Current Events Project Writing your Research Paper: Final Draft MLA Formatting and Style Guide

Your Instructor Knows Best #1 Rule for any formatting style: Always Follow your instructor’s Guidelines If they ask for something different, or modified, give it to them. YOUR PAPER IS TO BE WRITTEN IN MLA FORMAT!!!

Format: General Guidelines MLA determines how the final paper should look:  Use white 8.5” x 11” paper  Double-space everything  Use 12 pt. Times New Roman font (or similar font)  Leave only one space after punctuation  Set all margins to 1 inch on all sides  (automatic in Microsoft Word)  Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch – 1 tab, 5 spaces  (automatic in Microsoft Word)  Header with last name and page numbers in the upper right corner  Use italics for titles of sources

Formatting the 1st Page  No separate title page  Double space everything  Paper Heading - In the upper left corner of the 1st page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and date  Title - Center the paper title (use standard caps but NO underlining, italics, “quote,” or bold)  Header - upper right corner at half inch from the top and one inch from the right of the page (include your last name and page number)

Sample 1st Page Paper Heading – -Your Name -Teacher -Course -Date Header - -Last Name & page number Title – -Centered -No underline or italics Body- -All double spaced -Paragraphs indented -Right justified

How to Add Parenthetical Notations Always give credit to your source to avoid plagiarism! Use quotation marks (“ ”) to indicate direct quotes: According to some, dreams express "profound aspects of personality,” though others disagree (Foulkes 184). No quotation marks are needed for indirect quotes: According to a study by Foulkes, an individual’s personality is revealed in their dreams (184). Parenthetical Notations appear at the end of your sentence so that they don’t disrupt your writing. Period goes after the parenthesis ( ). No comma used between author and page number Signal Words appear exactly as they do in the first piece of information on the Works Cited page. Last name or “Article Title” (including quotation marks)

Works Cited Page: the sources you actually used in your paper, not the whole Bibliography Sample Works Cited page: Last Page of Paper – -header with last name and page number Title- -Works Cited -centered Entries- -listing of works quoted in paper -ABC order by first piece of info in entry, or signal word -Hanging indent for each line past first -This indicates each new entry -double spaced Notations- -use first piece of info from WC as your signal words

Basic Formats for Works Cited Page Basic Format for Print Sources: Last name, First. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium. Electronic Source Basic Format: Author Last name, First. “Article Title.” Title of Website. Date of website publication. Web. Date of access. An example of a properly listed Works Cited Page: Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory. Purdue U, 28 Nov Web. 10 May Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, Print. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com. eHow, n.d. Web. 24 Feb

For More Information To see a full sample research paper, go to The 2009 MLA Documentation Guide, see pages OR: Purdue OWL: