Skip to Main Content

Catalase Lab Report Guide: MLA Style

Guide for writing and research for Walther's Catalase Lab

MLA Format

MLA (Modern Language Association) style is used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. Most English classes use MLA formatting. Look below for examples for the general format for research papers, in-text citations, and the Works Cited page. 

MLA Style Basics

Use these basic guidelines when preparing your final draft:

  • Use one-inch margins all around.
  • Double-space throughout.
  • Indent the first word of each paragraph 5 spaces (1/2 inch) from the left margin. Indent long quotes (those more than 4-lines/40 words) 5 spaces from left margin.
  • Choose a clean 12-point font.
  • Titles (books, periodicals, films, etc.) are italicized.

Bibliography vs Works Cited

Bibliography : All of the sources you consulted while writing your paper, including sources cited and sources just referenced. (Usually used when citing sources in the Chicago format style.)

Works Cited : Only the items you actually cited in your paper. (Usually used when citing sources in the MLA format style.)

Source: https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocChicago_Bibliography.html

MLA Citations

In the MLA style, you create a Works Cited page at the end of your paper. Here are some examples on how to cite your sources. 
 

Basic book

Jacobs, Alan. The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction. Oxford UP, 2011.

Book with two authors

Casell, Kay Ann and Uma Hiremath. Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction. Neal-Schuman, 2004.

Authors should be listed in the order they are listed on the title page.

Book with three authors

Robbins, Chandler S., et al. Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. Golden, 1966.

When a source has three or more authors, only the first one shown in the source is given. It is followed by et al..

Journal article with
one author

Asafu-Adjaye, Prince. “Private Returns on Education in Ghana: Estimating the Effects of Education on Employability in Ghana.” African Sociological Review, vol. 16, no. 1, CODESRIA, 2012, pp. 120-138. JSTOR,  www.jstor.org/stable/24487691.

Omit “http://” or “https://” from the URL when including it in the citation. It is highly recommended to include the date you accessed the article.

Journal article with
two authors

Zhang, H., and K. Merikangas. "A frailty model of segregation analysis: understanding the familial transmission of alcoholism." Biometrics, vol. 56, no. 3, 2000, pp. 815-823. www.biometrics.tibs.org/. Accessed 5 Oct. 2016.

Omit “http://” or “https://” from the URL when including it in the citation. It is highly recommended to include the date you accessed the article.

Book in database

​Cateforis, Theodore. Are We Not New Wave? Modern Pop at the Turn of the 1980s. University of Michigan Press, 2011. Project Muse,
muse.jhu.edu.i.ezproxy.nypl.org/book/2441. Accessed 5 Oct. 2016.

Omit “http://” or “https://” from the URL when including it in the citation. It is highly recommended to include the date you accessed the article.

Newspaper article in database

Bennish, Steve, and Laura A. Bischoff. “Voters Support Ohio Library Building Boom.” Dayton Daily News, 24 June 2016. Ebscohost,
 search.ebscohost.com.i.ezproxy.nypl.org/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,url,cpid&custid=nypl&db=nfh&AN=2W63144501246&site=ehost-live. Accessed 5 Oct. 2016.

Omit “http://” or “https://” from the URL when including it in the citation. It is highly recommended to include the date you accessed the article.