example of an essay in mla format

example of an essay in mla format

An Example of an Essay in MLA Format

1. Introduction to MLA Format

The guidelines tell writers how to format their title page, cite references, display quotations, and many other things. MLA is also frequently used to format different documents. The best thing about MLA is that you don’t need to add a title page; you write the title page as a separate page before your essay starts.

The Modern Language Association (MLA) sets guidelines for the proper formatting of scholarly manuscripts and citation of research. These guidelines have been used by a number of academic fields, and most often in liberal arts and the humanities. It is important for scholars to use the same formatting rules so that their readers can find and access material. The general purpose of MLA style is to provide a uniform format that can be easily applied in any discipline of study. It gives writers a system for referencing their sources through parenthetical citation in their essays and Works Cited pages.

1.1 What is MLA format?

2. Structuring an MLA Essay

Different online companies provide research and essay writing service, so it is their responsibility to make sure that your essay is up to standard. All you should do, is provide them with your topic and they also do the editing, research, and formatting. What is MLA? It is an abbreviation for the Modern Language Association, and they publish the MLA handbook. In a word, this book does not list the details of writing an essay of 90,000 words, but it focuses its attention on clear and honest expression, so that you don’t need to have read the whole book before you start to write. With guidelines such as this in existence, a writer’s energies will almost entirely be spent expressing his or her ideas eloquently. That is the essence of the MLA style.

The complete text needs to be double-spaced, including the heading and the works cited page. The end of an essay should be written in capitals in both ranges. The homework should look beautiful, so it is good to do double, or triple prints for the first drafts because the computer is a machine, hence mistakes are possible. Writings in universities are usually typed, therefore you are permitted to hand in work you have handwritten only if it is done properly, and is easy enough for the instructor to read. With all these processes, a cover page becomes important, and word processors make the job of printing such covers easier. All sorts of ideas, as well as information could be written on them.

1. The first page of an MLA paper should include the page number. At the upper left corner of this page, the writer needs to list his or her name. Below these, the writer should put his or her professor’s name. Below the professor, or instructor’s name, should be a double space, and it will be the date. The date should look like this: 3 May 2011; hence the day comes before the Month and then the Year. 2. The head of the paper needs to calculate exactly half the length of the paper; hence without using abbreviations, the title of the paper should be typed; the title should be centered, and after typing it, other processes like the styling, and sizing of the heading line, follow. The title usually goes below the other optional data. 3. Writing that follows exactly after the title should be such that it introduces the difficulties, and problems that the topic deals with, so, the forth coming ideas should be briefly introduced. The writer should avoid coming out too strongly, by being over bearing. The topic of the essay should be printed in regular type, just after the cover page. And the writer should type his or her last name just before the page number.

MLA is basically an acronym for Modern Language Association, and such style guidelines are often used in the many college English classes that require research papers and essays. It was a big deal, when the Modern Language Association came into existence. Two major parts are what makes up the MLA style – that is a title page and the works cited page. It is good to use page of that particular style of writing because it guarantees better grades, hence making bit an important part of ones studies.

Guideline 2 2. Structuring an MLA style essay

3. Citing Sources in MLA Format

To add the works cited, which includes other sources consulted when work was compiled, click Insert Page Break. With the cursor at the beginning of the Cite Sources Page and in the paragraph box, click Format > Paragraph. This will open the Paragraph Box. Select Center from the Alignment box, click OK. At the top of the Cite Source page, center the title in all capital letters, WORKS CITED. Then add the citations exactly as you then in-text citations listed. In works cited, the list of citations omitted from the text, entries are alphabetized by authors’ last names. Entries have a hanging indent of five spaces. However, the first line of each entry begins at the left margin; subsequent lines are indented five spaces. In each entry, include the author’s name or, if the work performed the title of the source, the name of the source, the publication information, and any source numbers.

When adding outside sources to your work, you are building your ethos by avoiding plagiarism and also showing your readers the quality of your foundations. By mentioning sources, you are profiling your expertise. By listing your expertise, you increase those reading the work’s trust in the logos and pathos of your argument. Citation is one way to ensure the diction of your essay.

4. Formatting Guidelines in MLA Style

Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. Note that the given instructions are general; you should specify if your instructor issues different requirements. Use italics throughout your essay to indicate the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, provide emphasis. If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited page. Entitle the section Notes (centered, unformatted).

General guidelines: Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper. Double-space the text of your paper and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are recognizable one from another. The font size should be 12 pt. Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise prompted by your instructor). Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides. Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the space bar five times.

5. Conclusion and Final Remarks

The conclusion summarizes the essay and gives the reader closure. In three or four concise sentences, you should reiterate your thesis and review the main points of the body of the essay. Just be sure not to restate your previous words exactly. You can even briefly describe your opinion of the topic. Your final sentence should uphold your main idea in a clear and compelling manner. Be professional and not too casual. In fact, it’s more formal to sound professional and reserved. Keep in mind that MLA does not require a specific font – a Times New Roman, Calibri, or a similar font is recommended. There are very specific rules regarding punctuation, spacing, reference of works, and how quotes are incorporated. Be sure to reference the works cited page to determine how best to reference your sources.

In the conclusion of a narrative essay, you impart your takeaway message, a lesson or a reflection – a new discovery of meaning in life – to your reader. If you have related your story vividly, your readers should feel not only that they have been present throughout your journey and experienced it with you, but also that your coming to terms with your experience has been their own. More than any other type of essay, you need to draw your readers into your story, and the best way to do that is to share your truth. The very fact that narrative essays are usually written in the first person helps engage the reader.

The following sample headings are meant to be used only as a reference. You may employ whatever system of formatting that works best for you, as long as it remains consistent throughout your document.

One-inch page margins. Double-spaced paragraphs. A header with the author’s last name and page number one-half inch from the top of each page.

The Modern Language Association (MLA) specifies a standard format for essays and research papers written in an academic setting.