MLA Conventions for Essays

Yes, they are arbitrary, but so are all rules, right? In the world of college writing, MLA is not the only standard you'll have to learn, but it is definitely quite common.

1. Use 1” margins
2. Use 12 pt. Times New Roman font
3. Double-space the text
4. Put last name and page number in upper right header
5. Use four-line heading on first page
6. Leave out extra spaces between paragraphs or around title
7. Are all sources cited, either in the sentence itself or in parentheses?
8. Double-check the punctuation of your citations in the text.
9. On Works Cited page, center the title Works Cited at the top (no italics).
10. Put works cited entries in alphabetical order and double-spaced.

Click here to see what the first page of an MLA paper looks like.
Go here to read more about MLA conventions.

Citation Examples

Magazine/Journal Article from Magazine/Journal Website:

Branch, Taylor. "The Shame of College Sports." The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group, October 2011. Web. 4 June 2012.

Magazine/Journal Article from Galileo Database:

Diffie, Whitfield, and Susan Landau. "Brave New World of Wiretapping." Scientific American 299.3 (2008): 56-63. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 29 October 2010.

Magazine/Journal Article from Paper Version:

Diffie, Whitfield, and Susan Landau. "Brave New World of Wiretapping." Scientific American 299.3 (2008): 56-63. Print.

Book from eBook Collection (EBSCO Host):
Dulworth, Mike. Connect Effect: Building Strong Personal, Professional, and Virtual Networks. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2008. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). EBSCO. Web. 26 October 2011.

Book in PDF format (on website):
Dulworth, Mike. Connect Effect: Building Strong Personal, Professional, and Virtual Networks. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2008. PDF file.

Book in Print Form:

Cohen, Daniel. Our Modern Times: The New Nature of Capitalism in the Information Age. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2003. Print.

Book Chapter from eBook Collection (EBSCO Host):
Dulworth, Mike. "Entering the Network Zone." Connect Effect: Building Strong Personal, Professional, and Virtual Networks. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2008. 75-88. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). EBSCO. Web. 26 October 2011.

Book Chapter in Print Form:

Duff, Carolyn S. "Extending the Wisdom." Learning From Other Women: How to Benefit From the Knowledge, Wisdom, And Experience of Female Mentors. New York: AMACOM, 1999. 139-158. Print.

Work from an Anthology:

Weiss, Loel M., and Mark Itzkowitz. "Unholy Waters." Tempest in the Temple: Jewish Communities and Child Sex Scandals. Ed. Amy Neustein. Brandeis University Press, 2009. 13-42. Print.

Revision Guide

Double-Check the Content

(Make sure you have written sentences that correspond to each section of your outline)

1. Beginning
   
   • Reach out to your audience (engaging hook)
   • Prepare your audience (relevant background)
   • Preview your argument (interrelated stages)
   • Thesis statement (topic and position)
2. Middle (look at each paragraph)
   
   • Topic sentence (main idea of paragraph)
   • Supporting details (concrete evidence)
   • Closing statement (demonstrate proof)
3. Ending
   
   • Explain importance (why thesis matters)
   • New information (extend the discussion)
   • Final comments (satisfy the reader)
4. Counter-argument paragraph (if used)
   
   • Statement of the opinion that differs from yours.
   • How or why this opinion makes sense.
   • Rebuttal of this opinion.

Double-Check the Organization

1. Put a * by your thesis, each topic sentence in the middle, and the first sentence of the end.
2. The logical progression of these sentences should be an orderly thought process.
3. Make sure your thesis clearly and directly focuses your topic and states your position.
4. Make sure your stages are not three unrelated ideas but sequential steps in ONE argument.
5. Make sure the last sentence of each middle paragraph DOES NOT bring up the topic of the next paragraph.
6. From beginning to end, your essay should be persuasive, not a summary of events or facts.
7. Make sure that each of your paragraphs is the same length.

Write a two-part title to catch attention and be informative

• Sitting in the Stands: Disappointment on Graduation Day
• Telling the Boss Off: How I Learned to Stand Up to a Tyrant
• Lower Test Scores: How No Child Left Behind Leaves Every Child Behind
• Turning Our Backs on Spirit: A Defense of Senior Class Disrespect
• Let them Fight to the End: An Alternative to Our Present Form of Capital Punishment
• Keep Them Off the Roads: How to Improve DUI Law Enforcement

Editing Guide

Fixing the Text

1. Circle all instances of “you,” “your,” “yours,” “yourself,” etc. Delete them and rewrite the sentences so that no vague words appear.
2. Circle all subjects; put a box around all verbs; check for agreement and tense errors.
3. Check that all of your pronouns agree in number with the nouns they represent.
   And be sure the pronoun cannot possibly represent two different nouns.
4. and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so: use commas with coordinating conjunctions (SV, and SV.)
   • The oak tree in the front yard fell on the roof, so we will have to move.
   • Gulliver set his alarm for 6:00 AM, yet he still managed to get stuck in traffic.
5. however, therefore, instead (vs.) although, because, whereas
   • The oak tree in the front yard fell on the roof; therefore, we will have to move.
   • Because the oak tree in the front yard fell on the roof, we will have to move.
   • Gulliver set his alarm for 6:00 AM; nevertheless, he managed to get stuck in traffic.
   • Although Gulliver set his alarm for 6:00 AM, he still managed to get stuck in traffic.
6. introductory clauses and phrases (comma before the subject) (Intro, SV.)
   • With no roof to keep the rain out, our house needs serious repair.
   • Whereas UNG-Oconee offers a personal environment, the UGA campus is more socially challenging.

Errors to avoid

1. Any form of the lazy cliche “As I said before” or “In summary” or “In conclusion”
2. “This” and “that” used by itself as a pronoun (especially as a subject)
   • This shows that I needed to sleep more often.
   • That was the worst day of my high school career.
   • Mr. Clark proved this to me in sixth grade.
   • I believed that for a long time.
3. “it” used as a subject
   • Confusing: It is scary to walk in the dark.
   • Clear: Walking in the dark frightens me.
4. “By doing this . . . it will improve”
   • Confusing: By Mr. Horton reviewing my outline, it will help me improve my paper.
   • Clear: By reviewing my outline, Mr. Horton will help me improve my paper.
5. dangling modifiers
   • Confusing: As a UNG college student, textbooks are expensive.
   • Clear: As a UNG college student, I spend a lot of money on textbooks.

MLA Formatting

1. Use 1” margins
2. Use 12 pt. Times New Roman font
3. Double-space the text
4. Put last name and page number in upper right header.
5. Use four-line heading on first page
6. Leave out extra spaces between paragraphs or around title
7. Are all sources cited, either in the sentence itself or in parentheses?
8. Double-check the punctuation of your citations in the text.
9. On Works Cited page, center the title Works Cited at the top (no italics).
10. Put works cited entries in alphabetical order and double-spaced.