【正文】 Using Modern Language Association (MLA) FormatMLA style also specifies guidelines for formatting manuscripts and using the English language in writing and also provides a writers with a system for crossreferencing their sourcesfrom their parenthetical references to their works cited page. This crossreferencing system allows readers to locate the publication information of source material. This is of great value for researchers who may want to locate your sources for their own research projects. The proper use of MLA style also shows the credibility of writers。 such writers show accountability to their source material. Most importantly, the use of MLA style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarismthe purposeful or accidental use of source material by other writers without giving appropriate credit. All guidelines for MLA style are in the MLA Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (2nd edition). If you are asked to use MLA format for a research paper, the book to consult is MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th edition). Included here is a brief summary of MLA style for the research paper. Basic Paper Format Making Reference to the Works of Others in Your Text Your Works Cited List (and Examples) Basic Forms For Sources In Print Basic Forms For Electronic Sources Other Types of Sources A Note on Notes Basic Paper Format The preparation of manuscripts in MLA style is covered in chapter four of the MLA Style Manual, as well as in chapter three of the Handbook for Writing Research Papers. Here are some basic guidelines for formatting a paper in MLA style. For additional help with formatting a document in MLA style, see our additional resources section. General GuidelinesType your paper or write it on a puter and print it out on standardsized paper ( X 11 inches). Doublespace your paper. Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides. Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper righthand corner, onehalf inch from the top and flush with the right margin. Use either underlining or italics throughout your essay for highlighting the titles of longer works and providing emphasis.
If you have any notes, include them on a page before your works cited page and format them the same way as your works cited list. Formatting the first page of your paperDo not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested. Provide a doublespaced entry in the top left corner of the first page that lists your name, your instructor39。s name, the course, and the date. Center your title on the line below the header with your name, and begin your paper immediately below the title. Formatting your works cited list
Begin your works cited list on a separate page from the text of the essay.
Label the works cited list Works Cited (do not underline the words Works Cited nor put them in quotation marks) and center the words Works Cited at the top of the page. Double space all entries and do not skip spaces between entries. Making reference to works of others in your text(Referring to the works of others in your text by using MLA style is covered in chapter seven of the MLA Style Manual, and chapter five of the Handbook for Writing Research Papers. Both chapters include extensive examples, so it39。s a good idea to read them over if you want to bee familiar with the guidelines or if you have a particular question.)In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is done in two ways. When you make reference to someone else39。s idea, either through paraphrasing or quoting them directly, you:provide the author39。s name (or the title of the work) and the page (or paragraph) number of the work in a parenthetical citation provide full citation information for the work in your Works Cited list This allows people to know which sources you used in writing your essay and then be able to look them up themselves, so that they can use them in their scholarly work. Here are some basic guidelines for referring to the works of others in your text. For additional help with citing the works of others, see our additional resources section. Parenthetical Citations
MLA format follows the authorpage method of citation. This means that the author39。s last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation is taken must appear in the text, and a plete reference should appear in your works cited list (see Your Works Cited Page, below). The author39。s name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number(s) should always appear in the parentheses, not in the text of your sentence. For example:Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings (263).Romantic poetry is characterized by the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings (Wordsworth 263).Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).If the work you are making reference to has no author, use an abbreviated version of the work39。s title. For nonprint sources, such as films, TV series, pictures, or other media, or electronic sources, include the name that begins the entry in the Works Cited page.For example:An anonymous Wordsworth critic once argued that his poems were too emotional (Wordsworth Is A Loser 100). Sometimes you may have to use