Cite your sources
the basics of style
The key to citing any source is to:
- be consistent in style and format;
- have a clear and neat format;
- present sufficient information for a reader to identify and find the work or cited passage;
- NOT make up your own rules.
For citing material from the Web, two additional pieces of information are usually needed:
- the electronic address or URL of the site (e.g. http://...)
- the date you accessed the site or database
Citation Guides
getting help from the writing center
Check out the Writing Center and make an appointment for help with your papers. The Writing Center also has a series of videos about organizing, thesis statements, and more.
MLA - What Should it Look Like?
Formatting a Research Paper
The following formatting rules can be found in the MLA Style Center.
- Format your paper with 1 inch margins on all sides.
- Select an easily readable font (e.g. 12 point, Times New Roman)
- Double-space the entire paper. This should include text and the list of works cited.
- Indent the first line of each paragraph one inch from the margin.
- At the top left margin of the first page, type your name, your instructor’s name, the course number, and the date.
- Type the title of your paper in the top, center of the first page following the standard rules for titles in MLA Style.
- Include your last name and page numbers, consecutively on all pages in the upper right-hand corner.
- Include a list of works cited beginning on a new page at the end of your paper.
Click the pictures below for more examples and MLA formatting tips.
Sample "Works Cited" Page from Purdue Writing Lab Sample Papers from the Excelsior Online Writing Lab
