What is MLA format?
The MLA format is a popular style used to attribute information. It was founded in 1883. As of 2022, it is in its 9th edition.
The MLA style is recommended by the Modern Language Association (MLA). This leading academic organization in the US provides its members with opportunities to share their scholarly findings and teaching experiences with colleagues. The MLA style is widely used to format key aspects (writing, quotations, punctuation, and source documentation) of scholarly manuscripts and student research papers. It is extensively used by US schools and colleges.
Below is a book reference presented in the MLA format:
- Wingate, Lisa. Before We Were Yours. Random House, 2017.
Following are the general MLA formatting guidelines for any document:
- One-inch margins are used throughout.
- Font size is 12 point, and the preferred font style is Times New Roman.
- The entire document is double-spaced.
Formatting Headings and Subheadings as per MLA Style
There are some common rules when it comes to formatting headings and subheadings as per the MLA style.
- Heading and subheadings along with the rest of the document have a font size of 12 pts and the font used is Times New Roman.
- They should be in the title case. (For example, Soil Samples).
- There is no end period for headings or subheadings.
- Every paragraph that begins after a heading and/or subheading should have a half-inch indent.
The subheadings in the MLA format have five different levels. They are styled in order of their prominence and are differentiated based on their font styling. Each level of subheading should appear in the same size, format, and style to make identification easy for readers.
How to Cite in MLA Format
It is important to give credit while borrowing information. One can do this by citing the references used. Depending on the type of information included, one can place citations in the body of the document as in-text citations or at the end of the document in a “Works Cited” list.
In-text/parenthetical citations are included next to the quotes or information retrieved from another source. Each in-text citation must include the author’s name and the page number of the source. The information for every in-text citation should correspond to an entry in the “Works Cited” section at the end of the paper or essay.
Here is an example of an in-text citation formatted as per the MLA style.
- “Some meat-eating dinosaurs shrank over time and evolved into birds.” (Smith 24).
The author’s last name, Smith, is mentioned with the page number, i.e. 24, following it. There is no comma separating the author name(s) and the page number(s).
In case there are two authors, both their last names are mentioned, followed by the page number.
- “The smaller the class size, the more attention a student receives, which greatly impacts learning.” (Malcolm and Knowles 12)
In case there are more than two authors, only one author’s last name is mentioned and the phrase “et al.” is added after. The page numbers follow this. In case of missing author names, the title of the work from which the information is borrowed is mentioned, followed by the page numbers.
The second type of citation is called a full or complete citation. This is found at the end of essays or research papers and is listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. It includes all the necessary information for readers to be able to locate the source themselves.
Here is the MLA format for a journal source:
- Author’s last name, First name Middle name, or initial. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, Volume number (vol.), Issue number (no.), Publication date (month year), Pages of the article (pp.). Database, Location (URL).
Example: Coxswain, Abraham D., Frederick Blursdale III, Thaddeus T. Landover. “Analyzing the Psychology of Odd Juxtaposition.” Name Technology 42 (1986): 121-342. Print.
If there are more than three authors, the abbreviation “et al.” is used after mentioning the last name, first name, middle name, or initial of one of the authors.
Here is the MLA format for citing a reference book:
- Last name, First name Middle name, or initial. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication date.
Example:
- Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones, 1818.
The title of the book is always italicized. For books with three or more authors, only the first author’s name is included, followed by a comma, and the abbreviation “et al.” Page range is included at the end of a citation if one is citing from a book.
Writers who properly use MLA are considered credible because they demonstrate their accountability to the source material. It also protects them from plagiarism. There are now writing tools that allow writers to format their citations in different styles. This makes the formatting process faster and easier.
There are three commonly used citation styles in American higher education: APA (American Psychological Association), MLA, and Chicago. But all three are used in different disciplines. The following section will clarify the difference between the popular styles APA and MLA.
MLA vs. APA
The MLA and APA styles have some similarities as well as differences. The APA style is mainly used in social sciences such as psychology, sociology, nursing, criminology, and so on. The MLA format, on the other hand, is used in humanities such as history, language, literature, philosophy, arts, and so on.
Both styles follow double-spacing between lines, the Times New Roman font sized at 12 points, and one-inch margins for the document. But there are some stark differences as mentioned in the table below:
| Writing Elements | MLA Format | APA Format |
| Direct in-text quotation | (Moran 16); no year of publication, unlike APA style | (Moran, 2017, p.16) |
| Bibliography | Referred to as “Works Cited” Example: Mitchell, Margaret. Gone with the Wind. The Macmillan Group, 1936. | Included as “References” Mitchell, M. (1936). Gone with the wind. New York: The Macmillan Group. |
| Order of citations | Alphabetical for both authors and works | Alphabetical for authors and chronological for works |
The MLA style is more appropriate for fictional literature because the in-text citations include page numbers, thus referring explicitly to the information. The APA style, on the other hand, is useful for short publications (academic articles) as in-text citations include the year of publication, which helps identify the research chronology.
Using these style guides helps writers make their documents more organized, presentable, and easy to read. It also allows a reader to trace the referred materials easily. In an academic organization, depending on the discipline and professor, style guides are decided for students’ essays or papers.
