MLA Basics
What font and size does MLA 9 recommend?
12-point Times New Roman
How do you include an author in parentheses at the end of a quote?
(Author Last Name page number)
How is a book title formatted in Works Cited?
Italicized
How should the title of your paper appear?
Centered, plain text
How do you handle no page numbers in an in-text citation?
Include only author (or other locator info if available)
Example: (Smith) or (Smith, par. 4)
How many spaces for paragraph indentation?
Five spaces
Cite a paraphrase from John Smith on page 45.
(Smith 45)
How do you cite a source with two authors in Works Cited?
Last Name, First, and First Last. Title. Publisher, Year.
When do you use italics vs. quotation marks for titles?
Italics for books, films; quotes for poems, articles, short stories
How do you cite multiple works by the same author after the first entry?
Use ---., then title
What appears in the page header?
Student’s last name + page number
Correct this: "Wordsworth said, 'Poetry expresses emotion' (Wordsworth 263).
“Wordsworth said, ‘Poetry expresses emotion’ (263).”
Cite a chapter/article in an edited book. (hint: you're not using made-up info, but rather language like "Author," etc.
Author. “Title of Chapter.” Title of Book, edited by Editor(s), Publisher, Year, pages.
1 inch on all sides
How do you cite a source with no author?
Use title in parentheses
Example: (Guide to MLA 45)
MLA papers are double-spaced: true or false?
True
How do you cite a paraphrase with three authors? Use the names John Brown, Gina Smith, and Debbie Jones, found on pg. 144).
(Brown, Smith, and Jones 144)
Cite a translated book in Works Cited (just using "Author," etc.
Author. Title. Translated by Translator, Publisher, Year.
Where does the student's name, professor, class, and date go?
Top-left corner of the first page
How do you indicate omitted words in a quote?
Use ellipsis: …
List 3 key elements of MLA formatting besides font and margins (like the entire essay overall)
Double-spacing, header with name/page, title centered
Include the page range: (Smith 165-66)
How do you cite multiple works by the same author in Works Cited?
First entry: author normally. Subsequent entries: ---., then title.
How is the first page different from subsequent pages in MLA formatting?
Includes heading and title; subsequent pages just have header with name/page
What should you do if paraphrasing an idea from a source with no page numbers?
Include author only, or paragraph/section if available