Reliable Instructions For Writing A Thesis Paper In The MLA Format


The article describes writing thesis papers using MLA style or based on Modern Language Association. Literature topics are written in this format. However, adequate knowledge of the MLA guidelines is a must before setting out to write a thesis on any topic.

  • Paper – You should go for a white and non-erasable paper.

  • Margins and Spacing – All text written in the paper including the quotations and notes referred to should be double spaced. A margin of one inch should be kept on all sides of the paper. Remember to number your page only at the top right corner of the page a
    nd a gap of 1 inch should be maintained between the number and the right side of the page.

  • Titles and Headings – Don’t use a separate page for the title. However don’t write the entire title in capitals. Also, you should take care not to end mistakably the title with a period. Only if you are referring to the name of a book or newspaper article or other similar things, you can use italic letters or underline the same.

    • If you are using a table or a figure inside your thesis, then provide a label for each of them.

  • Use of Tense - You must take due care about the usage of tenses in the content of your paper. If you are quoting or citing some material or using your own comments on the material you need to use the present tense. However, if you are quoting directly an entire article, you should go for past tense.

Besides the above mentioned basic MLA guidelines, there are some additional rules you need to follow to make your thesis idea.

You must check for Plagiarism in your article. This means you should not use the words or ideas of other persons in your article. If you are using the name of an author, you should refer by the last name, then the first name and then use the middle name if any. However, if there are multiple authors mentioned, you should follow the above-stated order only for the first author.

To make your content more clear and specific, you can use headings for different parts of the content.

If you plan to use citations from a novel or poem, you must include sufficient information so that readers can find the referred citations from the original version.

Lastly, if you are using a URL and you want to divide it, do so only after a slash and never use a hyphen while doing so.

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