A Checklist for Papers in MLA Form

MLA does not require a separate cover sheet or title page. If your instructor expects one, center the title of your paper and your name in the upper third of the page. Center the course title, your instructor’s name, and the date of submission on the lower third of the sheet, double spacing between the elements.

First Page of an Essay with a Separate Title Page:

* Repeat the title of your paper on the first page of the body of the paper about two inches from

top of the sheet.

* Center and capitalize the title.

First Page of an Essay with NO Separate Title Page:

* Place your name, instructor’s name, course title and date in the upper left-hand corner. These

items are double-spaced.

* Identify your professor with the appropriate title.

* Center the title two lines under the date.

* Begin the essay two lines below the title. Double-space the body of the paper, including

quotations.

* Use one-inch margins.

* Page number this page with your last name followed by the page number in the upper right-

hand corner of the page.

Body of the Essay:

Use margins of one-inch all around the page.

Place page numbers in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

Indent the first line of each paragraph five spaces.

Indent quotations longer than four typed lines ten spaces. Double space these quotations, also.

***Introduce all direct and indirect borrowings in some way. (Quotes and paraphrases must be framed.)

Examples:

Woodrow Wilson declared, “It is not learning but the spirit of services that will give a college a

place in the public annals of the nation.”

“ One reason you may have more colds if you hold back tears is that, when you’re under stress,

your body puts out steroids which affect your immune system and reduce your resistance to disease,” Dr. Broomfield comments.

The faulty study resulted in crop mismanagement, according to UNC’s Daniel Yarborough.

In-text Citations:

* In the body of your paper, place a note in parentheses to identify the source of each passage or idea you use.

* The author’s last name and the page number of the source are separated by a single typed space. (Urquart 435)

* If you have framed the information (see above), only the page number is required. (435)

* Punctuation follows the parentheses in short quotes or paraphrases.

*Long quotes (more than four typed lines) are indented 10 spaces (two tabs) and introduced with a colon for punctuation. The punctuation comes before the parentheses.

*When two or more sources are cited within a single sentence, the parenthetical notes appear right after the statements they support.

*When you need to document a work without an author, simply list the title, shortened if necessary, and the page number, using quotes or italics as is appropriate.

*Since most web sites do not have page numbers, avoid in-text citations by identifying the site in your paper itself (framing).

The Works Cited Page:

*Center the title “Works Cited” at the top of the page.

* Include only sources mentioned in the paper.

* Arrange the items on the Works Cited page in alphabetical order by last name of the author. If

no author is given, list it according to the title, excluding articles.

* Be sure the first line of each entry is flush with the left-hand margin. Subsequent lines of the

entry are indented five spaces.

* Double-space the list entirely. Do not quadruple-space between entries unless that is the form

your teacher prefers.

* Punctuate the items carefully. Don’t forget the period at the end of each entry.

* Follow this form (below) if you have two or more entries by the same author:

Van der Plas, Rob. The Mountain Bike Book: Choosing, Riding and Maintaining the Off-Road

Bicycle. 3^rd ed. San Francisco: Bicycle, 1993.

—. Mountain Bike Magic. Mill Valley: Bicycle, 1991.

* Web pages should provide author (if any), title of the work, print publication (if any), title of the electronic site (underlined), date of publication or most recent update, identity of institution or group (if any) sponsoring the electronic site, date you accessed the information, and electronic address (URL) between angle brackets < >.

Scott Foresman 5^th Ed.

(P 676-724)