How To Compose An MLA Format Narrative Essay: A Quick Guide


MLA stands for Modern Language Association. It is a formatting style which is often followed in liberal arts and humanities classes. While writing a descriptive or exploratory essay, you need to adhere to MLA formatting rules and mechanism. You can find details about this in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. However, here’s an easy digest on how to compose an MLA format narrative piece for your quick go-through.

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Overall format

A descriptive or narrative essay in MLA format is usually in 12-pt font and the sentences are double-spaced throughout. You need to set 1-inch margins on all four sides and each paragraph needs to have five spaces indented. A separate header needs to be used and each page of your paper should be numbered in the upper right hand. Keep in mind that separate title pages are not a part of the MLA format, unlike in APA.

Opening page

Narrative essays in MLA format follow certain first page formatting guidelines. The left corner (upper) of the opening page should contain your name, your instructor’s name, course name, the date, and everything should be double-spaced. The header should run from the right margin. This header should include tour last name and the page number with a space in between them.

In-text citation in essay

MLA format narrative essays usually follow the author-page style of parenthetic citations. This implies that the source information should be included in parentheses. Here, you need to include the author’s lat name and the page number. If you are using a book as the source, you must italicize the name of the book. Shorter works should be mentioned within inverted commas.

Works cited

There is a separate works cited page that should be appended to the narrative essay and the sources you have used. The works cited page should begin on a separate page of your word doc. The same margin and header rules should be followed here as well. Citations should be double-spaced and should be arranged automatically.

Having problems with writing an MLA style essay?

If you are having problems with writing an MLA style narrative dissertation, you should take the matter to your teacher or professor. It is a well-known fact that students often face problems with maintaining the proper formatting throughout. You can even visit the online help pages that explain different types of formatting rules with examples aplenty.

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