What Is the MLA Format for Language-Arts Papers?

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style covers the humanities and liberal arts. Language-arts papers therefore abide to the strict stylings of MLA format. The reason for the format is to maintain consistency throughout the industry to avoid confusion and help readers understand references easier. Citing in MLA varies according to the format of the reference (print, Web, etc.) but includes certain constants throughout each citation. 
  1. Format

    • Use hanging indention to format the reference page of your paper. This means that the first line of the reference begins at the margin and each additional line is indented 1/2 inch.

    Books

    • Cite books by the author's last and first name, title of the book, city of publication, publisher name and the year of publication. For example, a book with an author is cited as so: O'Malley, Bryan. Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life. Portland: Oni Press, 2004. 

      A referenced book without an author, however, is cited as such: Supermachines. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp., 1989. 

    Encyclopedias

    • Credit references from encyclopedias by the author of the article (if given), the title of the article, title of encyclopedia and the date of publication. For example: Heder, Will. "Airplanes." Academic American. 1999. 

    Websites

    • Reference websites by the author's last and first name, title of article, name of website, date of publication or update, site sponsor (if given) and date of access, such as: Miller, Drew. "Six Hilarious Ways Al-Qaeda Is Going Corporate." Cracked. 5 Aug. 2011. Demand Media, Inc. 9 Aug. 2011 <http://www.cracked.com/article_19342_6-hilarious-ways-al-qaeda-going-corporate.html>.

    Magazines

    • Format articles from magazines by the author's last and first names, title of article, magazine title, date of article and page numbers referenced. For example: Folger, Tim. "Quantum Shmantum." Discover Sept. 2001: 37-43.

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