How to Write a Compare & Contrast Paper in MLA Format
Writing a paper in Modern Language Association, or MLA, style is a matter of formatting a document and citing sources and references a specific way. Creating a uniform method of drafting scholarly documents makes it easier for students and academicians to research and communicate across disciplines, especially literature and the humanities. The MLA guidelines for writing papers are followed in North America, Brazil, China, India, Japan, Taiwan and many other countries.
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Instructions
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Writing the Essay
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Pick a topic to compare and contrast. If the topic has been assigned, do not deviate from the instructions.
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2
Brainstorm a list of ways the two things or ideas being compared are alike and a list of ways they are different. An easy way is to create a venn diagram, made by drawing two large circles that overlap in the middle. On one side put the attributes that belong solely to one topic; put attributes that belong solely to the other topic on the other side. In the middle list all the ways the two are similar.
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3
Write an introductory paragraph. Use a word processor, if possible, as it makes editing easier after the draft is complete. Introduce the items, people, places or ideas being compared and contrasted in this paragraph.
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Write at least three body paragraphs. One should present all the information unique to one item of comparison, another should present all information unique to the other item of comparison and the third should discuss the ways in which they are similar.
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Write a concluding paragraph. A good conclusion both summarizes the essay and provides a final analysis of the thoughts and arguments presented in the body paragraphs.
Format the Document in MLA Style
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If you have not already done so, type the entire draft into a word-processing document on a computer in Times New Roman, 12-point font.
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Format the document to double-space all text and have a 1-inch margin on all sides. Set your tab key to equal five spaces and hit it at the beginning of each paragraph.
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Using the computer's tools, make a header at the top of the document that consecutively numbers the pages in the upper right corner, a half-inch from the top of the page.
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At the top of the first page in the upper left corner, write your name. Underneath that, write your instructor's name, then the course beneath that, then the date beneath that. All lines should be double-spaced.
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On the next line, write the title and center it. It should not be underlined, italicized or put in quotation marks. All major words should be capitalized; words such as "the" and "and" should be lowercase.
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References
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