Students are often told to write a paper in MLA format, and we will talk this week about what that means. MLA stands for Modern Language Association of America. The Modern Language Association is a professional association for scholars of language and literature. Among other things, this official group of people meets regularly to determine certain rules for the formatting of written essays. Formatting of a paper has to do with how the paper looks when it is printed on the page. Format also dictates what will be included on the pages of an essay.
In order to understand MLA rules, we use the MLA Handbook. Every few years, the Modern Language Association updates the rules. Right now, the 9th edition of the handbook has the most current information. This guide can be found in most reference libraries. You can also access information about MLA format through online resources – especially the Purdue OWL (online writing lab) website.
Most teachers of English literature and social studies will expect papers to be submitted in MLA format. It is also best to write college application essays using MLA format. In order to get you on your way to writing a strong paper, we will spend this week looking at the most commonly used rules of MLA format.