Steps for Formatting an MLA Report Without a Title Page
Purpose:
MLA reports are one of the most commonly formatted reports in colleges and universities in the USA.
Directions:
1. Set your Font Style to Times New Roman, Arial, Century, Courier, or some other basic style.
2. Adjust your Font Size to 12 or 10 (unless indicated by your instructor)
3. Set your Margins to 1” on all sides; Top, Bottom, Left & Right (LEAVE THE GUTTER ALONE)
a. Page Layout Tab
b. Page Setup Group
c. Margins Button
d. Select Normal 1” Top, Bottom, Left & Right
4. Set your Line Spacing to Double
a. Home Tab
b. Paragraph Group
c. Select the Line Spacing Button
d. Adjust to 2.0
5. Insert your Page Numbers
a. Insert Tab
b. Header & Footer Group
c. Page Number Button
d. Top of Page
e. Select “Plain Number 3”
f. Double click on your page number one to open your Header, click your Right Align icon and type your last name
g. Close your Header Footer Window
6. Heading in the Top Left Corner of the page (Not in the Header)
a. Your Name, Enter 1 Time
b. Teachers Name (Mr. DiSora for this class) Enter 1 Time
c. Course (The name of this course is Computer Literacy II) Enter 1 Time
d. Date (Make sure you spell out the Month) Enter 1 Time
7. Title
a. Center Align the title of the report
b. Enter One time after typing in the title and Click Left Align
8. Paragraphs
a. Tab in one time for each new paragraph
· Don’t forget to Wrap Type (Do not click your Enter key until you get to the end of a paragraph)
· At the end of your last paragraph set your Page Break (Step 9)
9. Page Break (Insert a page break, to start a new page for the Works Cited Page)
a. Place your cursor at the end of your last paragraph, and click Enter 1 time. Your cursor needs to be on a new line all by itself.
b. Insert on the Menu Bar
c. Break
d. Page Break
e. OK
10. Works Cited Page – gives credit and location for your work
a. Center Align
b. Type your title Works Cited
c. Enter 1 time and adjust to left align
d. Set your Hanging Indent
11. Set your Hanging Indent
a. Format on the Menu Bar
b. Paragraph
c. Indents and Spacing Tab
d. Special section
e. Click the down arrow and select Hanging
f. By section 0.5
g. Ok
12. Typing your References
a. Enter one time at the End of each Reference
b. Continue to Wrap Type
13. Organizing your References into Alphabetical Order
a. Highlight all of your References (DO NOT highlight the title Works Cited)
b. Table on the Menu Bar
c. Sort
d. Sort by: Paragraphs
e. Type: Text
f. Ascending Order, OK
DiSora 2007 ©
Your Name
Teacher’s Name
Course
Date (Written out in letters)
MLA Research
A contemporary method of documentation is appropriate for reports that contain information from only a few sources (Diana Hacker). The MLA style (Modern Language Association of America) report that is illustrated here is a method used often in colleges and universities. An MLA style report has one-inch side, top, and bottom margins. The entire report is double-spaced, including quotations, documentation, and the space below the title.
A title page is not required. Information normally found on the title page (writer’s name, teacher’s name, coursed title, and date) is keyed on the first page beginning one inch from the top margin starting at the left margin. Page numbers for all pages (including the first) are keyed at the right margin one-half inch from the top edge of the paper. The writer’s last name precedes the page number.
In the, The Columbia Guide to Online Style Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor provides these guides for formatting the Works Cited page: type the Works Cited page on a separate page using a page break, continue to use double line spacing and wrap type. The references are placed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. Remember to underline titles of books or articles and set your hanging indent at 0.5”.
Works Cited
Hacker, Diana. “Research and Documentation Online”. September 23, 2003. September 24, 2004.< http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/
Humanities Department Capital Community College. “The Guide to Grammar and Writing”. May 2004. September 24, 2004, <http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml>
Walker, Janice R. and Todd Taylor. “The Columbia Guide to Online Style”. September 1998. September 24, 2004. http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/idx_
basic.html
Source Worksheet for Works Cited Page
Directions: Use this worksheet to list the bibliographic information needed to complete your entries for your Work Cited page. First, determine what type of source you have: book, periodical, encyclopedia, Internet. Next locate the section on the worksheet below where you may record that information. After that, fill in the blanks with the proper information. Finally, sort your references alphabetically by author’s last name or article’s name. **Remember: For your project, you must use at least 3 different sources from at least 2 different types of sources.
Entry Information for a Book
______. ______.
Author’s Last Name, First Name Title of the Book
______: ______, ______.
Place of Publication Name of Publisher Date of Publication
Entry Information for an Encyclopedia
______.
“Name of Article.” Name of Encyclopedia
______. ______.
Edition # (if given) Year of Publication
Website/Online Site
______. ______.
Author’s Last Name, First Name “Title of Website.”
______. ______
Date (day month year) Date of access (day month year)
<______>.
<Online address>.
A Resource from an Online Encyclopedia (Encarta)
______. ______,
“Name of Article.” Name of Encyclopedia,
______, ______, ______, Keyword: ______.
Version date Date of access your search term
<______>.
Websites to Further Your Knowledge in MLA Formatting
http://kimberlychapman.com/essay/essay.html / http://www.easybib.com
http://nutsandbolts.washcoll.edu / http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr247.shtml
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar / http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/workshop/citmla.htm
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu / http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/mla.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/index.html#exercises
Searching Tools
www.yahoo.com
http://kids.yahoo.com
http://www.google.com
http://www.dogpile.com
http://www.alltheweb.com
http://hotbot.lycos.com
http://search.looksmart.com
http://www.factmonster.com
www.askforkids.com
www.ask.com
www.mamma.com
DiSora 2007 ©