9. MLA Formatting
MLA is the traditional form of formatting used in professional papers. Do I like it, not really. Will I do it, most likely. My problem with this formatting is that the structure is confusing. Citing a source that is not only indented but always placed in a certain order is taxing. It takes away time and you get points knocked off if you didn't do the slightest thing correctly. When first learning MLA as a middle schooler, I was never taught to indent or do anything specific, just make sure all the information was there. As a high schooler I was taught just to have page references in the initial citation. I was taught to write fast and to the point, not formal and constructed. The most confusing thing, and hardest is making sure everything is in perfect order and construct.
I completely understand how writing in MLA format can be taxing, one thing that has helped is to write the paper completely, then I go back through the paper and add the MLA pieces one at a time. That way I am able to go ahead and get my thoughts out then organize it in the proper format. I hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteI agree indenting is very aggravating, especially on the works cited page; for some reason indenting every line after the first never works right the first time. I often wonder why we must indent, I assume it’s an aesthetic thing, but I don’t like the way it looks. I too have trouble placing everything in the right order, I have no ultimate cure for it, I just keep an owl.purdue.edu tab open while writing.
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