Helpful Directions For Writing A Thesis In The MLA Format

Thesis writing process includes many processes which are interesting as well as exciting. The initial step is to find a suitable topic. Once you find a topic, a research is conducted on the topic and all possible details will be collected. The next step is the major one- documenting the findings and results of the research paper. The thesis paper can be written in various formats. MLA is one of the popular format students choose to write their paper.

What is a research paper in MLA format?

MLA is an acronym of the Modern language Association. A thesis written in this format adheres to the rules and regulations suggested by MLA. The major advantage of writing research papers in this format is that it shows students to write papers in liberal arts and humanities discipline. This format is mainly used by students who study art history, English, History, cinematic studies, cultural studies, and languages.

Why do we need MLA format in writing research papers?

The speciality of this format is that it enables students to know what should be included in the paper and what should be avoided. This format helps the document to look more structural as well as professional. In addition to these, this format offers consistency as readers will find it easy to read and understand. Also, the readers can check the veracity of the paper by checking the works cited section.

Directions to write a thesis in MLA format

Here are the guidelines suggested by MLA to write a research paper.

• Always use double space in the text, quotations, notes and list of works cited.
• Use one inch margins top, bottom, left, and right.
• Parenthetical citations should be used to acknowledge direct quotations and indirect quotations.
• You should keep a page titled “works cited” for referring parenthetical citations.
• Always underline the titles of books, plays, pamphlets, periodicals, films, television programs and audio albums.
• Newspaper articles, magazine articles, essays, songs, poems, and lectures should be placed in quotation marks.
• Page numbers should be in upper right hand corner of the page. This format suggests authors to include page numbers in all pages except the title page and reference page.
• Always use present tense to introduce the cited material and make personal comments.
• Past tense should be used when you directly quote a paragraph which is past tense and when reporting historical events.
• There should not be any intentional and unintentional plagiarisms.