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The MLA style guidelines provide rules for scholarly writing. This template provides a basic layout for a term paper using these guidelines. Two typical elements of MLA term papers are provided as examples in this template: source citations and quotations.
1. Source Citations
Per MLA guidelines, all sources must be cited on the Works Cited page, located at the end of the paper. Within the body of the paper, a pointer containing the author’s last name and a page range within parentheses (Erickson 24-67) indicates the cited text. The author’s last name corresponds with the entry on the Works Cited page, allowing readers to look up the source of the citation.
2. Quotations
Guidelines for quotations are based upon the length of the quote. Quotes with fewer than four lines of prose or three lines of verse are quoted directly in the sentence. According to the MLA, include this type of quote “directly in the sentence and enclose it within quotation marks.”
Quotes longer than four lines of prose or three lines of verse follow different guidelines. Introduce these quotations with a colon:
Start long quotes on a new line. Indent the quote one inch from the left margin. Also, double-space the lines and omit quotation marks. The Long Quote style in this Microsoft Word template is provided for formatting.
If you quote more than one paragraph, indent the first line of each paragraph an additional quarter inch. When quoting verse, maintain line breaks from the original work. Include a pointer after the closing punctuation, such as the one that follows. (Erickson 34)
For additional examples and comprehensive style guidelines, refer to the MLA Web site.
Works Cited
The following are examples of citations in MLA Style for a “Works Cited” page for many types (in parenthesis) of material.
(Library Subscription Database Articles)
Shayon, Robert Lewis. "The Interplanetary Spock." Saturday Review
17 June 1967: 46. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed.
Sharon R. Gunton. Vol. 17. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981. 403.
ProQuest Learning: Literature. St. John’s Catholic Prep Library.
16 Oct. 2001 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com>.
“Eleanor Roosevelt." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica
Online School Edition. St. John’s Catholic Prep Library. 10Nov.2006
<http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article 9083895>
(Website)
Lynch, Tim. "DSN Trials and Tribble-ations Review." Psi Phi: Bradley's
Science Fiction Club. 1996. Bradley University. 8 Oct. 1997
<http://www.bradley.edu/campusorg/psiphi/DS9/ep/503r.html>.
(Books)
Okuda, Michael, and Denise Okuda. Star Trek Chronology: The History
of the Future. New York: Pocket, 1993.
(Journal Article)
Wilcox, Rhonda V. "Shifting Roles and Synthetic Women in Star
Trek: The Next Generation." Studies in Popular Culture 13.2 (1991): 53-65.
(Newspaper or Magazine Article)
Di Rado, Alicia. "Trekking through College: Classes Explore Modern Society Using the
World of Star Trek." Los Angeles Times 15 Mar. 1995: A3.
(Book Article or Chapter)
James, Nancy E. "Two Sides of Paradise: The Eden Myth According to Kirk and Spock."
Spectrum of the Fantastic. Ed. Donald Palumbo. Westport: Greenwood, 1988.
219-223.
(Encyclopedia Article)
Horn, Maurice. "Flash Gordon." The World Encyclopedia of Comics.
Ed. Maurice Horn. 2 vols. New York: Chelsea, 1976.
(Reference Book (featuring reprinted articles))
Shayon, Robert Lewis. "The Interplanetary Spock." Saturday Review
17 June 1967: 46. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed.
Sharon R. Gunton. Vol. 17. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981. 403.
(ERIC Document)
Fuss-Reineck, Marilyn. Sibling Communication in Star Trek: The Next
Generation: Conflicts between Brothers. Miami: Speech
Communication Assn., 1993. ERIC Document Reproduction Service
ED364932.