The Modern Language Association or MLA is an organization that developed the MLA format which is used by researchers, students, and scholars who study literature and language-related fields to standardize the format of their research papers or student papers and assignments, making their papers easy to read and understand. The organization also released a handbook that provides thorough guidelines on citing and how to submit papers that complies with MLA’s rules and standards.

4+ MLA Format Essay Samples

1. MLA Format Essay

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2. Sample MLA Format Essay

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3. Literacy Analysis Essay in MLA Format

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4. MLA Format Essay Example

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5. Printable MLA Format Essay

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What is the MLA Formatting?

The MLA style format is commonly used in research papers related to language arts and the humanities because it gives emphasis on authority and authorship. This format is also used in essay writing like college essays and other forms of academic writing in many college courses like film, art, English, foreign language, religion, music, and philosophy. Essay outlines that utilize MLA do not usually require a cover page but some professors prefer them.

How to Write an Essay using the MLA Format?

The MLA is a research essay format that is usually assigned to college students that use strict rules for its context as well as the technical organization of the essay. Some of the basic features of an MLA formatted essay include double spacing throughout the entire essay, the paragraphs indented half an inch, uses 12-point Times New Roman font, and double spacing for the Works Cited page with a hanging indent. 

Step 1: Write the Introductory Paragraph

The first paragraph of an essay is its introduction in which the topic is presented to the audience. This section of the essay will set the tone and thesis statement of the composition, providing the reader with an idea of what the essay will be about. It also contains an explanation of why the writer chose this topic, what makes it interesting, and their overall opinion and attitude toward the topic.

Step 2: Provide Content for the Essay’s Body

The transition, topic sentence, evidence, and brief summary of the essay should be written in the body paragraph of the essay. Writing a good MLA research paper essay includes thorough research of the thesis statement and drafting the essay in advance. Quotes can be used to support your thesis statement and transition between paragraphs well organizes and written content.

Step 3: Include a Concluding Paragraph

When writing the essay’s conclusion, make sure that it is strong and convincing. In your conclusion, provide a summary of all the things you have written so far in an efficient and clear manner. This will leave an impression that your content is sound and reliable.

Step 4: Edit and Proofread your Essay

Concluding your essay is not the final step you will be taking. After writing your essay, be sure to edit and proofread your composition to make sure that it is error-free. You should check on your spelling, grammar, and punctuation such as commas, colons, hyphens, and other punctuation marks, and attribution. 

FAQs

What are some of the guidelines for formatting a paper using the MLA style?

When you are writing a paper using the MLA format, use white 8.5×11 inch paper, make 1-inch margins on all sides of the page, first work on every paragraph should be indented one-half inch, use easy-to-read formats such as Times New Roman, use 12-point size, the entire research paper should be double spaced, and more.

What are the types of citations included in MLA-formatted papers?

The two types of citations used on most research papers are in-text citations which appear in the body of the paper and identify the use of an idea or quotation from a source and reference citations which are a separate list of references or information about the sources used in a work at the end of the research paper.

What should be included in the header and title?

The header and title in MLA format are left-aligned on the paper’s first page and include your full name, the instructor or supervisor’s name, the course name or number, and the submission date of the student paper or assignment.

The MLA format not only provides guidelines for formatting research papers but also provides a system for referencing the sources it used. Professional writers who properly use the MLA format established their credibility by showcasing accountability for the source materials they have used. This format also protects them from accusations of plagiarism which is the purposeful or accidental use of a source material created by someone or another writer.

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