MLA 7th Edition Formatting and Style Guide

MLA 7th Edition Formatting and Style Guide

Purdue OWL Staff Brought to you in cooperation with the Purdue Online Writing Lab

This presentation will cover: The 2009 updates to MLA Style (7th

edition) General MLA guidelines First page format Section headings In-text citations Formatting quotations The Works Cited page

MLA (Modern Language Association) Style formatting is often used in

various humanities disciplines.

MLA regulates: Document Format In-text citations The Works Cited (a

list of all sources used in the paper)

The 7th Edition of MLA made the following updates/changes: No more

underlining (only use italics) Inclusion of the publication medium (e.g. Print, Web, etc.) New abbreviations (e.g., “N.p.” for “no publisher given”)

# 1 Rule for any formatting style: Always Follow your instructor’s

guidelines

An MLA Style Paper should: Be typed on white 8.5“ x 11“ paper

Double-space everything Use 12 pt. Times New Roman (or similar) font Leave only one space after punctuation Set all margins to 1 inch on all sides Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch

An MLA Style Paper should: Have a header with page numbers located in

the upper right-hand corner Use italics for titles Place endnotes on a separate page before the Works Cited page

The first page of an MLA Style paper will: Have no title page Double

space everything List your name, your instructor's name, the course, and date in the upper left-hand corner Center the paper title (use standard caps but no underlining, italics, quote marks, or bold typeface) Create a header in the upper right corner at half inch from the top and one inch from the right of the page (list your last name and page number here)

Section Headings are generally optional: Headings in an essay should

usually be numbered Headings should be consistent in grammar and formatting but, otherwise, are up to you

OR

Numbered (all flush left with no underlining, bold, or italics):

Example: 1. Soil Conservation 1.1 Erosion 1.2 Terracing 2. Water Conservation 3. Energy Conservation

Unnumbered (by level): Example: Level 1: bold, flush left Level 2: italics, flush left Level 3: centered, bold Level 4: centered, italics Level 5: underlined, flush left

( )

Within the text MLA uses parenthetical citations: The format of parenthetical citations depends on the medium (e.g. Print, Web, DVD, etc.) Parenthetical citations also depend on the source’s entry in the Works Cited page The signal word in the text is the first thing in the corresponding Works Cited entry

In-text Example: Corresponding Works Cited Entry:

Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford UP, 1967. Print.

In-text Example, citing a work with no known author: We see so many

global warming hotspots in North America likely because this region has “more readily accessible climatic data and more comprehensive programs to monitor and study environmental change…” (“Impact of Global Warming” 6).

Corresponding Works Cited Entry: “The Impact of Global Warming in

North America.” Global Warming: Early Signs. 1999. Web. 23 Mar. 2009.

Classic & Literary Works with Multiple Editions In-text Example: Marx

and Engels described human history as marked by class struggles (79; ch. 1). Authors with Same Last Names In-text Example: Although some medical ethicists claim that cloning will lead to designer children (R. Miller 12), others note that the advantages for medical research outweigh this consideration (A. Miller 46).

Work by Multiple Authors In-text Examples: Smith, Yang, and Moore

argue that tougher gun control is not needed in the United States (76). The authors state “Tighter gun control in the United States erodes Second Amendment rights” (Smith, Yang, and Moore 76). Jones et al. counter Smith, Yang, and Moore's argument, noting that the current spike in American gun violence compels law makers to adjust gun laws (4).

Multiple Works by the Same Author In-text Examples: Lightenor has

argued that computers are not useful tools for small children (“Too Soon” 38), though he has acknowledged elsewhere that early exposure to computer games does lead to better small motor skill development in a child's second and third year (“Hand-Eye Development” 17). Visual studies, because it is such a new discipline, may be “too easy” (Elkins, “Visual Studies” 63).

Citing Multivolume Works In-text Example: … as Quintilian wrote in

Institutio Oratoria (1: 14-17). Citing the Bible In-text Example: Ezekiel saw “what seemed to be four living creatures,” each with the faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (New Jerusalem Bible, Ezek. 1:5-10).

Citing Indirect Sources In-text Example: Ravitch argues that high

schools are pressured to act as “social service centers, and they don't do that well” (qtd. in Weisman 259). Multiple Citations In-text Example: … as has been discussed elsewhere (Burke 3; Dewey 21).

Miscellaneous Non-Print Sources In-text Example: Werner Herzog's

Fitzcarraldo stars Herzog's long-time film partner, Klaus Kinski. During the shooting of Fitzcarraldo Herzog and Kinski were often at odds, but their explosive relationship fostered a memorable and influential film. Corresponding Works Cited Entry: Herzog, Werner, dir. Fitzcarraldo. Perf. Klaus Kinski. Filmverlag der Autoren, 1982. Film.

Sources from the Internet In-text Example: One online film critic has

argued that Fitzcarraldo is “…a beautiful and terrifying critique of obsession and colonialism” (Garcia, “Herzog: a Life”). Corresponding Works Cited Entry: Garcia, Elizabeth. “Herzog: a Life.” Online Film Critics Corner. The Film School of New Hampshire, 2 May 2002. Web. 8 Jan. 2009.

Long Quotations, In-text Example: Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly

and dehumanizes him throughout her narration: They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78)

Sample Works Cited Page:

Basic Format of the Works Cited Page: Lastname, Firstname

Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication. Examples: Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Boston: Allyn, 2000. Print. Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, 1987. Print. Palmer, William J. Dickens and New Historicism. New York: St. Martin's, 1997. Print. ---. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1993. Print.

Article in a Magazine Format Author(s)

“Title of Article.” Title of Periodical Day Month Year: pages. Medium of publication. Example: Buchman, Dana. “A Special Education.” Good Housekeeping Mar. 2006: 143-8. Print. Article in Scholarly Journal Format Author(s). “Title of Article.” Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Year): pages. Medium of publication. Example: Duvall, John N. “The (Super)Marketplace of Images: Television as Unmediated Mediation in DeLillo's White Noise.” Arizona Quarterly 50.3 (1994): 127- 53. Print.

Web Source Format: Editor, author, or compiler name (if available)

“Article Name.” Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher). Date of last update. Medium of publication. Date of access.

Examples: Bernstein, Mark

“10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.” A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites. A List Apart Mag., 16 Aug. 2002. Web. 4 May 2009. Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 10 May 2006. “How to Make Vegetarian Chili.” eHow.com. eHow. n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009.

Personal Interview Example: Elliot, Anne

Personal interview. 1 Dec. 2000. Speech Example: Stein, Bob. Computers and Writing Conference. Purdue University. Union Club Hotel, West Lafayette, IN. 23 May 2003. Keynote address.

Film Example: The Usual Suspects

Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro. Polygram, 1995. Film.

Purdue University Writing Lab Heavilon 226 Web: http://owl

english.purdue.edu/ Phone: (765) 494-3723 Email: owl@owl.english.purdue.edu

The End

MLA 7th Edition Formatting Style Guide Brought to you in cooperation with the Purdue Online Writing Lab