10 Must-Know Rules For Writing An MLA Format Dissertation

When you have to write a dissertation, one of the foremost considerations is the adoption of a format style. For convenience, exact science subjects relate better to MLA and opinionated subjects do better with APA style. Subjects like Geography and Political Science can easily take both routes.

Do eminent research

You should first rehearse and research well so that you can incorporate the format into the text without errors. Of course, you will have to labor into the methods, analyses and structure as well; but it pays to go from strength to strength.

Here are the considerations you should ponder over for MLA style dissertations to cut a neat picture –

  1. The margins should be proper on all sides; top, bottom; left and right. Indentation, if any, would be on the left; nowhere else.
  2. The title page should have the title followed by the author’s name and the institutional affiliation. Yes, there would be the running head and page number, but nothing else.
  3. In case of quotes, tiles and paraphrases in the content, you should worthily align them on the footnote and reference page. You may use the footer of the page for a cursory introduction into the point.
  4. The commonly accepted typeface is 12 pts Times New roman. You can use smaller fonts for footnotes or tables, if you wish.
  5. When referring to works, you should name the last name and then the first name of the author. In case an author has more than one book referred, he gets precedence.
  6. There should be double spaces between different sections and single space during the continuation of a segment. The logic holds true for the footnote and tables as well. There should not be more than 2 inches gap anywhere, after the title page.
  7. The list of tables should index every page; including those that appear before it, say the copyright page or the title page. This is to make searching convenient.
  8. The major headings should be in a space of their own; separated by two double spaces before and after them. This accords them importance and renders the readers to treat them specially.
  9. The numbers should be placed with discretion. There are areas where you will have to use Arabic numerals and spaces where you have to utilize small English alphabets.
  10. Please go into detail as to how APA and MLA formats operate so that there is no confusion and no insinuation on plagiarism.