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.

Test your knowledge of MLA formatting and writing conventions. This quiz covers essential components such as MLA headings and headers, as well as specific writing guidelines related to pronouns, contractions, and title formatting. Ensure you understand these rules to excel in your academic writing.