What Are MLA Guidelines?

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By Kaz Silvestri
eHow Contributing Writer

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The MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines describe a method used worldwide for acknowledging sources used in articles and research papers. Using MLA to document your sources tells your readers where you obtained your information and helps them find those sources if necessary.

What Are MLA Guidelines?
The MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines describe a method used worldwide for acknowledging source… More
Define MLA Writing Format
The Modern Language Association's writing format is a series of regulations and guidelines for writers. Th… More
How to Write in MLA Style
Write a paper in MLA style by putting your last name and the page number in the right-hand corner and citi… More
How to Format the First Page of a Paper in MLA Style
MLA is becoming one of the most pervasive formatting and reference protocols for research and term papers … More
MLA Guidelines for Essays
Modern Language Association (MLA) is the accepted form of documentation used in the Liberal Arts and Human… More
How to Write an MLA Reference Page
Writing an MLA reference page begins with titling it Works Cited, and is formated by listing primary and s… More
How to Write Footnotes in MLA Style
Writing a footnote in MLA style is useful for expressing an idea that isn't part of the main line of argum… More
How Do You Cite a Movie in MLA Format?
An important part of constructing your research paper or thesis is correctly citing your sources in MLA fo… More
How Do You Cite a Song in MLA Format?
Used throughout the United States, Canada and many other countries, the MLA (Modern Language Association) … More
How to Cite a Pamphlet Using MLA Style
In college and graduate school, you will likely be responsible for producing one or more term papers or re… More
How to Cite an Editorial Using MLA Style
When you are working on a term paper or a long-term research project, you will likely need to use source m… More
How to Cite an Advertisement Using MLA Style
Advertising is a unique form of reference material. It indicates not only the way that people may have tho… More
How to Cite the Bible in MLA Style
Just as the Bible is unique among all other written works, it also must be cited in a unique fashion when … More
How to Cite an Anthology Using MLA Style
When writing a term paper or working on a longer term research project, it is important to keep track of y… More
How to Cite a Dissertation in MLA Format
As you are writing a term paper or working on a longer term research project, it is important to keep trac… More

Function

MLA is used whenever you cite sources related to the Humanities, when your sources come primarily from the Humanities field, when your audience needs a simple form of documentation that doesn't use footnotes or endnotes, or when your instructor tells you to use MLA.

Layout

MLA guidelines specify that a paper be laid out in a specific way. The paper must have 1-inch margins; it needs a page header which contains your last name and page number; it should be given a title; and the entire paper should be double-spaced.

Citing Sources in the Body

Parenthetical documentation, a form of citing the source within the body of the paper, is an important aspect of MLA documentation.

Citing Electronic Sources

When citing Internet sources, the format is similar to print documentation but includes the date the source was accessed and the electronic address of the source.