Citations & FormattingTopic #8 of 10

MLA Style Guide

Basics of Modern Language Association (MLA) formatting and citation style.

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is typically used in the humanities, such as literature, languages, and philosophy.

General Format

  • Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt.
  • Spacing: Double-spaced.
  • Margins: 1 inch.
  • Header: Your last name and page number in the top right (e.g., Doe 1).

In-Text Citations

  • Format: (Author Page) -> (Doe 25)
  • No Comma: unlike APA, there is no comma between author and page.

Works Cited Page

  • Label: "Works Cited" centered.
  • Order: Alphabetical.
  • Hanging Indent: Yes.

Examples

Book: Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date.

Article: Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Container (Journal, Website, etc.), vol. number, no. number, Date, pp. pages. Location (URL or DOI).