Using MLA Format for Research Papers

Writing Handout: 

Using MLA Format for Research Papers 

This handout is designed to help you write a research paper using the Modern 

Language Association (MLA) format. 

Although the MLA format can appear complex, this handout should help simplify the 

process. In addition to showing the correct format for citing sources in the body of your 

research paper, it also provides guidance on formatting the list of all sources that you used in 

your paper. A few sample pages are also included to help demonstrate the format. 

Topic 

Page 

Definitions 

2 

Format for In-text Citations 33 

Examples of In-text Citations 44 

Additional Guidelines for Quotations 8 

Format for List of Works Cited 

10 

Examples of Works Cited Entries 

12 

General Format Guidelines 17 17 

Sample Title Page 18 18 

Sample MLA Paper 

19 

Sample Works Cited 

21 

NOTE: Always check with your course instructor for specific guidelines and preferences. You might encounter 

situations that are not covered in this handout. Under these circumstances, consult with your course instructor or an ASC 

instructor. 

Additional MLA guides, grammar information, and writing aids: 

ASC link on the IRSC Web site- http://www.irsc.edu/students/academicsupportcenter/writinglab/writinglab.aspx?id=970 

The Bedford Handbook link - http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/ 

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7 th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 

2009. 

Using MLA Format (August 2011; g: ASC English/Reading) Page 1

Definitions 

Common knowledge — Common knowledge is information that can easily be located in any 

number of reference sources or that is commonly known. Common knowledge does not need to be 

cited. 

Direct quotation — When you use the author’s exact words, you are quoting. A quotation must be 

enclosed in quotation marks. 

In-text citation — When you quote, paraphrase, or summarize from a source, you must include an 

in-text citation which provides brief information about your source. A typical in-text citation 

includes the author’s last name and a reference marker (e.g., page number). In-text citations are 

written either as a parenthetical reference or as a signal phrase. (See page 3 for a further explanation.) 

MLA (Modern Language Association) style — The MLA style was developed to provide uniform rules 

for documenting quotations, paraphrases, summaries, and lists of sources used to write a research paper. 

Paraphrase — When you restate the author’s ideas in your own words, you are paraphrasing. A paraphrase 

includes most of the details in roughly the same number of words as in the original version. 

Plagiarism — When you use another’s information or ideas without indicating the source, you are stealing. 

This offense is very serious and can result in mandatory withdrawal from the course. To prevent 

plagiarizing, you must cite sources when you quote, paraphrase, or summarize from your sources. 

Summary — When you restate the main points of an author’s ideas (not all of the details) in a fewer 

number of words than the longer, original version, you are summarizing. 

Works Cited — The last page of your research paper is your Works Cited page and includes 

complete publishing information for each of the sources cited in your paper. The sources are listed 

alphabetically. 


Format for In-text Citations (6.1-6.3) 

In the written body of your paper, you must give credit whenever you quote or use another’s words, 

ideas, or thoughts. You give credit by using in-text citations that typically consist of the author’s last name 

(or the title of the source if the author is unknown) and a reference marker (e.g., page number). When a 

source lacks page numbers but has numbered paragraphs or sections, use the abbreviation “par.” or “sec.” 

If there are no reference markers, cite only the author’s name. In-text citations are written either as a signal 

phrase or parenthetical reference: 

Signal phrase 

A signal phrase includes the author’s name followed by an appropriate verb (such as asserts, claims, 

declares, defines, illustrates, notes, observes, reports, responds, suggests, or writes) which introduce the cited 

material. The reference marker for the cited material is placed in parentheses at the end of the sentence 

containing the quotation, paraphrase, or summary, followed by a period after the parentheses. 

Examples 

Signal phrase in a quotation. 

Czeisler reports, "Bright light produces a clear resetting of the subject's circadian rhythms, yet it is 

too early to know why this happens" (137). 

Signal phrase in a paraphrase or partial quote. 

Czeisler reports that bright light affects one's "circadian rhythms" although the explanation is not yet 

known (137). 

Signal phrase in a summary 

Czeisler finds that the proper timing of bright lights causes a longer period of alertness and clearer 

thoughts (137). 

Parenthetical reference 

In a parenthetical reference, the author’s name (or title of the source if the author is unknown) and 

reference marker (e.g., page number) are placed within parentheses at the end of the sentence containing the 

cited material. The period ending the sentence is placed after the parentheses. 

Examples 

Parenthetical reference in a summary. 

Other researchers confirm that bright light produces an actual resetting of the circadian rhythms 

(Rosenthal 147). 


Parenthetical reference in a quotation 

Circadian rhythms are “[biological] processes that occur repeatedly on approximately a twenty-four 

hour cycle” (Feldman 125). 

Notes: 

1. When you cite a source more than once in a paragraph and no other intervening source has been 

cited, you need only provide a parenthetical reference on the last citation. 

2. When an entire paragraph is based on a single source, you may introduce the source (author) at the 

beginning of the paragraph using a signal phrase and then insert reference markers after each 

borrowing. 

Examples of In-text Citations 

If additional guidance is needed, reference to the applicable section of the MLA Handbook for Writers of 

Research Papers is included (in parentheses) for each example. 

A Work with One Author (6.2-6.3) 

Signal phrase 

In fact, Mapes believes that the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant happened 

because engineers ignored a series of warning signals (15). 


The accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant happened at 4:00 a.m., and the Chernobyl 

reactor exploded at 1:23 a.m. (Mapes 15). 

A Work with Two or Three Authors (6.2-6.3) 

Signal phrase 

List all authors in the signal phrase or parentheses each time you cite the source. 

(125). 

Worchel and Shebilske report that a person's biological clock is internally set at twenty-four hours 


A person's biological clock is internally set at twenty-four hours (Worchel and Shebilske 125). 


A Work with Four or More Authors (6.2) 

When the work has more than three authors, follow the form you use in the Works Cited section of 

your paper; i.e., either list the first author's name followed by et al. (Latin for “and others”) or give all the last 

names. 

Signal phrase 

Czeisler et al. find similar results in monkeys (155). 


Similar results have been found in monkeys (Czeisler et al. 155). 

Similar results have been found in monkeys (Czeisler, Johnson, Duffy, Brown, Ronda, and 

Kronauer 155). 

Unknown Author (6.4.4) 

If the author is not given, either use the complete title in the signal phrase or use the full title (if 

brief) or a shortened form of the title in parentheses. 

Complete title in the signal phrase 

The article "Are You a Day or Night Person?" states that the pineal gland, which releases melatonin 

at night, regulates the biological clock (14). 

Partial title in the parenthetical reference 

The pineal gland, which regulates melatonin at night, regulates the biological clock ("Are You" 14). 

Corporate Author (6.4.5) 

For names of groups that serve as authors (e.g., corporations, associations), use the name of the 

corporate author in the signal phrase or the parenthetical reference. If you give the name in the 

parenthetical reference, you may abbreviate it. 

Signal phrase 

The National Institute of Mental Health is studying the effect that altering circadian rhythms has on 

the memory (91). 


Scientists are studying the effects that changing circadian rhythms may produce on the memory 

(Natl. Inst. of Mental Health 91). 


A Work in an Anthology or Collection Edited by Another (6.2) 

If you are citing an essay that appears within a collection or anthology, cite the author of the essay or 

article – not the editor. 

An essay in an anthology with a signal phrase 

The black box in “The Lottery” symbolizes the towns people’s fear as evident in the words “the 

villagers kept their distance” and “there was hesitation” before two men volunteered to help steady the box 

(Jackson 572). 

Note: On the Works Cited page, you will cite the author and the title of the essay followed by the 

editor, title, and publishing information for the anthology or collection. (5.5.6) 

A Scholarly Article Reprinted in a Collection (6.2) 

If you are quoting or paraphrasing a work that was previously published, cite the author of the work, 

not the collection’s author or editor. 

A previously published scholarly article or work reprinted in a collection with a signal phrase 

Demont reports that most individuals feel sleepy in mid-afternoon, a phenomenon due solely to the 

time of day, not to eating a heavy lunch (103). 

Note: On the Works Cited page, you will indicate that you were reading an article reprinted in 

Feldman’s book and were not reading the originally published Demont article. You will cite the original 

publishing information of Demont (usually found at the end of the article). Then you will add Rpt. in 

followed by the title, editor, publishing information, and page numbers of the book in which the article 

appears. If you are citing an excerpt of Demont’s work that you found in Feldman’s book, you will add 

Excerpt from instead of Rpt. in. (5.5.6) 

Indirect Sources (6.4.7) 

When quoting or paraphrasing a quotation from an indirect source (a source quoted in the source 

you used), put the abbreviation qtd. in (“quoted in”) before the indirect source cited in your parenthetical 

reference. 

A reprinted quotation with a signal phrase 

Demont states that “feeling sleepy in mid-afternoon is a phenomenon due solely to the time of day, 

not to eating a heavy lunch” (qtd. in Feldman 65). 

Note: In this situation, Demont’s entire article is not found in the book by Feldman; Feldman has 

only quoted from Demont’s article. In the Works Cited page, you will include a cite for Feldman (and not for 

Demont) because the quote was obtained indirectly from Feldman’s book. 


Literature (6.4.8) 

For verse plays and poems, cite the canto, stanza, and line number. For plays, give the act, scene, 

and line numbers (if used). Use periods between these numbers. If only line numbers are cited, the first cite 

should include the word line; subsequent cites will be only the number. 

For novels, if you give the chapter and the page number, your citation will be easier to find in any 

edition of the novel. If you use both a page number and chapter number, follow the page number with a 

semicolon and precede the chapter number with the abbreviation ch. 

A poem with a signal phrase 

In “The Bustle in a House,” Emily Dickinson describes the emotional housecleaning after death by 

the words “The Sweeping up the Heart / And putting Love away” (lines 5-6). 

A verse play with a parenthetical reference 

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks” is a frequently quoted line from Hamlet (Shakespeare 

3.2.206). 

A novel with a signal phrase 

Conrad is quite adept at using animal imagery as when Gentleman Brown identifies himself as “a rat 

in a trap” (232; ch. 41). 

Personal Communications 

(6.2) 

Letters, e-mails, and memos are examples of personal communications. Use a signal phrase for this 

information. If the person interviewed is not widely known, explain his or her credentials. When a source 

has no page numbers, no reference to page is made in the citation. 

Unpublished letter with a signal phrase 

In a letter to the author, Dr. Jon Smith, a neurologist at St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach, 

describes the basic procedure for this operation. 

Email in a parenthetical reference 

In an e-mail to the author, a neurologist at St. Mary’s Hospital describes the basic procedure for the 

operation (Smith). 


Additional Guidelines for Quotations (3.7) 

When you use quotations, you must use the author’s exact words (and interior punctuation and 

spelling). Some exceptions to this general rule are as follows: 

You may omit part of the author’s words as long as you do not change the author’s meaning and 

you use ellipsis points (three spaced periods). 

You may insert words inside a quotation if necessary for clarification (inserted words are placed 

within brackets). 

Sometimes an author or typesetter makes a mistake in something you are quoting. To show the 

error is not yours, you should insert the Latin word sic in brackets right after the error. 

Short Quotations 

If a quotation is less than four typed lines in length, incorporate it into the text of your report. Do 

not use a quotation as a complete sentence all by itself. 

Blend the quotation into a sentence through use of a signal phrase containing the author’s last 

name and an appropriate verb (e.g., asserts, claims, declares, defines, illustrates, notes, observes, 

reports, responds, suggests, or writes). 

Blend the quotation into a sentence through another type of introductory phrase. 

Construct a grammatically correct sentence when you blend a quotation into your text. 

Place quoted material inside quotation marks. Place the in-text citation within parentheses at the 

end of the sentence with the period following the parenthesis. 

Examples 

Circadian rhythms are “[biological] processes that occur repeatedly on approximately a twenty-four 

hour cycle” (Feldman 125). 

Note: Brackets are used to enclose a word for clarification that was not in the original quote. Because of the way this 

quotation is blended into the sentence, a comma before the quotation and a capital letter on the first word in the quotation is not 

required. 

Czeisler writes, “The timing of the light . . . had to be sinchronized [sic] with particular phases of a 

person’s circadian rhythm in order for it to be effective.” 

Note: Ellipsis points are used to show that some of the author’s words have been omitted, and brackets are used to 

indicate that the word “synchronized” was misspelled in the source. Quotations are usually preceded by a colon (formal 

introduction) or by a comma or no punctuation (when part of the sentence). 


Long Quotations (3.7.2) 

When you quote more than four typed lines: 

Use a colon to introduce the quotation. 

Starting a new line, indent the entire quotation one inch from the left margin. 

Use the normal right margin and double space. 

Do not put quotation marks around an indented quotation. 

Place the citation in parentheses at the end of the quotation. 

Researcher Czeisler explains his findings: 

People exposed to five hours of bright lights during the nighttime over a three-day 

period reset their internal clocks as much as twelve hours. The timing of the light 

could not be haphazard, however. The exposure had to be sinchronized [sic] with 

particular phases of a person's circadian rhythm in order for it to be effective. (72) 

Note: Brackets have been used to show the word “synchronized” was misspelled in the source. 


Format for List of Works Cited (5.3) 

After the final page of text of the paper, prepare a separate Works Cited page. Only the sources that 

you cite in your paper appear in this list. Continue numbering the pages as you did in the body of your 

paper. Center the title, Works Cited, one inch from the top of the page, but do not underline it or place it in 

quotation marks. Double space between the title and the first entry. Use the following guidelines in setting 

up the entries on your Works Cited page. 

1. For books, pamphlets, and other nonperiodical print sources, the basic entry pattern (5.5.1) is: 

Author’s or editor’s name, alphabetized by last name. (Follow editor’s name with ed.) 

Title and subtitle of book (italicized) 

Edition of the book (2 nd ed.) 

Number of the volume (“Vol.2”) 

Publication information (city of publication, publisher, and year of publication). 

Medium of publication (Print) 

End each part with a period followed by one space. 

Example 

Feldman, Robert. Essentials of Understanding Psychology. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw, 1994. Print. 

2. For newspapers, magazines, journals, and other periodical print sources, the basic pattern (5.4.1) is: 

Author’s or editor’s name, alphabetized by last name. (Follow editor’s name with ed.) 

Title of article (in quotation marks) 

Name of periodical (italicized) 

Series number (if applicable) 

Volume number, issue number (for scholarly journals if available) 

Date of publication (the year for scholarly journals; the day, month, and year for others if available) 

Page numbers 

Medium of publication (Print) 

End each part with a period followed by one space. 

Examples 

Czeisler, Charles, et al. "Exposure to Bright Light and Darkness to Treat Physiologic Maladaption to Night Work." New 

England Journal of Medicine 62 (1996): 53-60. Print. 

Rosenthal, Edgar. "Pulses of Light Give Astronauts New Rhythms." The New York Times 23 Apr. 1991, sec. 1: 1. Print. 

3. For electronic sources, see “MLA Citation Style” and “Citing and Crediting your Sources using the MLA 

Style.” These resources are available through the ASC links on the IRSC website 

(http://www.irsc.edu/students/academicsupportcenter/writinglab/writinglab.aspx?id=970). 


4. Begin entries at the left margin, and indent second and third lines ½ inch (hanging indent). Double 

space every entry and between entries. 

5. List entries alphabetically by authors’ last names. If the author is unknown, alphabetize by the first word 

of the title (do not include A, An, or The). If two or more authors have the same name, alphabetize by 

their first name. For entries having multiple authors or editors, see specific examples on the following 

pages. 

6. Capitalize the first, last, and all major words in the titles of books, magazines, and journals. Italicize 

names of books, magazines, pamphlets, and journals. Use quotation marks around titles of articles. 

7. For publication information: 

If multiple cities are listed, list only the first city. 

Shorten the publisher’s name (e.g., Ohio State UP instead of Ohio State University Press, Wiley 

instead of John Wiley, McGraw instead of McGraw-Hill). 

Use the most recent copyright date if no publication date is given. 

Abbreviate the names of months except for May, June, and July. 

8. Do not put p. or pp. before page numbers. 

9. Identify the medium of the publication at the end of the citation. Some examples are as follows: 

Print (for books, newspapers, magazines, journals, pamphlets, reference manuals, government 

publications, encyclopedias, etc.) 

Web (for web publications to include books, journals, etc., found online) 

Personal interview or Telephone interview (for interviews you conduct) 

Lecture, Address, or Keynote speech (use the appropriate description) 

TS, MS, or Print (for letters or memos that are typed, written by hand (manuscript), or published) 


Examples of Works Cited Entries 

Book with One Author (5.5.2) 

Capitalize the first, last, and all major words in title and subtitle. 

Italicize the title and subtitle if a book, play, poem, or periodical. Use quotation marks for 

titles of articles, essays, and stories. 

Omit the words Scott and Company when listing the publisher (Scott Foresman Company). 

Hartman, Charles. The Sleep Book. Chicago: Foresman, 1987. Print. 

Book with Two or Three Authors (5.5.4) 

Name authors in the order in which they are presented on the title page. Reverse the name of 

only the first author. 

Place a comma and the word and between the two names or the last two names. 

Omit the name Hall when listing the publisher (Prentice-Hall). 

Worchel, Stanley, and William Shebilske. Psychology: Principles and Application. Newark: Prentice, 1996. Print. 

Book with Four or More Authors (5.5.4) 

Cite only the first author, name reversed, followed by et al. (Latin for "and others"). 

the publisher’s name (University of California Press). 

Abbreviate 

Gillman, Sandra, et al. Hysteria Beyond Freud. Berkeley: U of California P, 1993. Print. 

Unknown Author of an Article in a Weekly Magazine (5.4.6 and 5.4.9) 

Begin with the title. 

Include the page numbers. If the page numbers are not consecutive, cite only the first page 

number and a plus sign. 

"Are You a Day or a Night Person?" Newsweek 7 Mar. 1994: 26+. Print. 


Corporate Author (5.5.5) 

Individual members may not be identified in the group that wrote the book. Cite the author by the 

corporate author (American Medical Association, Public Health Foundation) even if the corporate 

author is the publisher. Omit any article (A, An, The) in the beginning of the name. 

Public Health Foundation. The Timing is Wrong. Boston: Public Health Foundation, 1992. Print. 

Anthology or Compilation (5.5.3) 

Cite the editor’s or compiler’s name followed by the abbreviation ed. or comp. Use eds. for more 

than one editor. 

Smiley, John, ed. Body Rhythms: Changing the Beat. Chicago: Foresman, 1996. Print. 

A Work/Essay in an Anthology or Collection Edited by Another (5.5.6) 

Some books contain a collection of works by a variety of authors that have been assembled 

together by an editor. When citing one of the works, cite the author and title of the work. Then cite 

the title of the book in which the article appeared, followed by “Ed.” or “Eds.,” the name of the 

editor(s), and the publishing information of the book. 

The edition follows the name of the editor if there is one (if not, after the name of the book). 

Place the title of the work in quotation marks unless it was originally published independently 

(such as novels and plays). Italicize the title of independently published works. 

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet: Prince of Denmark. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert 

DiYanni. 6 th ed. Boston: McGraw, 2008. 1545-1648. Print. 

Dickinson, Emily. “The Bustle in a House.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. 

6 th ed. Boston: McGraw, 2008. 936. Print. 

An Introduction, Preface, or Afterward (5.5.8) 

If you quote an introduction, preface, or afterward, list the author, the name/title of the part 

(Introduction), the title of the book and its author (preceded by the word By) or editor (preceded by 

Ed.), and publishing information. If the author of the part and the entire work are the same person, 

cite the work as a whole. 

Zimbardo, Rose A., and Neil D. Isaacs. Introduction. Understanding the Lord of the Rings: The Best of Tolkien 

Criticism. Ed. Zimbardo and Isaacs. Boston: Houghton, 2004. v-vii. Print. 

Moser, Thomas C. Preface. Lord Jim. By Joseph Conrad. Ed. Moser. New York: Norton, 1968. vi-vii. Print. 


A Scholarly Article Reprinted in a Collection (5.5.6) 

Some articles in a collection have been previously published. When citing one of these articles, 

cite the author, title of the work, and earlier publication information. Then add Rpt. in (“Reprinted 

in”) followed by the editor, title, publishing information, page numbers, and print medium of the 

collection which the article appears. 

The print medium for the earlier publication is not required. 

Demont, Alex. "Like Clockwork." The Science Monitor 9 Aug. 1993:127. Rpt. in Essentials of Understanding in 

Psychology. 2nd ed. Ed. Robert Feldman. New York: McGraw, 1994. 102-104. Print. 

Reference Book (5.5.7) 

If the articles in the reference book are arranged alphabetically, omit volume and page numbers. 

If there is an author, begin with the author’s name. Otherwise, begin with the title of the 

article. 

Patterson, Richard. “Washington, George.” The Encyclopedia of Presidents. Ed. Joseph Friedlander. Boston: 

Holden, 2002. Print. 

If the work cited is a widely used source and frequently revised, full publication information is not 

necessary. List only the edition and year of publication. 

“Big Bend National Park.” The Encylopaedia Americana. 11 th ed. 2002. Print. 

If you are citing a specific definition for a word that has multiple definitions, add the abbreviation 

Def. and the number (or letter). 

“Casting.” Def. 3. Webster’s II: New College Dictionary. 1995. Print. 

Personal Communication (5.7.13) 

Letters, e-mails, and memos are examples of personal communications. 

Cite the author, the subject or title (if there is one) in quotation marks, the recipient, and the 

date. 

For typed letters, the publication medium is TS (“typescript”). For handwritten letters, the 

publication medium is MS (“manuscript”). For emails, the publication medium is E-mail. 

Smith, Jon. Letter to the author. 17 May 1999. TS. 

Smith, Jon. “Operation Procedures.” Memo to the staff, Martin Memorial Hospital, New York. 18 May 

1999. TS. 

Smith, Jon. “Re: Operations Procedures.” Message to the author. 20 May 1999. Email. 


Article in a Magazine Published Monthly (5.4.6) 

Give author, title of the article, title of the magazine, month and year, and page numbers. 

If page numbers are consecutive, write “35-37”. If page numbers are 87-89 and 92-93, write 

“87+.” 

Do not list volume and issue numbers. 

Abbreviate months except May, June, and July. 

Myers, Richard. "Sunrise, Sunset: Circadian Rhythms." Science Jan. 1996: 20+. Print. 

Article in a Magazine Published Weekly (5.4.6) 

Cite the same way as monthly magazines, but give exact date of issue, not just the month and day. 

Short, Martin. "Tick Tock, Change the Clock." New Yorker 24 May 1996: 20+. Print. 

Article in a Newspaper (5.4.5) 

List author, title of article, name of newspaper, the date, the section letter or number, and the page 

number. (For English-language newspapers, omit introductory articles.) 

Do not list volume or issue numbers. Include the edition number (late ed.). 

If sections are labeled A, B, C, etc., and paginated separately, cite the section and page number as 

“sec. B:1” if the section designation is not part of the page number. If it is part of the page number, 

cite as “B1.” Note the difference in punctuation separating the date from the section/page: 

Barns, Lori. "A Nation of Drowsers." Stuart News 23 Aug. 1997, late ed.: C11. Print. 

Nienberg, Valerie. “Things to Do When It Rains.” Port St. Lucie News Tribune 8 Sept. 2005, sec. 

D:1. Print. 


Article in a Journal (5.4.2) 

In addition to the author, title of the article, and name of the journal (italicized), cite the volume 

number (followed by a period), the issue number, the year of publication in parentheses (followed by 

a colon), the page number(s), and the publication medium. 

If the journal does not have a volume number, cite the issue number by itself. 

Newman, Timothy. "Can We Regulate Circadian Rhythms?" Journal of Natural Healing 6.2 (1994): 

72-78. Print. 

Aslan, Joseph. "Group Treatment of Sleep Disorders." Journal of Health 22 (1993): 221-26. Print. 

Electronic Sources (5.6) 

(5.6) 

A variety of electronic sources is now available for research papers. If you are using any of these 

sources, such as web publications or online databases, please refer to “MLA Citation Style (7 th 

Edition, 2009) or “Citing and Crediting your Sources using the MLA Style.” These resources are 

available through the ASC links on the IRSC web site 

(http://www.irsc.edu/students/academicsupportcenter/writinglab/writinglab.aspx?id=970). 

Other Sources (5.7) 

A variety of sources exist that can be used in writing research papers such as television or radio 

broadcasts, films, maps, charts, or publications on CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. 

For guidance in documenting these sources and many other sources, consult your course 

instructor, an ASC instructor, or the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7 th ed. 


General Guidelines for Manuscript Format* (4) 

Use 8 ½ x 11 inch white, standard typing paper. 

Double space the entire paper, and use a standard black typeface (not script or italics). 

Except for page numbers, leave margins of one inch on all sides of paper. Let the right margin remain 

uneven. Do not justify. 

Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space and a 

page number. Number all pages consecutively with Arabic numbers, one-half inch from the top and 

flush with the right margin. 

Center your title on the first page of the paper, and double space between it and the header. If your 

instructor prefers a separate title page, see page 18 for a sample title page. 

Do not underline your title, place it in quotation marks, or put it in all capital letters. (Italicize or place in 

quotation marks only those words that would normally be italicized or in quotation marks, e.g., the 

name of a book that you have included in your title.) 

Space once after the following punctuation marks: 

After commas, colons, and semicolons. 

After concluding punctuation (unless your instructor prefers two spaces). 

After periods within author, date, title, or publishing information of a citation on the Works 

Cited page. 

After periods following initials in personal names (J. R. Harris). 

When writing about literature or general truths, use the present tense. 

*Always check with course instructor for exact requirements. 


Sample Title Page 

MLA format does not require a separate title page. If your instructor does not require a separate title page, 

the format for the first page of your research paper is shown on page 19. 

If your instructor requires a title page, the following is a sample. However, check with your instructor for 

any specific requirements or personal preferences. 

1. Think of the title page in thirds. 

2. Type the centered title in the upper third of the page. One third down on standard 8 ½ X 11 

paper is 3.6 inches. 

3. Type your centered name preceded by the word “by” in the middle third of the page. 

4. Type the course number, section, instructor, and date an inch from the bottom of the paper and 

centered. 

Circadian Rhythms: 

The Body’s Internal Watch 

by 

Pat Andrews 

Introduction to Research 1201, Section A1 

Professor Manning 

17 November 2011 


Doublespace 

1” 

½” 

Andrews 1 

Pat Andrews 

Professor Manning 

Introduction to Research 1201 

17 November 2007 

Circadian Rhythms: 

The Body's Internal Watch 

½” 

Turning off the light and falling asleep sounds like such a simple task, but fifty million 

If your instructor does 

not require a separate 

title page, this is the 

format for the first page 

of an MLA paper. 

Americans may not agree (Hartman 2). Researchers have recognized that circadian rhythms, the 

1” 

body's internal clock, determine cycles, such as waking and sleeping. Feldman defines circadian 

rhythms as "[biological] processes that occur repeatedly on approximately a twenty-four hour cycle" 

(125). Understanding these complex rhythms requires understanding how circadian rhythms affect 

people's lives, whether these rhythms can be modified to meet people's needs, and what implications 

recent successes on altering circadian rhythms have on future research. 

These rhythms affect people who work the night shift. Mapes states that people who work 

night shifts frequently have trouble sleeping during the day and are often less productive and more 

prone to making more mistakes than their day counterparts (A1). Working night shifts and needing 

sleep during the day is a reversal of the normal biological clock functions. He claims that it may be no 

coincidence that the accident at Three-Mile Island nuclear power plant happened at 4:00 a.m. and the 

Chernobyl reactor exploded at 1:23 a.m. Demont observes that most individuals feel sleepy in 

midafternoon, a phenomenon due solely to the time of day, not to eating a heavy lunch (103). Clearly, 

these powerful rhythms affect people's lives. 

Up to now, trying to change the body's internal clock to a sleep-during-the-day/ awake-duringthe-night 

cycle has been difficult. Rosenthal tells the story of trying to change the normal sleep/wake 

cycle of the crew of the space shuttle Columbia in order for them to work in space during the night. 


The rest of this paper has been omitted. 

A sample Works Cited page is on the next page. 

Andrews 2 

Using the well-known process of forcing themselves to stay up all night, the crew watched movies and 

ate breakfast at night and dinner in the morning. However, they never adjusted to the new 

time change (172). 

The crew tried another change. Using bright light on the body, Columbia's astronauts 

were able to successfully change their circadian rhythms to meet the demands of night work 

(Bonner 27). Researcher Czeisler reports the findings on how this change occurred: 

1” 

People exposed to five hours of bright lights during the nighttime over a threeday 

period reset their internal clocks by as much as twelve hours. The timing of 

the light could not be haphazard, however. The exposure had to be 

sinchronized [sic] with particular phases of a person's circadian rhythm in order 

for it to be effective. (55) 

This modification allowed the astronauts to remain wide awake all night but crave sleep during 

the day. 

In later research, Czeisler continued his work with bright lights. For example, he discovered that 

bright light vs. normal light levels produced a better resetting of the subject's circadian rhythms. It is still 

puzzling why bright light tricks the brain, but researchers hope someday to have sunlight-type lights 

available in airplanes, for instance, so that passengers could soak these "rays" to prepare for time zone 

changes (60). 

The rest of the paper has been omitted. 


Andrews 6 

Works Cited 

"Are You a Day or Night Person?" McCalls Mar. 1994: 12. Print. 

Bonner, Peter. "Travel Rhythms Can Be Changed." American Psychologist July 1991: 24+. Print. 

Czeisler, Charles, et al. "Exposure to Bright Light and Darkness to Treat Physiologic Maladaption to 

Night Work." New England Journal of Medicine 62 (1996): 53-60. Print. 

Demont, Alex. "Like Clockwork." The Science Monitor 9 Aug. 1993:127. Rpt. in Robert Feldman. 

Essentials of Understanding in Psychology. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw, 1994. 102-104. 

Print. 

Feldman, Robert. Essentials of Understanding Psychology. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw, 1994. Print. 

Hartman, Charles. The Sleep Book. Chicago: Foresman, 1987. Print. 

Mapes, George. "Breaking the Clock: Was Chernobyl an Accident?" Wall Street Journal 10 Apr. 

1990: A1+. Print. 

Rosenthal, Edgar. "Pulses of Light Give Astronauts New Rhythms." New York Times 23 Apr. 1991, 

sec. 1: 1. Print. 

Worchel, Stanley, and William Shebilske. Psychology: Principles and Application. New York: 

Prentice, 1986. Print.

Using MLA Format for Research Papers

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?