MLA Style Research Paper Guide Sheet

and Works Cited Guide Sheet

(6^th Edition) 

 

1. Organize your notes before you start typing your paper.  Have all the information you need for your Works Cited Page gathered and/or written out.
2. Have your research paper guide sheet near you.
3. Use 8 ½ x 11 inch paper.
4. Format your paper before you start typing your information.
   1. Set your margins to 1-inch top, bottom, left, right.

                                                              i.      File, Page Setup, Click on Margins Tab, set margins to 1”  (that is 1 inch) top, bottom, left, right.

                                                             ii.      Set paper orientation to Portrait unless you are doing a special page during the paper that needs landscape.

                                                           iii.      Click default button in bottom left corner.  This will permanently set your margins to 1” every time you open a Word document.

                                                          iv.      Click OK

2. Format Spacing and Indentation

                                                              i.      In toolbar click on Format, Paragraph

                                                             ii.      Make sure Alignment is left

                                                           iii.      Under Indentation, under special, click on arrow that brings up first line indent.  Click on First Line.  Set amount of indent to .5” (that is ½ inch)

                                                          iv.      Under Spacing, click on arrow then click on double

                                                           v.      Click on OK

3. Set your Font. 

                                                              i.      Make sure the color is black

                                                             ii.      Use a business-type font.  Not curly or italicized, or unusual looking.

                                                           iii.      Keep the size between 10-12 depending on the type of font.

5. Works cited page is a separate page.
   1. At the end of your main section of paper press Control and Enter at the same time.  This will give you a new page in the same document.
   2. In toolbar click on Format, Paragraph

                                                              i.      Set Indentation, Special to hanging indent.  Set the amount to .5” (that is ½ inch).  This will make all lines after the first line indent .5”.

                                                             ii.      Keep the double space.

3. Now go to File, Page Setup

                                                              i.      Make sure your margins are still 1” (that is 1 inch)

                                                             ii.      In bottom left where it says Whole Document, click on arrow at click on From This Point Forward.

Remember to:

6. Underline titles of books.
7. Italicize titles of articles within books, online encyclopedias and webpages.
8. Arrange entries on Works Cited page alphabetically by author.  If there is no author alphabetize using whatever word is first in your citation.
9. Pay attention to punctuation, spacing after punctuation and capitalization.
10. Indent second and third lines of citation 5 inches.
11. Indent first line of paragraphs 5 inches.
12. Double space throughout your paper, even the Works Cited page.

 

Information you will need for your Works Cited page

 

1. Author of article, book or web page.
2. Title of article, book or web page.
3. Title of book or periodical if using an article.
4. City of publication
5. Publisher
6. Year of publication (copyright date).
7. Date of posting/revision/update of web page.
8. Name of Institution/organization affiliated with web page.
9. If using a database - name of service provider, i.e. EBSCOhost, Gale
10. Date accessing web page.
11. URL (electronic address) of web page.

 

How to Cite Your Sources and Examples

 Book (one author):

Author’s Last name, author’s First name. Title of Book. City of  Publication: Publisher, Copyright Year.

Example:

Parson, Alexander. Amazing Spiders. New York: Knopf, 1990.

 

Book (editor, no author):

Editor’s Last Name, First Name, ed. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Copyright Year.

Example:

Middleton, John, ed. Africa: An Encyclopedia for Students. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2002.

 

Book (no author named)

Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, copyright date.

 

Example:

Encyclopedia of Indiana. New York: Somerset, 1993.

 

 

Article from an encyclopedia:

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Reference Book. Copyright date or year of edition.

(author’s name is found at the end of the article in very tiny letters) 

Example:

Edison, Thomas. “Electricity.” World Book Encyclopedia. 2002 ed.

 

Archives of the Sisters of St. Francis of Holy Name Province, Inc., Stella Niagara, N.Y. 14144 reference number.

          (The reference number format is:

                    Collection code—Box Number: File or Item Number, Date 

e.g. P5—2:1, 12/12/1972)

 

Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Source Day Month Year of publication: pages.

 

Example:

Poniewozik, James. "Elephants." Zoobooks 20 Nov. 2000: 70-71.

 

 

Electronic Sources

A web site

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. Title of Page or Site. Date of Posting/Revision. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site. Day Month Year of visit to site <URL>

Example:

Jones, Jonathon. Nature: Elephants of Africa. 2001. Thirteen/WNET New York. 3 Feb. 2004   <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/elephants/credits.html>

 

Online Encyclopedia

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. “Title of Article.” Encyclopedia Title. Date of Visit to Site <URL>

Example:

Minch, Edwin W. “Spider.” World Book Online. 9 April 2003 <http://worldbookonline.com>

  

 

 

Article from a Database

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. "Title of Article." Original Source of Article Date of Original Source: Pages. Database Title. Name of Service Provider. Day Month Year of visit to site <URL>

 

Example:

Churchman, Deborah. “Super Spider Silk.” Ranger Rick May 1995: 36. Primary Search. EBSCOhost. 9 April 2003 <http://search.epnet.com>

 

CD-ROM Encyclopedia Article

“Title of Article.” Title of the CD-ROM. CD-ROM. City of Publication: Publisher, Day Month Year of Publication.

 

Example:

“Spiders.” Grolier’s New Multimedia Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. Danbury, CT: Grolier, 2003.