MLA Essay Checklist

The Basics:

 Text is double-spaced including quotations (no extra spaces

after paragraphs).

 12 pt. font size / Times New Roman font (or other approved

fonts from your professor).

 No bold or underlined writing in your paper.

 1 inch margins on all four sides.

 The introductory information should be your name, followed by

your professor’s name, the course name, and the date.

 Your title 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)

 Number all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner,

one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.

Includes last name, followed by a space with a page number.

 Book Titles, Journals, or Major Works should be italicized. “Short

Stories”, “Poems”, “Articles” should be put in quotations marks.

 Only one space after periods or other punctuation marks.

 Proper indentation (first line of each paragraph moved to right

five spaces / tabbed once).

 No personal pronouns (“you don’t know how important voting is

until…”).

 No narrative language (“I will write”, “in my essay”, “I believe”,

“in conclusion”).

 Sentences express complete thoughts (be careful with “But” or

“Because”).

(source: http://s3.amazonaws.com/libapps/accounts/11787/images/mla1.jpg)

 Abbreviations are not used (etc., esp., … )

 Proper punctuation and grammar.

 No “texting” language: gonna, wanna, sorta, etc.

 Contractions are NOT used (can’t, won’t, isn’t, doesn’t). There

are some exceptions, but they’re typically rare.

 Proper spelling (numbers less than 100 are spelled out).

 The author is addressed by full name or last name only, NOT

FIRST NAME.

In Text Citations:

 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:

o 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).

o “The faulty study resulted in crop mismanagement,” Dr.

Broomfield comments (27).

 The author’s 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:

Antony's "modifications of Brutus's formulaic oratory are

the first hint that [Anthony] knows his business"

(Macrone 45).

 Quotations longer than four typed lines become block quotes,

are indented twice, and are introduced with a colon.

 When two or more sources are cited within a single sentence,

the parenthetical notes appear right after the statements they

support.

Sample Block Quote

(source: http://www.mesacc.edu/~jerol76351/102mwf/images/block.jpg)

 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.

 Avoid in-text citations of websites by identifying the site in your

paper itself.

 Always introduce and explain how each quotation supports your

argument!

The Works Cited Page:

 “Works Cited” is centered at the top of the page

 The page number is present

 Include only sources mentioned in the paper; if you did not cite

them in your paper, do not include them here! Always cross-

reference your paper and your Works Cited page to make sure

you have everything.

 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.

 The first line of each entry is flush with the left-hand margin.

Subsequent lines of the entry are indented five spaces/tabbed

once.

 The list is entirely Double-spaced. Do not quadruple-space

between entries or the title.

 There is a period at the end of each entry.

Sample Works Cited Page

(source: http://ennisk.faculty.mjc.edu/images/Works%20Cited.JPG)