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Mlaessaychecklist2011 1

This document provides an extensive checklist for formatting an MLA style essay. It outlines the proper formatting for font, margins, headers, titles, citations, and the works cited page. Key requirements include double spacing the entire essay, using 12 point Times New Roman font, having a 1 inch margin on all sides, and properly citing direct quotes and paraphrases with in-text citations that include the author's last name and page number. The works cited page must be alphabetized by author last name and follow MLA formatting guidelines.

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403 views

Mlaessaychecklist2011 1

This document provides an extensive checklist for formatting an MLA style essay. It outlines the proper formatting for font, margins, headers, titles, citations, and the works cited page. Key requirements include double spacing the entire essay, using 12 point Times New Roman font, having a 1 inch margin on all sides, and properly citing direct quotes and paraphrases with in-text citations that include the author's last name and page number. The works cited page must be alphabetized by author last name and follow MLA formatting guidelines.

Uploaded by

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Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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MLA Essay Checklist

The Basics
o text is double-spaced including quotations
o Times New Roman font
o 12 pt. font size
o no bold writing
o 1 inch margins on all four sides
o Header: In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your
instructor's name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced
text.
o Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your
title in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not
in all capital letters. Your title should be descriptive of your argument. It must be
in Title Case, not in all capital letters. (The first word and all the 'main' words in a
title should have initial capitals, and all the 'joining' words should be left in lower
case, e.g.: To Be, or Not to Be, That is the Question)
o Book Titles or Major Works should be underlined or italicized, not both. Short
Stories, Poems, Articles should be put in quotations marks.
o header numbering all pages consecutively (except cover page) in the upper righthand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. Includes
last name, followed by a space with a page number; number all pages
consecutively with Arabic numerals (2, 3, 4, etc.)
o only one space after periods or other punctuation marks
o the upper left-hand corner of the first page lists: your last name and the page
number
o strong thesis statement and three main points included in the intro
o present tense is used to convey the ongoing life of any literature of film e.g.:
*Hamlet stabs Polonius (vs. stabbed); Shakespeare portrays Henry V as a subtle
Machiavellian (vs. Shakespeare portrayed).
o proper indentation (first line of each paragraph moved to right five spaces/tabbed
once. Indenting is not an afterthought. If you need an arrow to indicate it is
indented then it is NOT!)
o proper paragraphing (at least 4 sentences per paragraph AND at least 5 paragraphs
in the essay)
o use transition words to allow your essay to flow
o no personal pronouns (you dont know how important voting is until)
o no narrative language (I will write, in my essay, I believe, in
conclusion)
o then and than used correctly
o their, theyre, there used correctly
o whether and weather used correctly
o back in the day or now a days is not used
o sentences express complete thoughts (be careful with But or Because)
o abbreviations are not used (etc., esp., )

o
o
o
o
o

proper punctuation
no texting language: gonna, wanna, sorta, etc.
contractions are NOT used (cant, wont, isnt, doesnt)
proper spelling (numbers less than 20 are spelled out)
the author is addressed by full name or last name only, NOT FIRST NAME

In Text Citations (Note: bolding is only for indication of the items highlighted-it is
not to be done in your paper!)
o All framed direct and indirect borrowings (quotes and paraphrases) are followed
by the page number in parentheses after the quotation marks and before ending
punctuation e.g.:
*Woodrow Wilson declared, It is not learning but the spirit of services that will
give a college a place in the public annals of the nation (453).
* The faulty study resulted in crop mismanagement, Dr. Broomfield comments
(27).
o the authors last name and the page number of the source separated by a single
space are in parentheses to identify the source of each passage or idea used e.g.:
* Antony's "modifications of Brutus's formulaic oratory are the first hint that
[Anthony] knows his business" (Macrone 45).
o quotations longer than four typed lines are indented ten spaces (tabbed twice) and
are introduced with a colon (:) for punctuation. The punctuation comes before the
citations parenthesis.
o when two or more sources are cited within a single sentence, the parenthetical
notes appear right after the statements they support.
o when you need to document a work without an author, simply list the title,
shortened if necessary, and the page number, using quotes or italics as is
appropriate.
o avoid in-text citations of websites by identifying the site in your paper itself
o always explain how each quotation supports your argument!
The Works Cited Page
o the title Works Cited is centered at the top of the page
o include only sources mentioned in the paper
o items on the Works Cited page are arranged in alphabetical order by last name of
the author. If no author is given, list it according to the title, excluding articles.
o the first line of each entry is flush with the left-hand margin. Subsequent lines of
the entry are indented five spaces/tabbed once
o the list is entirely Double-spaced- Do not quadruple-space between entries
o there is a period at the end of each entry
o each type of text is cited according to MLA guidelines
(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/)

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