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Nursing and Allied Health 2025

Redesign of Nursing and Allied Health completed in 2025 using new master template.

MLA Style Guide

Introduction to MLA

The MLA style guide is widely used within the humanities as a set of standards for writing, formatting papers, and citations. The MLA Handbook - 9th edition is the current authoritative source. There are two primary web sources that support the MLA style guide: the MLA's Style Center website and the Purdue OWL (online writing lab).

MLA Style Center

MLA Guide at Purdue OWL

MLA Handbook 9th ed. - BPCC Library

Formatting a Paper in MLA

The Purdue OWL has detailed descriptions on how to format a paper based on MLA as well as a sample of a paper based on MLA. These cover topics such as spacing, margins, page numbers, organization, headings, in-text citations, end notes, quotations, and punctuation.

Sample Paper

MLA General Format

In-Text Citations

Every source used in a paper must be cited within the paper itself. In-text citations are how those sources are identified and linked to the "Works Cited" page. There are multiple ways to include in-text citations using MLA. The following links provide detailed explanations.

In-Text Citations Basics

Formatting Quotations

Works Cited Page

All sources that are cited within a paper must be listed at the end of the paper in the "Works Cited" page. The MLA style is very specific about the way this list is formatted and presented. The following links provide in-depth explanations of how to create a "Works Cited" page.

Basic Format for Works Cited Page

Works Cited by Format

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