How to Write a Good Essay in MLA
The students, who are studying arts and are asked to complete a quality essay on the chosen topic, are expected to complete their essay according to the norms of MLA format. MLA is the abbreviation of Modern Language Association, which is understood as one of the easiest and most convenient formats for students studying language and literature as their majors. The young person can learn more about the technical organization of the essay reading the guidelines dedicated to this problem.
Step One: Choose the Right Font and Format the Pages
Before writing the text one is supposed to set all the options in his word processor - make 1” margins around the whole sheet; make sure that the lines are not double-spaced (it is possible to set it in Word clicking “Paragraph” and making zero instead of 10 pts in default - this will make the text look more natural and bookish without the broad spaces between the lines) and choose the most appropriate font which looks like Times New Roman. The size of the font should be no more or less but 12, as it is impossible to read smaller letters without the harm for the human eyes. Every new paragraph has to be intended with the help of Tab which is equal to five spaces.
Step Two: Create the Standard MLA Title Page
The student should write down his last name and the number of the page in the far right corner of the page 1.2 inch from the top of the sheet. The first page should contain the detailed information about the student, the teacher, the field of study and the date of writing. To begin with, one has to write his first and last names; below - the teacher’s name and his academic degree; below – the name of the class and finally the date of writing. This information has to be inserted on the upper left side of the page and below one should write down the title of the essay in the centre of the page. It is not recommended to make it bold or italicized – one has to make the words capitalized.
Step Three: Complete the Main Parts of the Essay
The student has to remember that the essay has to be divided into the several definite parts - the exposition of introductory part, which presents the scope of research and the problem of the essay; the second is the body of the essay, which contains arguments and the analysis of the issue and finally - the denouement which summarizes the student’s thoughts about the matter.
Step Four: Follow the Standards of Citation
A quality essay is supposed to include numerous quotes of the famous authors who have researched the problem before, so the student has to apply citations following the norms of MLA format. First of all, when one cites the book, he has to write the author and the page without a comma between them. After that one has to prepare the list works cited organizing the books and periodicals in the appropriate manner, which differs a bit from APA and other formats - The author’s last name; first name; the title of the book; the publishing house and the year of publication.
