MLA Formatting

MLA

MLA stands for Modern Language Association. My favorite website for MLA formatting assistance is OWL at Perdue University. If you type OWL into your google browser, you will likely get images of owls and the website OWL (Links to an external site.). Arrow This OWL is hyperlinked. Go to the site with it. Scroll down just a bit and you will see an example of a front page. MLA does not require a cover page. Do not use a cover page. The front page requirements are all there on OWL. There's a list and an image of a perfect front page. Check it out!

 

This is from OWL:

A Work in an Anthology, Reference, or Collection

Works may include an essay in an edited collection or anthology, or a chapter of a book. The basic form is for this sort of citation is as follows:

Last name, First name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection, edited by Editor's Name(s), Publisher, Year, Page range of entry.

Some examples:

Harris, Muriel. "Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers." A Tutor's Guide: Helping Writers One to One, edited by Ben Rafoth, 

               Heinemann, 2000, pp. 24-34.

Swanson, Gunnar. "Graphic Design Education as a Liberal Art: Design and Knowledge in the University and The 'Real

             World.'" The Education of a Graphic Designer, edited by Steven Heller, Allworth Press, 1998, pp. 13-24.

Note on Cross-referencing Several Items from One Anthology: If you cite more than one essay from the same edited collection, MLA indicates you may cross-reference within your works cited list in order to avoid writing out the publishing information for each separate essay. You should consider this option if you have several references from a single text. To do so, include a separate entry for the entire collection listed by the editor's name as below:

Rose, Shirley K., and Irwin Weiser, editors. The Writing Program Administrator as Researcher. Heinemann,

          1999.

Then, for each individual essay from the collection, list the author's name in last name, first name format, the title of the essay, the editor's last name, and the page range:

L'Eplattenier, Barbara. "Finding Ourselves in the Past: An Argument for Historical Work on WPAs." Rose   

           and Weiser, pp. 131-40.

Peeples, Tim. "'Seeing' the WPA With/Through Postmodern Mapping." Rose and Weiser, pp. 153-67.

How to Quote: 

Download Incorporating Quotes.pptx

 

In-text reference:

In-text referencing- 

This is a bit tricky, because some of you may never get the books.

Therefore, for those of you who do not get the books, Please use the author's last name without page numbers after your quotes.

Example:

After Douglass realized his situation fully, he became depressed. Douglass states, "I often found myself regretting my own existence, and wishing myself dead; and but for the hope of being free, I have no doubt that I should have killed myself, or done something for which I should have been killed" (Douglass).

If you have the books, you will know that the page number for this quote is 130.

After Douglass realized his situation fully, he became depressed. Douglass states, "I often found myself regretting my own existence, and wishing myself dead; and but for the hope of being free, I have no doubt that I should have killed myself, or done something for which I should have been killed" (Douglass 130).

With or without the book, a reference must be at the end of quotes. Also, if you are summarizing or paraphrasing specific ideas, a reference should be placed at the end of a paragraph or sentence.

For Example:

Douglass often found himself bemoaning his own life. He consistently thought of committing suicide or doing something bad that would encourage another to kill him. But he kept his eye on the future where he imagined freedom (Douglass 130). 

Download Inference and Analysis-Thesis.pptx

For Works Cited:

MLA anthology .JPG Download MLA anthology .JPG

On this page you will see the requirements for an MLA Works Cited page entry.

Remember that entries on a Works Cited page are not indented initially, but if an entry goes to a second or third line, those lines are indented. It is the opposite of a paragraph.

Here are the pages needed to fulfill a Works Cited page-

50 essays CR.JPG For 50 Essays edited by Samuel Cohen Download 50 essays CR.JPG For 50 Essays edited by Samuel Cohen

40 ss.JPG For 40 Short Stories edited by Beverly Lawn Download 40 ss.JPG For 40 Short Stories edited by Beverly Lawn

books 101.jpg Download books 101.jpg     backs of books 101.JPG Download backs of books 101.JPG