MLA Format:
MLA (Modern Language
Association) is the standard for most papers in high school and college.
You are expected to meet its guidelines.
Most are fairly straightforward.
I’ve indicated where such guidelines are optional.
Typed Copy:
Standard typeface, 12 point font, double-spaced, printed only on one side of the
paper. Left margin justify—do
not justify the right
margin. Plain white paper. Xeroxed
copy is usually fine.
Margins, etc.
Use standard 1” to 1 ¼” margins.
Indent all paragraphs using the tab key ( ½”).
Labeling, Title:
Title pages are not required unless the paper is quite long.
-
Place name, date of this draft, hour, instructor’s name, and assignment
name is the upper left or upper right corner.
-
Titles of papers are still in standard 12 pt font, centered.
Follow capitalization rules for titles.
Do not underline or place title in full caps or quotation marks.
Numbering:
Number all pages in the upper right-hand corner with your last name and the page
number. Most word processors do
this automatically with the "Insert" menu or (better) through a Header function
("View" menu)..
Tables,
Illustrations: Place figures,
charts, etc. as close to the text that they relate to as you can.
Tables should be labeled clearly and cross-referenced in the text with a
parentheses (See Figure 1), for instance.
Proofreading.
Corrections, etc. on final copy are okay.
They simply need to be done neatly and
clearly. Use a caret (^)
to mark insertions.