MLA Format

Research papers are a required fact of college life. Whether a beginning freshman or a graduating senior ÷ invariably no one escapes this universally recognized form of written communication.

This manual has been prepared as a basic guide outlining the principle conventions governing research papers at Master's College and Seminary. Attention to all of the important matters included in this guide will (1) enhance the format quality of student papers (2) reduce the amount of time needed to find the more common documentary rules and (3) potentially increase student achievement and course excellence. This guide is based on the Fourth Edition of the MLA (Modern Language Association of America) Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, with minor variations. Students seeking more explicit information governing format requirements for research papers should consult:

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 4th. ed. New York: Modern Language Association, 1995.

A word of caution about the format of this guide. To facilitate brevity, in most cases text is single-spaced, a chief difference between this guide's format and your essay. The specimen pages are prepared in the manner your essays will conform to.

Finally, PC use among college students not surprisingly, continues to rise. It offers instant retrieval, easy revision capabilities and the ability to produce unlimited drafts for consideration. Spellcheck, thesaurus features, grammar check and word count are also helpful. For IBM PC users, The Modern Language Association has a style checker called "Editor" which some might find profitable since it follows the stylistic guidelines appearing in the MLA Handbook.

"Write unto others as you would have them write unto you."