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Quick Reminder!

Learning a new formatting style can seem impossible! It takes a lot of practice to remember some of the rules and be able to apply them without checking some sort of outside resource.

Don’t be shy to ask for help or look something up! The Writing Center would be happy to help if you need to ask any questions or practice with in-person guidance.

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Basic Page Set-up

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Typography

MLA requires a few important rules for the text/font you use when writing:

Times New Roman
12 pt.
Double Spaced

It’s important to do this before writing anything so that you don’t forget to come back and format it later.

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Page Numbers

Tip: Most writing programs have a button for adding page numbers if you search for it.

Page numbers, proceeded by your last name are required on MLA documents, typically, regardless of how many pages the document is. (Even single page documents!)

This goes on the top right hand side of the document. Keep in mind the font needs to match the rest of the document and page numbers default back to Arial 11 in docs.

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Document Information

John Doe

Professor Smith

English 130W

20 August 2023

Example:

On the left hand side, it’s important to include information about you and what the document is going to be used for. Write this in the following order:

Your name
Professor Name
Class Name
Due Date

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Numbers

Spelled Out:

Numbers zero to nine
A number that starts a sentence (although this should be avoided)
A number that is part of a common phrase (back to square one)
Common fractions (one half, two thirds)

Numerals:

Numbers 10 and up
Units of measurement (3 cm, 65 g)
Mathematical functions (5:2 ratio, 7%)
A number indicating time, an age, a date, money, a numeral, a point on a scale.

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Organization

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Thesis

A thesis is the main point or core argument of an essay and typically is one sentence in length.

In the majority of MLA essays, the thesis is placed at the end of your introduction or first paragraph. If you’re unsure about this you should ask your professor where they expect to find it.

What is a Thesis?

Where should it be?

My name

Prof.

Class name

Due Date

Title

Introduction start. A few lines to introduce my topic. Thesis here at the very end!

New paragraph below the thesis.

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Topic Sentences

A topic sentence is the first sentence of a new paragraph that states the main point of the paragraph. (Like a thesis but for a single point rather than the whole essay!)

Topic sentences are very useful for all of your body paragraphs to help with transitions and staying on task. Be sure that each topic sentence supports your overall thesis.

What is a Topic Sentence?

Where should it be?

My name

Prof.

Class name

Due Date

Title

Introduction start. A few lines to introduce my topic. Thesis here at the very end!

New paragraph below the thesis.

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Signal Phrases

Incorporating a source

Most essays require the use of supporting material, otherwise known as sources or evidence. It’s important to not just drop quoted material into an essay without giving some sort of transition. We call these transitions signal phrases!

Dropped Quote:

Dogs are important members of society. “Dogs not only provide family support, but world jobs as well.”

Dogs are important members of society. Police Chief John Smith explains, “Dogs not only provide family support, but world jobs as well” (12).

Incorporated Quote:

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Example Phrases

Phrases with author name:

Psychologists found that,
It was discovered in a study about the subject that,
As explained by scientists with Mercy Medical Unit,
The author made this clear when they wrote,

Phrases without author name:

Smith writes that,
Smith disagreed with this when she stated,
Dr. Smith states,
However, Smith Acknowledges,

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In-Text

Citations

MLA General Guide Link

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What are In-Text Citations?

In-text citations allow for us to quote material, or paraphrase, what another person or company wrote or said in our essays.

It is very important to give proper credit to our sources not only out of respect but to avoid accidental plagiarism. Something else to keep in mind as we source our papers is that typically in MLA essays, professors are looking for a balance of 20-25% outside source and 80-75% your own words. At first this can be tricky, but it will get easier with practice!

The rules for citations change based on what your source is! Purdue Owl from Purdue University is a great place to look up specifics.

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When Do I Have to Cite Something?

Rules for Citation

The most common way to identify what needs to be sourced in your essay, is to ask “Did I only discover this after beginning my research?”

If you got the information from a source online or otherwise, it needs to be cited even if it is paraphrased information.

Common Knowledge:

New York is one of the largest cities in the US and therefore acts as a way for Americans to see national issues in a greater way.

New York has a population of 19 .49 million according to the World Population Review.

Sourced Material

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When Should I Quote vs. Paraphrase?

Quote

Paraphrasing is best when you want to reference statistics or explain a concept that uses jargon the average reader wouldn’t understand.

Original quote: California had 161,548 homeless people, which accounted for 28% of the nation’s homeless population.
Paraphrase: California has one of the highest homeless populations in the nation and accounts for nearly a third of the US homeless (California Senate).

Paraphrase

If you want a particular phrasing or are referencing a book, often quoting is the best choice. Here are some examples:

C.S. Lewis wrote, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream” (12).
Poet Maya Angelou put it best whens he said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

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In-Text Citation Examples

Dr. Smith explained “People benefit from writing about their day” (12).
A researcher from Harvard University wrote that, “Reading opens doors for people” (Smith 12).

With page number

This is explained wonderfully by Kevin Costner's character in Hidden Figures when he said “We get to the peak together or we don’t get there at all” (Melfi, 1:20:14).

Podcast/Movie

John Smith with the New York Times, explained in an online article that, “Dogs help families bond.”
A journalist with the Chicago Tribune stated “Dogs are great pets” (Smith).

No page number

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In-Text Citation Examples

Dr. Smith and Jones explained “People benefit from writing about their day” (12).
Researchers from Harvard University wrote that, “Reading opens doors for people” (Smith et al. 12).

Multiple Authors

In an interview with the New York Times Jon Smith said, “I love to write” (qtd. in Jones).
In an article from NASA researchers gave data to support this (qtd. in Smith).

Quoted from elsewhere

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In-Text Citations; No Author?

If your source is from a large organization and has no author, the author name can be substituted with the org. name.
Researchers from Harvard University wrote that, “Reading opens doors for people” (Smith et al. 12).

Organization as Author

In an interview with the New York Times Jon Smith said, “I love to write” (qtd. in Jones).
In an article from NASA researchers gave data to support this (qtd. in Smith).

Article in Author’s Place

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Works Cited Page

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Setting Up Your Works Cited Page

A Works Cited page is the final page/pages on an MLA document that list all of the sources you’ve used throughout your essay in alphabetical order.

The Works Cited page should start on the following page from your last paragraph and be labeled. From there, we use hanging indents to separate entries that are sorted by author’s last name.

What is a Works Cited Page?

How do I Format That?

Works Cited

Smith, John. A Generic Book. 12 Aug. 2023

Turner, Abigail. “How to

write” New York Times. 13 Sept. 2023

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Example Sources

Last Name, First Name. “Article

Title.” Website/Organization Title, Date Written. Link the website.

Poletti, Alex. “Relish a New Sport:

Pickleball.” The Orion, 4 May 2023. https://theorion.com/95010/sports.

Online Article

Last Name, First Name.

“Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. #, no. #, Date published, pp. #-#, Link to the source.

Smith, John. “Writing in MLA.”

Academic Writing, vol. 1, no. 2, Mar. 2020, pp. 100-102. www.write.com

Academic Journal

Last Name, First Name. Book

Title. City of Publication, Publisher, Publication Date.

King, Stephen. On Writing: a

Memoir of the Craft. New York City, Scribner, 2000.

Book

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Works Cited; No Author?

Dr. Smith and Jones explained “People benefit from writing about their day” (12).
Researchers from Harvard University wrote that, “Reading opens doors for people” (Smith et al. 12).

Organization as Author

In an interview with the New York Times Jon Smith said, “I love to write” (qtd. in Jones).
In an article from NASA researchers gave data to support this (qtd. in Smith).

Article in Author’s Place

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A Lot To Remember? Try the Library!

If you use a source from the library, not only will you have a strong piece of evidence, but you also will have access to the automatic citation function.

You just have to select your source and hit the “Citation” button in the top left corner. Before you copy, be sure to check which style it is set to.

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Final Checklist

Have I met all the requirements of the prompt for the assignment?
Is my name, the professor’s name, the class name, and the due date on the first page?
Is my thesis clear and easy to find?
Do I have enough evidence to back up my claims?
Is that evidence cited both in-text and on the works cited page?

Do I Have Everything I Need?

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All done!

You are now prepared to begin finalizing your draft with citations.

Any Questions?

Come see us at the Writing Center!

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Visit the Writing Center!

One-hour appointments

Monday - Thursday 10:00am-9:00pm

Friday 10:00am-3:00pm

*Appointments past 5pm will be held over Zoom

30 min drop in sessions

Monday - Thursday 10:00am-5:00pm

Friday 10:00am-3:00pm

Online feedback

Go to https://www.csuchico.edu/slc/writing.shtml & click on “Submit Your Draft Online for Feedback” to submit your paper

Student Learning Center SSC 340

(530) 898-6839

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