The Modern Language Association (MLA) specifies a standard format for essays and research papers written in an academic setting: one-inch page margins, a header with the author’s name and page number, in-text citations, and a Works Cited page. MLA guidelines for formatting research papers were created by the Modern Language Association to provide a standard way for students to document research sources in their academic assignments. Following the MLA format allows students to draft papers efficiently and accurately represent sources used to complete the assignment.
The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) is a great resource for understanding the ins and outs of MLA style. The OWL describes the MLA format as “a style developed by scholars in literature and languages to provide a standard way for researchers to document and discuss the sources that have informed their scholarship.” The standard rules outlined by the MLA formatting style allow readers to assess sources and claim evidence efficiently and with ease.
Below are the key elements of MLA style covered on the Purdue OWL page for formatting research papers:
General Guidelines:
Use white 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper
Make 1 inch margins on the top, bottom, and sides
The first word in every paragraph should be indented one half inch
Use a 12 point Times New Roman font
Double space the entire research paper, including quotes, notes, and the Works Cited page.
Page numbers appear one inch from the top in the upper right corner, flushed to the right margin throughout.
Title Page:
Your title should not be bolded or underlined and should be centered in the upper half of the page
Your name, the professor’s name, the course name, and the date are centered on separate lines below the title
Running Heads:
A running head is a shortened version of the title that appears in the upper left corner of every page
It cannot exceed 50 characters, including punctuation and spacing
Paragraphs:
The first word of every paragraph is indented one half inch
No additional space between paragraphs
In-Text Citations:
Give relevant source information in parentheses immediately after any quote or paraphrase. Include the author’s last name and the specific page number(s) where applicable
Ex: (Smith 25) or (Jones et al. 44)
More than one source cited: (Smith 25; Jones 44) or (Smith 25; Jones et al. 44)
Quotes:
Use double quotation marks for quotes with fewer than 4 lines
Longer quotes that are 4 lines or more should be in a block quote format, indented one inch from the left and without quotes
Any quotes that are longer than 1 line should have a parenthetical citation
Works Cited:
Provide a list of all works cited, arranged alphabetically by author’s last name on a new page at the end of the paper, labeled Works Cited
Each entry is formatted with the author’s name, title, publisher location, publisher name, publication date, and medium (book, website, etc.)
Sample Papers:
The OWL provides sample student papers using MLA format to demonstrate how all aspects come together when writing an actual research paper
Following these guidelines set by the Modern Language Association and described in detail on the Purdue OWL will ensure students understand the proper format for a research paper formatted in MLA style. Mastering the intricacies of formatting citations, paragraph structure, headers, and organizing the Works Cited page based on MLA style will result in a polished, professional research paper that is easy for readers to follow and sources to verify. Students can rely on the Purdue OWL as an authoritative guide for getting all aspects of MLA formatting correct to stay consistent with scholarly standards used across academic disciplines.