MLA Style Guide 1
MLA Style and Formatting Guide
What is the MLA style?
MLA stands for the Modern Language Association and refers to their specific rules of formatting
and style for scholarly and collegiate research papers. This style is widely used in the humanities,
but you may be asked to use MLA in other classes. Always check with your instructor!
How do I format a page in MLA style?
Your MLA paper should be 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double spaced, and 1-inch margins
on all sides. On the top-left corner of the first page, include your name, professor’s name, class
title/section, and the date. Include a header with your last name and page number at the top right
corner of every page.
In-
Text Citations
What are in-text citations?
In-text citations are used when the writer summarizes, quotes, or makes reference to any outside
source within the text. They show the reader the work or person you are quoting or paraphrasing
within your essay. It is crucial to attribute any quote, idea, or summary that is not your original
thought to avoid any plagiarism.
How to add your header:
Insert tab > Page Number > Top of the
page > Select Page Number Type >
Type your last name next to the
number.
MLA Style Guide 2
How do I format an in-text citation?
• Citing a source with one author
o provide the last name of the author and the page number for the source you are
referencing. This allows the reader to know who you are referencing and where they
can find it.
o Example: (Johnson 3)
• Citing a source with two authors
o Example: (Smith and Johnson 6)
• Citing a source with three or more authors
o For a source with three or more authors, list only the first author’s last name, and
replace the additional names with “et al.”
o Example: (Johnson et al. 6)
• What if the author is unknown?
o It is common to find sources in which the author isn't clearly stated. In this case, you
would simply use the title of the work rather than the author's name. The title of a
short piece will be placed in quotation marks, while the title of a longer piece will be
italicized.
o Example: (“Are Aliens Invading Our Planet” 3)
• How do I cite multiple works by the same author?
o While doing research it could be possible that you need to cite two different sources
that were written by the same person. If this is the case, simply putting the author's
name and a page number doesn't suffice because it could cause confusion. The MLA
format instructs you to give the author's last name, the title of the work, and the page
number. It is important to remember that quotation marks indicate a shorter work or
article, while italicized words indicate a much longer piece.
o Example: (Stevens, “Do Aliens Exist?” 54)
Tag vs. Bag
• Tag: attributing who the author is in your writing before you give the quote or paraphrase
o Example: According to Bob Smith, author of “I Love Grammar,” “Grammar is
awesome!” (35)
o Example: Bob Smith discusses how great grammar is (35).
• Bag: Author and page number (if any) is in parentheses at the end of the quote or
paraphrase
o Example: “Grammar is awesome!” (Smith 35).
MLA Style Guide 3
o Example: Grammar is really great (Smith 35).
• Tag or Bag it, never both!
Long Quotations
If the quote you’re using is more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, you must indent
the quotation 1/2 inch and place it in block form. Note the format changes!
Works Cited Page in the MLA Style
What is a Works Cited page?
As the title suggests, a Works Cited page is where the writer lists a
group of cited works that were used throughout the essay. Your Works
Cited page should: have “Works Cited” at the top-center (do not
underline, bold, etc.), your entries should be double spaced, citations
are listed in alphabetical order by last name (or title), and citations
should have a hanging indent.
Each entry in the list of works cited is composed information from the
source, and they are assembled in a specific order (see image). The
concept of containers is crucial to MLA style. The term container
refers to a larger portion the source belongs to. For example, your
source might be a single article within a larger journal.
Introduce the quote
Start quote on a new line and
indent entire quote ½ inch. Do
not use quotation marks!
The punctation goes at the end
of the sentence
(not after the parentheses)
Citation Template
MLA Style Guide 4
• How do I cite a page on a website?
Lundman, Susan. “How to Make Vegetarian Chili.” eHow,
www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html. Accessed 6 July 2015.
• How do I cite an online academic journal article?
Dolby, Nadine. “Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future
Directions.” Social Work and Society: The International Online-Only Journal, vol. 6, no. 2,
2008, www.socwork.net/sws/article/view/60/362. Accessed 20 May 2009.
• How do I cite an interview?
Morgan, Ben. Interview with Dennis Quad. Rolling Stone, Vol 28, issue 15, 2015, pp.
35-38.
Sample Works Cited page: