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Intro to MLA 8: Formatting
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Introduction to MLA 8: Formatting
Laura Henning, Writing Specialist
DSC Writing Center
The Importance of MLA
MLA (Modern Language Association) Style might at first seem like a bunch of arbitrary rules you have to learn and follow per your professor's request, rules that have no real merit beyond a box on the rubric!
What Is MLA Style?
However, MLA Style is extremely important because it creates clarity and consistency across the research of different disciplines.
Why Use MLA?
Providing Cues, Acknowledging Audience, and Establishing Credibility
The Purdue OWL identifies three main reasons why abiding by MLA's standards is important:
Who Typically Uses MLA?
- "[It] provide[s] your readers with cues they can use to follow your ideas more efficiently and to locate information of interest to them."
- "[It] allow[s] readers to focus more on your ideas by not distracting them with unfamiliar or complicated formatting."
MLA Style is generally utilized by writers, students, and researchers conducting work in the humanities. You will most often encounter MLA style in the following disciplines: English Literature and Language, Comparative Literature, Foreign Languages, Cultural Studies, and Literary Criticism.
- "[It] establishes your credibility or ethos in the field by demonstrating an awareness of your audience and their needs as fellow researchers (particularly concerning the citing of references)."
General Formatting
- Use a legible, 12 pt. font (for example, Times New Roman).
- Maintain double spacing throughout, even on the Works Cited page.
General Formatting
- Set the margins to 1" on all sides.
- Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that numbers all pages consecutively; put your last name before the page number.
Formatting the First Page
Formatting the First Page: Guidelines
- Do not include a cover page (unless directed otherwise).
- List your name, your professor's name, the course, and the date (day month year format) in the upper left-hand corner of the first page.
- Center your title; do not underline, italicize, or bold it.
- The only time you will italicize or add quotation marks around any part of your title is if you have a title of a work within the title of your paper.
- Do not add an extra space whenever you create a new line.
Helpful Links
DSC Writing Center's MLA InfoGuide: https://library.daytonastate.edu/citation/MLA
DSC Writing Center homepage: https://www.daytonastate.edu/cwc/
Additional Resources
Official MLA Style website: https://style.mla.org/
Purdue OWL MLA formatting guide: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_general_format.html