MLA Checklist

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MLA Checklist

  1. The entire document is to be in Times New Roman, 12 points.
  2. Leave one inch margin on all the four sides of the paper.
  3. LLIDS avoids the use of section headings within the paper, unless necessary.
  4. Indent the first line of every paragraph, half an inch from the left margin.
  5. In-text citations include author’s last name and page number of the text used.

Example – (James 29)

  1. The quotations extending to more than four lines should be indented half an inch from the left margin as a block of text without quotation marks. At the end of the quotations make an in-text citation for the source in the aforementioned format.
  2. Foreign/Native words are to be italicized
  • Translation of a foreign word is to be added in the footnotes.
  • If the translation is provided by the author then it is necessary to mention the same in parenthesis in the footnotes:

“azadi” translated as freedom (all foreign words translated by author)

  • If the translation is taken from some other source, then the source has to be mentioned in the footnotes.
  1. Footnotes are to be used for long explanatory notes (Times New Roman, 10 points). Do not use marks like asterisks etc. Times New Roman 10, Justified
  2. Do not use endnotes.

Works Cited

  1. The list of works cited appears on a separate page at the end of the body of the paper.
  2. The title of the page ‘Works Cited’ should be centralized, without boldface or underline.
  3. The list should be arranged in an alphabetical order starting with author’s last name followed by the text’s title and the publication details. In case the author is not available, begin with the title of the work.
  4. After the first line of each entry the next line in its continuation is indented ½ inch or 5 spaces.
  5. All the in-text citations must appear in the works cited list.
  6. Periods are to be used after the author’s name, title of the source and at the end of the information for each container.
  7. Citation for Books
  • One author

          Alexis, Andre. Fifteen Dogs: An Apologue. Coach House Books, 2015.

  • More than one author

If the source has three or more authors, the entry in the works cited list begins with the
first author’s name followed by et al.

Guttman, B., et al. Genetics: A Beginner’s Guide. Oneworld, 2002.

  • Multiple works by one author

To cite two or more works by the same author(s), give the author name(s) in the first entry only. In the entries for subsequent works, in place of the author name(s), type three hyphens (—) followed by a period, and then the title and the rest of the citation

Hume, Robert D. “The Economics Of Culture In London, 1660-1740.” Huntington

Library Quarterly: Studies In English And American History And

Literature 69.4 (2006): 487-533. Print.

—. “Money In Jane Austen.” Review Of English Studies 64.264 (2013): 289-310. Print.

  • No author

When the source does not have an author’s name, the entry begin with the work’s title.

 American Heritage Dictionary for Learners of English. Houghton, 2002.

  • Book in translation

Citing books in translation requires Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Other contributors, Publisher, Publication Date.

Paz, Octavio. In Light of India. Translated by Eliot Weinberger, Harcourt,

1997.

  • Citing a chapter from book

The name of the chapter appears in double inverted commas followed by the name of the text and other publication information.

Brant, Beth. “Coyote Learns a New Trick.” An Anthology of Canadian Native

Literature in English, edited by Daniel David Moses and Terry Goldie, Oxford UP, 1992, pp. 148-150.

  • Citing a book from website

Citing a book from a website goes as, Author’s last name, First name. “Title of the chapter or section.” Title of the e-book, translated by or edited by First name Last name, vol. number, Publisher, Year of publication, page number(s). Title of the web site or database, URL.

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Gold Bug.” Short Stories for English Courses, Edited by Rosa M.R. Mikels, 2004. Project Gutenberg, www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/5403/pg5403-images.html.

  1. Citation from Journals
  • Citing from journal in print

Author’s name, the title of the article, the name of the journal, the series number/type of the journal (if given), the volume number (if given), the issue number (if given), the year of publication, and the page numbers of the article.

 Hagen, Patricia L., and Thomas W. Zelman. “‘We Were Never on the Scene of

the Crime’: Eavan Boland’s Repossession of History.” Twentieth Century Literature, vol. 37, no. 4, 1991, pp. 442-453.

  • Citing an online journal

Last, First M. “Article Title.” Journal Title Series Volume. Issue (Year Published): Page (s). Website Title. Web. Date Month Year Accessed.

Poiger, Uta G. “Rock ‘n’ Roll, Female Sexuality, and the cold War Battle over

German Identities.” The Journal of Modern History 68.3 (1996): 577. JSTOR. Web. 2 Jan. 2013.

  1. Citation from Newspapers
  • Citing from newspapers in print

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of the article.” Title of the newspaper, First name Last name of any other contributors, Version, Numbers, Date of publication, Location.

Tumola, Cristabelle. “NYC Developers Seek to Justify High Prices with New Amenities.” Metro [New York City], 9 Aug. 2016, p. 4.

  • Citing from online newspapers

Structure for citing from online database is, Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of the article.” Title of the newspaper, First name Last name of any other contributors, Version (if applicable), Numbers (if applicable), Publication date, Location (generally page numbers, if available). Title of the database, Location (such as a URL).

Ashenmacher, Will. “Reversing the Sands of Time: After Years of Neglect and

Abuse, Park Point’s Dune Ecosystem is Making a Comeback Thanks to

the Work of Volunteers.” Duluth News-Tribune, 31 May 2008, p.

1A. America’s Newspapers.

www.americasnewspapers+=duluthnewstribune?2390. Accessed 19

Mar. 2016.

The Date of Access is an optional but important element in MLA 8th edition. The MLA Handbook 8th edition states “since online works typically can be changed or removed at any time, the date on which you accessed online material is often an important indicator of the version you consulted.” 

  1. Citation from audio visual material like videos and films
  • Citing from online websites

Last name, First name of the creator. “Title of the film or video.” Title of the website, role of contributors and their First name Last name, Version, Numbers, Publisher, Publication date, URL.

“Lunch Hour NYC: Hot Dog Carts.” New York Public Library, 5 July 2012,

www.nypl.org/audiovideo/hot-dog.

  • Citing from YouTube

Poster’s username. “Title of Video.” Online video clip. Name of Website. Name of Website’s publisher, date posted. Web. Date accessed.

GEICO Insurance. “GEICO Hump Day Camel Commercial – Happier than a Camel on Wednesday.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 22 May 2013. Web. 18 July 2014.