MLA Style and Citation Guides
On permanent reserve, behind the circulation desk, at the library.
Using MLA Style and Citation
MLA style and citation is used in the humanities. At Mount Ida your CC101 and English professors require MLA citations.
In the humanities readers are interested in the authorship behind your research which is why in-text citations begin with the author's name.
Style Guidelines
Refer to your professor's requirements in addition to the MLA formatting guidelines listed below and style manuals.
Basic Formatting
MLA formatted papers should:
- Be printed on 8.5" x 11" white paper with a clear, easy to read, standard font (Times New Roman, Ariel, etc.)
- Have on inch margins on all sides
- Left-align text
- Be doubled spaced throughout
- Ident the first line of paragraphs
- Include last name and page numbers in the upper right corner of each page (Example 1) in a header
First Page
MLA does not require a title page, in academic settings the first page of a document should include your name, instructors name, the course title and the date in the upper left corner of the page:
The title of your paper or essay should be centered on the first page.
Capitalization, Italics, Punctuation and Line Formatting for Sources
When referencing a title do not capitalize: a, an, the, to, from, between, and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet, etc. unless they are the first or last word of a title or subtitle. The first word after a colon in a sentence or subtitle should be lowercase.
Italicize book titles, use quotation marks around article, short stories, poems or other short work titles.
If a URL does not fit on one line break it only at a slash / to break it to two or more lines. Do not insert a hyphen.
Long Quotations
Block indent quotations that are longer than four typed lines of prose or three typed lines of verse. Do not use quotation marks.
Visuals
Figures:
Figures are graphs, charts, maps, photographs and drawings. Captions go below a figure, starting with the figure number (Fig. 1) aligned left.
Tables:
Tables are labled above the image, capitalized following the formats of titles starting with a table number (Table 1). The table number and caption should be on seperate lines.
Unless otherwise specified put all visuals closest to the related text.
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