40 MLA Documentation
Introduction
Learning Objectives
- identify reasons for the use of MLA formatting and documentation
- identify MLA document formatting, including page layout
- identify the components of MLA Works Cited citations
- identify the components of MLA in-text citations
“MLA” stands for Modern Language Association. This is a professional organization for scholars of language and literature.
But why does this group of people have so much influence on the appearance of papers you write in college?
The MLA, like many other academic organizations, publishes a scholarly journal and has done so for decades. In years before computers were common, the editors of this journal required typed submissions for publication to follow a common formatting template.
The professors who were following this format to write their own work recognized the value of having some standard of uniform appearance. They started asking their students to follow the same format when they typed essays for class projects.
Fast forward to now, and we have a thick set of guidelines for how the first page of an essay should look, what margins and font are appropriate, and what a Works Cited entry for a blog post should look like.
The ultimate goal for MLA formatting and citation standards is so that everyone has a common template to draw from. While they may feel like unbreakable rules, try to remember that they were created to serve a common need, with your interests in mind.
Overview of MLA Documentation
MLA style is one of the most common citation and formatting styles you will encounter in your academic career. Any piece of academic writing can use MLA style, from a one-page paper to a full-length book. It is widely used by in many high school and introductory college English classes, as well as scholarly books and professional journals. If you are writing a paper for a literature or media studies class, it is likely your professor will ask you to write in MLA style.
The importance of using citations is explained in the following video:
The Purpose of MLA Style
The MLA style guide aims to accomplish several goals:
- to ensure consistent use of the English language in academic writing;
- to ensure consistent formatting and presentation of information, for the sake of clarity and ease of navigation; and
- to ensure proper attribution of ideas to their original sources, for the sake of intellectual integrity.
Citation Resources
There are many fantastic resources out there that can make the formatting and citation process easier. Some common style guides are found at:
- The Purdue Online Writing Lab: this is a popular resource that concisely explains how to properly format and cite in various academic styles.
- EasyBib: in addition to having a style guide, this website allows you to paste in information from your research and will create and save citations for you.
Reference management websites and applications can also assist you in tracking and recording your research.