Writing an MLA Term Paper: a Few Tricks You Should Try

If you are a student, you should already know something about MLA format. It is required by a lot of different universities around the world. That’s why learning some good tips on how to write a successful MLA term paper will definitely be useful to you:

  1. The font of your paper should be Times New Roman style, 12-point.
  2. The margins all around the pages should be one inch each.
  3. Using two or more spaces before periods is a mistake. There should only be one space after periods.
  4. Use indents at the beginning of each paragraph of your text. Each should be exactly one-half inch. It’s better to use the tab key instead of the space bar in order to be sure that all the indents are of equal lengths.
  5. Your paper must be double-spaced, including quotations and a bibliography page.
  6. A title page isn’t needed unless you are required to make it.
  7. The first page of your term paper should include your full name, professor’s name, course name and number, and the date of use – all in separate lines at the upper left margin of the page.
  8. The date must be written in the day, month, and year format.
  9. Place the title of your term paper at the center of the page, below a double-spaced line after the date.
  10. The font of the title shouldn’t differ from the rest of the text. Don’t bold, italicize, underline, or highlight your title.
  11. Don’t end your title with a period. It’s allowed to only use a question mark or an exclamation mark.
  12. Insert your page numbers and your last name at the upper right corner of each page. Remember that your name should be written first.
  13. If you mention names of books, novels, plays, and other works; italicize and capitalize their first letters.
  14. Writing a quotation requires using inverted commas on both sides. Don’t forget to capitalize the first letter of the quotation. Place a period only after the quotation marks.
  15. Number the subheadings of your paper if you have them.
  16. If you want to add some endnotes, write them on a separate page before your bibliography list.
  17. Use a separate page for a bibliography.
  18. The sources of your term paper should be listed in alphabetical order by the authors’ last names. However, there are some rules in citing that depend on the amount and types of the sources.

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