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How to Write in Formal MLA Format

Research is important to the credibility of any author. Documenting resources and references is vital to scholastic writing in this regard. Several different formats and styles apply to different types of scholastic writing. For instance, the Modern Language Association format is commonly used for studies in the humanities and liberal arts. MLA style is regarded as simpler than most styles, do to its use of brief parenthetical citations, and an alphabetical works cited list.

Instructions

    • 1

      Format listings for a book by: author's last and first name, title of work, publication location, publisher, year of publication and format.

      For example: Okuda, Michael, and Denise Okuda. Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future. New York: Pocket, 1993. Print.

      The title of the work should be italicized.

    • 2

      Insert journal entries in the works cited list by: author's last and first name, title of work, title of journal, volume, issue number, year published, pages referenced and format.

      For example: Wilcox, Rhonda V. "Shifting Roles and Synthetic Women in Star Trek: The Next Generation." Studies in Popular Culture 13.2(1991): 53-65. Print.

      The title of the journal should be italicized.

    • 3

      Cite newspaper or magazine articles by: author's last and first name, title of article, title of periodical, day, month, year, pages referenced and format.

      An example of proper newspaper or journal citation is: Di Rado, Alicia. "Trekking through College: Classes Explore Modern Society Using the World of Star Trek." Los Angeles Times 15 Mar. 1995: A3. Print.

      The title of the publication should be italicized.

    • 4

      Cite the format for a website by: name of the author, editor and director, title of the article, title of the website, posting and revision dates, site sponsor or publisher, date of publication, format and date of access. URL is optional.

      For example: Devitt, Terry. "Lightning injures four at music festival." The Why? Files. 2 Aug. 2001. 23 Jan. 2002 <http://whyfiles.org/137lightning/index.html>.

      The title of the website should be italicized.

    • 5

      Insert database articles by: author's last and first name, article title, name of magazine or journal, volume number, issue number, publication year, page numbers references, title of database, format and date of access.

      For example: McCarthy, Erin. "10 Scenes that changed movie history." Popular Mechanics184.1 (2007): 64. Research Library Core, ProQuest. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.

      The title of the magazine or journal should be italicized.

    • 6

      Reference sources from an encyclopedia by: author's last and first name, title of the article, name of encyclopedia, edition, first name and last name, number of volumes, publication location, publisher, year of publication and format.

      For example: Horn, Maurice. "Flash Gordon." The World Encyclopedia of Comics. Ed. Maurice Horn. 2 vols. New York: Chelsea, 1976. Print.

      The title of the encyclopedia should be italicized.

    • 7

      Cite films by the: title of the film, director and cast, film studio, year released and format.

      For example: It's a Wonderful Life. Dir. Frank Capra. Perf. James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, and Thomas Mitchell. RKO, 1946. Film.

      The title of the film should be italicized.

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