Morning Song” lines 8-10).

Note: Each citation has a period at the end of the citation. Citations should be included as part of the sentence, making it the end of the sentence.

Correct:

Antony declares his modest intentions when he claims: “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him” (Shakespeare 3.2.70).

No period here, even if printed this way in original text.

Put period here at end of entire sentence and citation.

Formatting Tips for MLA Papers

Incorrect:

Addie’s youngest son Vardaman expresses his confusion in the simple statement “My mother is a fish.” (Faulkner 84).

5. Works Cited: Is Works Cited title in bold and centered? Are entries alphabetized according to the first item listed in the entry? Do the entries have all the correct info including the medium? Does each entry have the info listed in the correct order? (see source sheet) Are all entries shown in hanging indent form?

Hanging Indent: Select all entries and go to the small arrow that opens the paragraph dialog box.

Once the paragraph dialog box opens, select “hanging” under the “indentation” section.

Period at end of sentence.

You can’t have two periods in one sentence!

Original punctuation from text.

Formatting Tips for MLA Papers