1. General Formatting Rules for MLA
Margins are 1” on all sides
Page numbers should be a header a half-inch from the top in the upper-right hand corner, and include your last name (“Naughtin 1”)
You should only hit the space bar once after each sentence. See? Not like this. And definitely not like this. Boo!
Indent each paragraph by hitting “Tab” once
Times New Roman, 12-point font
The essay should be double spaced throughout.

2. Citations
A parenthetical citation includes two parentheses, the author’s last name, and the page number.
When the quote acts as the last part of your sentence, write the quote, follow it with the parenthetical, and finish with the end mark.
Edwards states that “natural men are held in the hand of God” (Edwards 79).
When the quote lies in the middle of your sentence, you still put the punctuation after your citation.
Orwell states that “natural men are held in the hand of God” (Edwards 79), but Bradstreet’s perspective in “Upon the Burning of Our House” contradict him.
If you’re citing the same work twice in a row, you don’t have to write the name again.

3. More about citations…
If you’re using multiple sources in the same sentence, you may combine the parentheticals: (Edwards 79; Bradstreet 69)
If there’s no author, you may use the work’s title instead of the author’s last name
Do the same thing if you’re citing two works from the same author
Use the first initial and last name of authors if you’re citing different writers with the same last name: (T. Naughtin 17) (M. Naughtin 23)
Italicize the titles of longer works, and place the titles of songs, poems, films, articles, and other shorter pieces in “quotation marks”.

4. Even more about citations…
If you’re citing a bible, cite the version, book, chapter and verse.
Ezekiel saw "what seemed to be four living creatures," each with faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (New Jerusalem Bible, Ezek ).

5. Special formatting
For quotes that are longer than three full lines of your page, you’ll use a block quote
The entire block quote is indented one inch (two Tabs) from the left margin, and is still double-spaced
You don’t use quotation marks, and you put your citation after the period
If you’re cutting words out of a quote (especially in a block quote), use … (an ellipsis) to show that you’ve made the change

6. Works Cited Page
You still have a header (last name and page number) on your separate Works Cited page – although this does not count towards your 3-5 page limit
Center the title of the page on the first line
Double-space all citations here, and do not hit “Enter” between citations
Indent the second and third lines of citations by a half-inch (just like a paragraph)
Appropriately capitalize your titles (“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”)

7. WC page continued An author’s name is listed Last, First Middle
When listing your citations, alphabetize them by last name
If citing multiple works by the same author, substitute three hyphens (---) for the name the second time
After writing the author’s name, place a period after the name and the work’s title
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

8. More Works Cited
Books: Last, First. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year Published. Print.
If more than one author, then the format includes: Last, First and First Last.
If more than two authors, then the format includes: Last, First, et al.
Corporations, firms, and foundations count as authors
Article from a website: Author. “Article title.” Title of Website. Version #, posting date, volume or issue #. Publisher name and date. Page #s. Date of access. <URL>

9. More Works Cited
Periodical: Author. “Title.” Title of Periodical Date: Page Numbers. Medium of publication.
Scholarly Journal from an online database: Author. “Title of article.” Title of Journal.Volume.Issue (Year): Page Numbers. Title of database. Medium of publication. Date of access.
Article from an online database: Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Date: pages.Title of database. Medium of publication. Date of access.

10. Works Cited
"Business Coalition for Climate Action Doubles." Environmental Defense. 8 May 2007.
Environmental Defense Organization. 24 May Web.
Clinton, Bill. Interview. New York Times on the Web. May May Keyword: Climate.
Web.
Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet." New York Times on the Web 22
May Web. 25 May 2007.
Ebert, Roger. "An Inconvenient Truth." Rev. of An Inconvenient Truth, dir. Davis Guggenheim.
rogerebert.com. 2 June Web. 24 May 2007.
Global Warming Cooler Heads Coalition. 24 May Web.
Gowdy, John. "Avoiding Self-organized Extinction: Toward a Co-evolutionary Economics of
Sustainability." International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology (2007): Print.
An Inconvenient Truth. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perf. Al Gore. Lawrence Bender, Film.
Leroux, Marcel. Global Warming: Myth Or Reality?: The Erring Ways of Climatology. New York:
Springer, Print.
Milken, Michael, Gary Becker, Myron Scholes, and Daniel Kahneman. "On Global Warming and
Financial Imbalances." New Perspectives Quarterly 23.4 (2006): 63. Print.
Nordhaus, William D. "After Kyoto: Alternative Mechanisms to Control Global Warming."
American Economic Review 96.2 (2006): Print.
"Global Warming Economics." Science 9 Nov. 2001: May Print.
Shulte, Bret. "Putting a Price on Pollution; Climate change laws seem inevitable, but their
economic impact is unknown." US News & World Report 14 May May Print.
Uzawa, Hirofumi. Economic Theory and Global Warming. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, Print.

11. First page format Upper left corner –
Your name, instructor’s name, course title, date
Center title of essay (no caps, underlining, italics, quotation marks, etc.)
Include a header on this page

12. America’s Empty Promises
Lee 1
Mindy Lee
Mrs. Naughtin
English 11B
26 April 2011
America’s Empty Promises
America is perceived as a great nation that provides all of its citizens with opportunities to succeed,
especially through monetary gain. Regardless of its abundance for some, most Americans do not reap the benefits this
country allegedly offers. This is evident within various American works as many characters endure the hardships
society creates rather than flourish from its advantages. Langston Hughes’ poems “Harlem” and “I, Too,” Stephen
Sondheim’s and Leonard Bernstein’s stage lyrics “America” and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby convey
the average American’s plight of adversity. The challenges individuals must overcome are the discriminatory values
society upholds; therefore, the American dream of wealth and success is inaccessible due to social discrimination.

13. Go to Owl at Purdue, Purdue’s Online Writing Lab if you have any further questions – they are the authorities on MLA formatting!