MLA Formatting and Writing Conventions

MLA Formatting

• MLA Heading: Located on the top left, one inch from the top, and double spaced. It includes:

  • Your Name
  • Professor's Name
  • Course Name
  • Date

• MLA Header: Located in the header at the top right, half inch down. It includes:

  • Last Name and Page Number

Writing Conventions

• Pronoun Use:

  • Never use "i" as a word, always capitalize "I"
  • Do not use first-person (I, me, my, we, us, etc.)
  • Do not use second-person (you, your, yourself, etc.)

• Contractions: Do not use contractions (won't, don't, it's, etc.)

• Titles:

  • Magazine articles, newspaper articles, YouTube titles, poems, and short stories are written in quotation marks.
    • Example: "Boys" by Rick Moody
  • Newspaper titles, Magazine Titles, Website names are italicized.
    • Example: Tyler Morning Telegraph

• Commas:

  • Use commas to divide two complete sentences that include a conjunction (FANBOYS).
  • Use commas with introductory phrases that begin a sentence (AWWUUBIS).

• Capitalization:

  • Capitalize appropriate words in story, poem, and drama titles.
  • Capitalize journal/magazine articles and titles, even when journalist style does not.

• Sentence Structure:

  • Do not begin a sentence with FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So).

• Ampersand: Do not use the ampersand (&).

• MLA Citation:

  • Use MLA citation format (in-text and works cited) including comma and period placement for borrowed source material.

Other

• Use present tense when referring to literary works.
• Use slash marks to separate lines from poetry.
• "English" is always capitalized.