How to Write in MLA?
Primary sources: novels, stories, plays, etc.
Secondary sources: literature on literature, interpretation, etc.
Quotation
● Direct( when we exactly repeat what the author says “...”)
● Paraphrases (saves space because it is a brief summary of what the author
says)
● Block quotation (quotations longer than 3 lines)
-No “ ”
-Place in the center
● Footnotes (explanation, background information, other examples, everything
that is “out” of essay, but NEVER a SOURCE)
!We should always adjust the quotation in our text grammatically[ ].
!
If something is being omitted from the quotation use [ … ].
!Do not correct mistakes made by the author. If you have notice a mistake just
add
sicafter the quotation. From latin that means “just like that”.
Parenthetical document- come direct after the quotation, It
contains:-Authors Name; -Page of quotation.
● ibid90 - the same source as you have already just mentioned
-ibidem- “in the same place”
● 90f= pages 90+91
● 90ff= pages 90+...+...+...-several following pages
Work Cited
1. Every source that we mentioned in alphabetical order.
2. Do not mention everything you have read, only what you have quotated.
3. Surname-Name-Title-Year
Types of Publication
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1. Monograph- independent publication.
● name of the author (last then first)
● italics
title (capitalisation + )
● publisher
● year of publication (not a pace)
Butler ,
E.G. Lance St. John .Thomas Hardly .
CUP ,
1978 .
-
Если автор не один, то: Имя 1 автора-по первому правилу (Фамилия, Имя),
и=and, 2 имя- наоборот (Имя, Фамилия).
-
Если больше 3 авторов-> et al.(et alli= “and others”)
UP= University Press.
CUP= Cambridge UP. OUP= Oxford UP. Prinston UP and etc.
2. Article/ chapter/ essay in a collection- part of a book
● name of the author
● title of article/ chapter/ essay in the book (“---”)
● title of the collection
● volume #
● editors name
● publisher
● year of publication
● page numbers (page of the article/ chapter)
Fricker, R
E.G. obert. “Hardy: The Return of the Native” .Der englischen
Roman: Von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart,2 vols,edited by Franz Bagel,
1969,pp.
215-50 .
3. Journal article/ magazine article
● article author
● title of the article “---”
● title of a journal
● volume #
● year of publication
2
● page numbers
-No editor
-No publisher
Paterson, John.“The ‘Poetics’ of the Return to Native”. M
E.G. odern Fiction
,
Studies vol. 6, 1960, p
p . 214-22.
4. Online sources
● authors name
● title of the article
● title of the journal
● volume #
● year of publication
● page
● data base
● internet address
● date of accession -> accessed 21 May 2018
E.G. Dove, Rita. "Lady Freemdom among Us."The Electronic Text Center. Ed. David
Seaman. 1998. Alderman Lib., U of Virginia. 19 June 1998
<[Link]
5. Linguistics
● authors name
● year
● title of an article
● title of a journal
● volume #
● page numbers
E.G. Baugh, Albert C., and Thomas Cable. 1978. A History of the English Language. 3rd ed.
London: Routledge.
Academic Style Sheet
This style sheet discusses some special rules for writing academic papers. The sections in
large print contain essential information which all students should read carefully before
embarking on their first paper. The sections in small print deal with special cases; they may
be consulted as needed. For additional problems not covered in this style sheet consult the
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books by Standop and Gibaldi (Gibaldi, Joseph, ed. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research
Papers. 6th ed. New York: Modern Language Association, 2003).
Layout.
All essays must be typewritten or printed, with the text printed on one side only of DIN
A4 paper. The pages are to be numbered with Arabic numerals. The spacing should be one
and a half, except for indented quotations, footnotes and bibliographies, which should be
single-spaced. Leave a margin for your teacher to write in.
New paragraphs must be indented three to five spaces (like the word "New" in this
paragraph).
Title Page and Contents Page.
The title page contains a) the title of the paper; b) the title, semester, and lecturer of the
seminar for which the paper has been written; c) the student's name, address and / or e-mail
address. While the title page is included in the page count, the page number "1" is omitted.
Hence, the first page number that appears is the "2" on the contents page.
The table of contents appears on the second page (the text proper starts on the third page).
It describes the structure of the paper and indicates the page on which each section or
subsection begins.
Italics/ Underlying.
The following items should be italicised:
1. titles of independent publications, i.e. of books or journals (exceptions: the Koran, the
Bible)
2. words or phrases that are not simply used but commented upon (e.g.: the words tale
and tailare homophones; it is impossible to define the term democracy)
3. foreign words and phrases (e.g. sui generis, par excellence, Gemütlichkeit)
Italics for the purpose of emphasis should be avoided.
Instead of italicising words, you can underline them. This convention dates from the time
when scholars used typewriters, which did not allow for italicisation. When a manuscript was
handed in for publication, a passage that was underlined in the typewritten manuscript was
italicised in print. Choose one of the two, either italics or underlining, and stick to it
throughout your paper. Do not use both.
Translation.
E.G.Pfister, Manfred. The Theory and Analysis of Drama. Trans. John Halliday. European
Studies in English Literature. Cambridge: CUP, 1988.
If the original title is important, it should be added in square brackets:
->Pfister, Manfred. The Theory and Analysis of Drama [Das Drama: Theorie und
Analyse] . Trans. John Halliday. European Studies in English Literature. Cambridge:
Cambridge UP, 1988.
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Films or Movies.
Films(in theaters or not yet on DVD or video) require the following information:
title, name of the director, name of the film studio or distributor, and the release year.
If relevant, performer names may be listed(headed by "perf.") after the director's name.
.G.
E Blade Runner.Dir. Ridley Scott. Perf. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young.
Warner Bros., 1982. Film.
Recorded Films or Movies.
Recorded films or movies require the following information: title, name of the director, the
distributor, and the release year. If relevant, performer names may be listed(headed by
"perf.") after the director’s name. End the entry with the appropriate medium of publication
(e.g. DVD, VHS, Laser disc).
E.G. Matrix.Dir. The Wachowski Brothers. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne,
Carrie-Anne Moss. Warner Bros., 1999. DVD.
Recorded Television Episodes(e.g. DVD, Videocassette).
Recorded television episodes require the following information:
episode name in quotation marks, the series name in italics, the distributor name, and
the date of distribution. End with the medium of publication (e.g. DVD, Videocassette,
Laser disc). Information about directors, writers, performers, producers between the title and
the distributor name may be included by using abbreviations: dir., writ., perf., prod. etc.
E.G."The One Where Chandler Can't Cry." Friends: The Complete Sixth Season. Writ.
Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen. Dir. Kevin Bright. Warner Brothers, 2004. DVD.
Source not published as book.
Some dissertations are available only on microfilm. In such cases, the entry should contain
the additions "diss." and "microfilm":
E.G.Dietze, Rudolf F. Ralph Ellison: The Genesis of an Artist. Diss. U Erlangen-Nürnberg,
Microfilm.
Publication on CD-ROM.
CD-ROMs are cited in the same way as printed texts, with the simple addition "CD-ROM":
.G.Braunmuller, A. R., ed. Macbeth.By William Shakespeare. CD-ROM. New York:
E
Voyager, 1994.
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