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

How to: MLA format Works Cited page

The works cited page should be titled Works Cited and should be 1" from the top.

How to: MLA Introduction

When writing any essay the first thing that the author should keep in mind is having a strong hook. The hook can make or break the essay because it determines weather the essay is a success or a train wreck. Another tip that an author should always have in a mla format essay is a strong thesis statement. The thesis statement should keep the focus on the big idea of the essay however; the thesis statement should never start off with, "In this paper you'll learn..."or "After reading this paper..." because it is dull. Finally the author should not add details or examples of the main points in their introduction.

How To: Page One Mechanics MLA Format


Page one mechanics in MLA format are very easy to achieve. To begin with, the last name of the author and the page number must be at the right hand corner. Then the title should be centered; the title should not be in caps,underlined or quoted. Finally, it should be double- spaced between the title and the first line.


Ex:

Header 1

General Formatting 

                     Each page header has the title in all caps starting from left margin with the page
 number flush right 

on the same line. The heading should be matched with the one on page 1. 

The entire document is doubled spaced. 

All the margins must be 1 inch on all of the sides, top, and  bottom.

Heading levels are consistent with APA.

               The paragraphs in the body of the paper are intended to be 5-7 spaces or one tab stop.

The line spacing is between sentence is 2 spaces.

A list can either be enumerated (1,2,3, etc.) or

• bulleted. 

How to: MLA Body Documentation

Quotations and Parentheses: 

When doing body documentation you have to be very precise. Quotations marks for quotes and parentheses for documentation are a must. The correct format for the parentheses is the authors last name and the page number from where you found the information, ex: (O' Malley 209). Another must is that all in-text citations have to match the works cited page. Also, each source listed on the works cited page has to be cited atleast once within the paper. CREDIT MUST BE GIVEN ALL THE TIME, even if the information used is paraphrased or summarized. Another rule you must follow is punctuation after closed parentheses. For example, if you end a sentence with parentheses then there should always be a period at the end of the sentence. Lastly, long quotes must be indented, double spaced, and have no quotation marks.

Ex:
                    

How to: MLA format


When doing MLA format the font must be typed in 12-point times new roman. The paper should be double spaced in black ink and have one inch margins around the page. There also should be no extra spacing between paragraphs. Finally all ideas and subject matter should be written in the authors own words; there is no plagiarism.



                   

Title Page: The title page should have short all caps title and is to the left 1/2 inch from the top and the page number 1 is on the right on the same line. The paper should also match the title of the paper but no more than 50 spaces in length including the spaces.

The first letter of any major words capitalized,doubled spaced, centered on the upper half of the paper. The font must be Times New Roman 12 pt. font. Do NOT use italics, underlining, or abnormal font size.

The name should be double spaced under the name.