Simple Tips on Formatting an MLA Essay in Google Docs

The preparation of any student, scientific, research, and other work requires taking into account certain requirements for formatting the text. One of the modern and popular styles is MLA. Today we will talk about the features of its application in student and research practice and will find out how to format an essay in MLA style in Google Docs.

Table of Contents

What is it?

MLA in full transcript appears to users as the Modern Language Association and is a standard way of formatting texts. This option is recommended for academic work. It predetermines the order of presentation of the study in textual and other forms, the way of presenting information, and the order of its execution.

MLA is already a well-established format for completing and processing academic papers, but nevertheless, not all students know how to work with it. If you are one of them and don’t know how to format your paper properly, you can order a custom essay example. A writer who is well-versed in the MLA style will format your paper properly. Thus, you will no longer have problems with it.

The style adheres to the following principles:

The presence of a certain structure of the document and a phased presentation of thoughts, arguments, facts, conclusions, etc.;
Unification of the external and internal “world of textual information,” that is, the uniform format of each element of the study throughout the work;
Simplifying the perception of various types of information sources and their role in research or academic work, that is, the analysis of the information base and facilitating its understanding, justification, and determining the role of each of the resources used.

Who uses it?

Students studying the humanities (philological, linguistic) specialties at universities most often use the MLA format. This style controls the visual and internal boundaries of the study, outlining specific requirements for the format of pages and their content and putting forward specific technical parameters for each structural element of the study. The main emphasis is on the interpretation and inclusion of quotations and primary sources of information in the text of the research and its sections.

The mission of the MLA format is to present the text in a specific style on a consistent, progressively immersive basis using the principles of brevity and conciseness. This style is actively used by students and researchers. As a basis, it is used in more than thousands of international publications.

Key parameters and rules of the MLA format

The MLA style itself is very original. It focuses on borrowed materials, specifying the order of their reflection in the text of the study and bibliography lists. Agree no work is complete without the use of other people’s works. To avoid plagiarism and copyright infringement, it is important to format quotes and borrowings correctly. Moreover, throughout the entire project, they must be performed in the same style.

The MLA format is based on the following criteria:

The study must have a specific (most often classical) structure: general information about the project, introduction, main material broken down into semantic blocks and conclusions, bibliography, etc.;
The main emphasis is on the format of the involved primary sources: quotations, bibliographic records, and a list of references, taking into account the type of resource, authorship, etc.;
The specificity of the format of the study: the title page is not an obligatory element. There is the format of primary sources in the text, taking into account the information known about them; there is accurate data on the use and format of primary sources and the general view of the project.

Tips on formatting an MLA essay in Google Docs

Among the basic rules for formatting texts in the MLA style, the following characteristics can be noted:

The document is drawn up in electronic form using computer technology and appropriate text editors: MS Word and Google Docs (in our case). Subsequently, the document must be printed on A4 sheets;
Page Format: All margins must be set to 1 inch, indent – half an inch;
The text is written in Times New Roman font, font size – 12 pt;
The line spacing is double; moreover, there should not be extra spaces between paragraphs;
In the upper right corner of each page, information about the author of the academic work is indicated, and next to it is the page number (according to its location in the academic work, that is, consecutive numbering);
It is customary to put one space after punctuation marks;
The title page is not a required part of an academic paper. Its format is made according to the individual requirements of the university. A worthy alternative is to create a separate page with information about the author, work, and date of publication.
The emphasis in the text is unacceptable (or possible in a minimal amount). It is only allowed to mark the most important phrases and terms in italics.

Please note that the MLA format establishes only general rules for the format of materials, without strict restrictions in terms of checking for plagiarism, the scope of the study, the number of primary sources and citations used, etc.

How to use MLA style within Google Docs?

The preparation of an academic paper is possible with the help of the text editor – Google Docs, which is used by virtually every student when performing essays, term papers, theses, and scientific papers. In this case, there are at least two scenarios for using the MLA format:

Manual;
Auto.

The first method assumes that the researcher independently (that is, manually) adjusts the document according to the declared parameters: margins, font, indents, and line spacing. To do this, you need to go to the appropriate sections of the text editor and settings and make the appropriate adjustments while saving them.

The second method involves using a template that is valid in the official version of Google Docs. You can find and activate it using the following command: file – new – from template gallery – Report MLA – click on it.

Then it remains only to enter the relevant information (the text of the academic work), fill out personal information, etc. If the citations are correctly indicated (using quotation marks), they will be automatically converted to the desired form.