MLA rules

format a list of sources

-Label the page Works Cited (do not italicize the words Works Cited or put them in quotation marks) and center the words -Works Cited at the top of the page. Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries. -Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inches to create a hanging indent. -aphatbetically - last name, first name -Use italics (instead of underlining) for titles of larger works (books, magazines) and quotation marks for titles of shorter works (poems, articles)

formatting titles

-Use quotation marks for a short story/essay/poem from an anthology/collection; episodes of television series; song titles; articles from journals; and a posting/article from a Web site. -Use italics for book/anthology titles; periodicals (journals, magazines, newspapers); and Web sites. When a work that is normally independent (such as a novel or play) appears in a collection, the work's title remains in italics.

margins

1" all the way around, and the pagination a half inch from the top.

use of quotation marks

1)Use a comma to introduce a quotation after a standard dialogue tag, a brief introductory phrase, or a dependent clause. -The detective said, "I am sure who performed the murder. 2)Put commas and periods within quotation marks, except when a parenthetical reference follows. -He said, "I may forget your name, but I never forget a face." 3)Place colons and semicolons outside closed quotation marks. -Williams described the experiment as "a definitive step forward"; other scientists disagreed. 4)Place a question mark or exclamation point within closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the quotation itself. Place the punctuation outside the closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the whole sentence. -Phillip asked, "Do you need this book?"

Book entry for a Works Cited page

Author. Title. organization that its affiliated with. publisher, date created. Print. date you visited it.

in-text (parenthetical) citation for a novel with a single author

For Print sources like books, magazines, scholarly journal articles, and newspapers, provide a signal word or phrase (usually the author's last name) and a page number. If you provide the signal word/phrase in the sentence, you do not need to include it in the parenthetical citation. Human beings have been described by Kenneth Burke as "symbol-using animals" (3). Human beings have been described as "symbol-using animals" (Burke 3).

Article in a Reference Book (e.g. Encyclopedias, Dictionaries)

For entries in encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works, cite the piece as you would any other work in a collection but do not include the publisher information. Also, if the reference book is organized alphabetically, as most are, do not list the volume or the page number of the article or item. "Ideology." The American Heritage Dictionary. 3rd ed., 1997.

entry for book with one author

Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. Penguin, 1987.

When to italize a title

Large pieces of works like moives, books, plays, etc.

1st page heading:

Name Teachers Name Course and Period Date

When to put a title in quotes

Small pieces of work that may be a part of a larger piece like poems, articles, short stories

font

Times New Roman, 12 pt

entry for book with two authors

When a book has multiple authors, order the authors in the same way they are presented in the book. The first given name appears in last name, first name format; subsequent author names appear in first name last name format. Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Allyn and Bacon, 2000.

entry for a work in an anthology (part of a book)

Works may include an essay in an edited collection or anthology, or a chapter of a book. The basic form is for this sort of citation is as follows: Last name, First name. "Title of Essay." Title of Collection, edited by Editor's Name(s), Publisher, Year, Page range of entry.

A Works Cited page

a page that cites the works you used throughout the paragraph.

Spacing

double

Page Number

in the uppper right hand corner

title of book

italized title

title of an essay

no underline and no quotation

bibliography

sources that helped you use your paper (helped but didn't mention)