The Modern Language Association writing format, or the MLA style, is commonly used by students pursuing degrees in English, literature or humanities for their manuscripts or research papers. The only difference of MLA from other writing styles is that it requires works or references cited in the paper. MLA is now one of the widely used styles by many writers in writing papers.
The MLA format is divided into three parts – the general layout, in-text references and list of works. Each page should have one-inch margin on all sides. Writers can use any font style in size 12, as long as it’s not decorative. The paragraphs throughout the paper must be double-spaced, including the title and the body. Avoid putting extra spaces between the heading and the title of your paper as well as the title and body itself. Put one space after each punctuation marks. Indent the first line of every paragraph at least half an inch from the left margin.
When making a long research paper, it is advised to put Section Headings in order to enhance the paper’s readability. These may be either chapters or labeled parts of a composition.
Place a header at the upper right corner of each page to indicate the page number of your paper. In some cases, headers are typed with last name first before the page number. Endnotes, on the other hand, should be placed on a separate page before the Reference page. Put a “Notes” title on this portion, centered on the page.
Citations are very important to protect writers from charges of plagiarism. When referencing outside sources, include a page of your reference to indicate where such data and information was found. This will also let the readers find the cited materials themselves. Place a header on the Reference. The entire page must be double-spaced, including the citations. List all citation entries alphabetically by the authors’ last names.
Writing in MLA style can be tricky, but with the help of these simple guides added with constant practice, writing in MLA style can be a lot easier.
