Short quotations (less than four lines) or those without special emphasis are included in the text with quotation marks
Longer quotations (four lines or more) or those with special emphasis are indented 1/2 inch from left margin and double-spaced with no quotation marks.
Use an ellipsis with spaces ( . . . ) when omitting sections from a quote. When the ellipsis is at the end of a sentence, use four periods ( . . . . ).
For poetry, use slashes (/) to show line breaks and double slashes (//) for stanza breaks and keep all punctuation as it appears in the poem.
Cite your quotes using in-text citation.
Works Cited List [5]
Begin your Works Cited list on a separate page and put the entries in alphabetical order.
Double-space.
Give entries a hanging indent (i.e the first line is on the left margin and the following lines are indented 1/2 from the left).
Annotated Bibliography [5.132]
Double-space the entire bibliography.
Style each source like one in a Works Cited list.
Indent each annotation 1 inch from the margin.
Annotations are typically one paragraph.
If you need multiple paragraphs for an annotation, indent the first line of each paragraph.
Check with your professor for the length of the annotation, which elements you should evaluate, and the type of annotation.
Body (includes tables, figures, and illustrations)
Conclusion
Works Cited (starts on new page)
Paper Size, Margins, & Page Numbers
Use letter-sized (8.5 x 11 inch) paper.
1-inch margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Indent first line of each paragraph 1/2 inch from left margin.
In the upper right-hand corner of the margin, insert page numbers and add your last name (ex. Smith 1).
Text Format
Use easy-to-read font so that regular and italicized text is easy to distinguish (ex. Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri).
Use a standard size (ex. Times New Roman 12, Arial 11, Calibri 11 or 12).
Left-align text and start paragraphs with a half-inch indent. Do not justify text.
Turn off automatic hyphenation.
Double-space everything.
Leave one space after concluding punctuation marks, not two.
Heading & Title
At the top left of the page, type your name, instructor's name, course number, and date.
Double-space everything.
Include any information your instructor requires.
Center title. Do not italicize, underline, or bold. No quotation marks, all caps, or periods.
Capitalize the first word, principle words, and each part of a hyphenated word. Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the), prepositions, conjunctions, and to-infinitives.
Tables, Figures, & Illustrations
Put them close to the related text and align them on the left.
Above tables: capitalize the title of the table like other titles and number it (ex. Table 1).
Below the table: give the source of the table and any notes with lower-case letters. Double-space it and use dividing lines.
Below a figure or illustration: label it as "Figure" or "Fig." and number it (ex. Figure 1).
*Page numbers refer to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, available in the UW-Whitewater libraries in print.
