How To: MLA Conclusion


When doing an MLA conclusion the author has to make sure that the conclusion has a logical and unique closing statement that does not repeat the the opening statement but ties the the main points of the paper. The author also has to make sure that they do not use phrases like, "In this paper you have learned....". Other things the author of the paper need to make sure of is that, the purpose of the paper is met and the reaction to the main topic is presented. Grammatical  errors like, correct capitalization, no underlining, alphabetized entries, double space indents, non numbered entries, entries formatted with "hanging indent", correctly formatted entries, and works cited list is cited in the paper. Another thing the author should make sure of is that, all titles of books and periodicals should be underlined or italicized and titles of short works should also be in quotes. Lastly, there should be no extra spaces between entries.

an example of a good conclusion....

                                   

General Editing & Grammar

General Editing & Grammar is when you use spell check and also watch for your grammar in the word processing program and corrected any noted mistakes.

Always read through the paper (even aloud) to determine flow and find any spelling errors that might not be found with spell check, e.g. using their when it should be there.

References

References are centered 1 inch from the top of the page and starts a new page. Standard 12-point font should be used. 

All sources listed in References have at least 1 corresponding in text citation and are also in alphabetical order. 

All lines are double spaced and for each entry the hanging indent is used. For electronic articles DOI are used at the end. For the format of the DOI are to be used: 

doi:10.xxx/xxx.xxxx OR http://dx.doi.org?10.xxx/xxx.xxxx

Only initials are used for first and/or second names of the Authors. There is a space between initials, e.g. Lewis, C.S. If there is more than one author they should be listed in order as they appear and they should be separated by commas. 

Titles of books,journals, technical reports are given in italics and volume numbers. 

Title of books, journal articles, web sites are in lower case except for the firs word. The title of web page that is an article in a lager web site is not italicized. likewise, journal article title and book article are not italicized.

Any citations ending wit URL all hyperlink (The Blue One) is removed there is no period at the end of the hyperlink. 

Publications information (books) includes the state 2 letter code with the city and country writen out for all international cities.

Other sources like, e.g. media, books, etc., are done per my APA book.

In Text Citations

All sources cited in text are also in the References list with the exception of classical works. 

Direct quotations include the author (title), the date, and specific part of the source. 

All quotations < 40 words are enclosed in quotation marks. The in text parenthetical phrase comes before the ending punctuation. 

All quotations >40 words are shown as an intended  block quote with no additional beginning paragraph intending. The parenthetical phrase comes after the punctuation. 

Paraphrasing is a restatement of the original source in my own words. 

Paraphrased in text citations include the author (title) and the date. It is is optional to include the specific page, paragraph,or sectbion of a source that is paraphrased.

For any multi author sources, for any source with >3 and <6 authors they are all written out the first time, but subsequent use, I can use the first author followed by et al. 

If the information for the in text citation is included in the body of text I am writing and I have multiple authors, the word and is spelled out, Jones, Smith, and Black. If the information for the in text citation is all included in a parenthetical phrase an ampersand is used to separate the next to last and last authors, e.g.

When an author is repeated within a paragraph, with no other sources used in between.

Abstract (If required):

The abstract is on page two if it is needed.

The header is without the words, running head. The text are in all caps and page number 2 is all the way on the top right margin, which means they are on the same line. This also continues throughout the remainder of the paper and should be set up using the word processor functionally of the headers and or footers.

The title page Abstract is centered 1 inch from the top of the page. 

(no bold,caps,with standard 12 pt. Times New Roman Font)

The abstract also includes 150-250 words and is block style aligned to the left. 

How to: MLA Body: Structure and Content


One key point in MLA format content is that all paragraphs and main points must relate to the thesis. Also, the essay should go in logical order. Logical order means that there should be smooth transitions within and between paragraphs. Another part of content that is important is that each topic should be developed with examples and explanations. Next another thing to be careful about are quotes. Short quotes should be used in context. Quotes should be no longer than 4 typed lines and should relate directly to the main points. In addition to quotes the essay should have parenthetical notations. Finally the author must always make sure that the conclusion summarizes main points and the essay is the proper length to cover the topic.

How to: MLA format Mechanics

When finished with the essay, the author should always check that the essay has the correct MLA mechanics. Here is a check list for the mechanic to look out for:

1. correct margins
2. no sentence fragments
3. correct punctuation
4. spelling checked
5. correct capitalizations
6. no contractions
7. no vague references
8. pronoun/antecedent agreement
9. no unnecessary shifts of verb tense
10. correct subject/ verb agreement
11. correct prepositions