SAMPLE ESSAY in MLA Style (8th edition)
Loibner-Waitkus UA-PTC
INTRODUCTION The following seven pages contain an example of a literary analysis written in Modern Language Association (MLA) style using the most recent (eighth) edition. Your completed essay should follow the same guidelines concerning formatting, in-text citations, and works-cited list. If you aren’t comfortable with MLA style (8th ed.), I have included a quick tips guide. You can also purchase the MLA Handbook on Amazon.com. If you have ANY questions about your essay or MLA style, call me. -ALW
(Some) NOTES ON MLA STYLE 1. Your ENTIRE essay should be double spaced. Nothing is ever single spaced, and there are no spaces between paragraphs. 2. All margins should be one inch. 3. Your last name and page number should appear in the right upper corner of every page 1/2 of an inch from the top of the page. 4. The title of your essay should be centered. Do not use bold, italics, or quotation marks unless part of your title should be in italics or quotation marks. 5. The start of every paragraph should be indented 1/2 of an inch (hit the tab key). Do not use five or ten spaces or whatever you learned in high school. 6. At the end of each sentence, there should be one space (not two) before the first word of the following sentence. 7. “Works Cited” should be centered on the top line of your works-cited page. Do not bold or italicize it. 8. The works listed on your works-cited page should be in alphabetical order based on the first thing listed for each source. 9. Do not number the works on your works-cited page. 10. The information for the works listed on your works-cited page should be in the form of hanging indents. This means the first line of each entry is flush with the margin, and all subsequent lines of the entry should be indented 1/2 of an inch. 11. Do not distinguish between primary and secondary sources on your works-cited page.
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1” Student’s Name Instructor’s Name
Student’s Last Name & Page #
Class Title of Essay (centered, not in bold or italics)
Due Date .5”
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Centered (not in bold or italics)
Primary Source
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Secondary Sources
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LOIBNER-WAITKUS