MLA Format Research Paper Checklist
First Page
- Do you have a salient, distinctive title that is relevant to your topic and thesis?
- Do you have your name, instructor’s name, the course, and date (in that order) at the top left?
Format
- Are you using 12-point font with Times New Roman?
- Are your lines double-spaced?
- Is your font color black?
- Do you make sure there are no extra spaces between paragraphs (some students erroneously use 4 spaces between paragraphs)
- Do you use 1-inch margins?
- Do you use block format for quotes of 4 or more lines in which you indent another inch from the left margin?
Introduction
- Does your introduction have a compelling hook using an anecdote, a troubling current event, a startling statistic, etc.?
- Do you avoid pat phrases or clichés? For example, “In today’s society . . .” or “In today’s modern world . . .” or “Since the Dawn of Man . . .”
Thesis
- Do you have a thesis that articulates your main purpose in clear, specific language?
- Is your thesis sophisticated in that it makes an assertion that goes beyond the obvious and self-evident?
- Is your thesis debatable?
- Do you address your opponents with a concession clause? (While opponents of my proposal to raise the minimum wage to $22 an hour make some compelling points, their argument collapses when we consider _____________, _______________, __________________, and ________________. )
- Does your thesis have explicit or implicit mapping components that outline the body paragraphs of your essay?
Sources and Plagiarism
- Does your research paper contain accurate information from credible sources?
- Are your sources timely, relevant, current, thorough (detailed) and definitive (the sources that peer experts refer to)?
- Do you use signal phrases to introduce sources that you are integrating into your argument?
- Do you use complete parenthetical citations throughout your essay?
- Do you mix quotations, paraphrases, and summaries in your references rather than just relying on one form of citing your sources?
Body Paragraphs
- Are your paragraphs well developed with a good 120-150 words per paragraph (with the exception of your conclusion, which can be shorter)?
- Do you have clear topic sentences (mini thesis statements) that control the supporting details in the paragraph?
- Do you have varied transitions within the paragraphs and transitions that connect the paragraphs?
- Do make sure you don’t continue the same paragraph with a second topic sentence?
- Do you make sure that for every cited quotation, paraphrase, or summary you have a minimum of three sentences of your own analysis of that quotation, paraphrase or summary?
Counterarguments and Refutation Section
- Did you address at least two of your opponents’ strongest arguments against your thesis by using clear counterargument-refutation templates? (My opponents make a strong point about X, but their overall assertion collapses when we consider _____________, _______________, and _________________.)
- Did you make sure you didn’t twist your opponents’ arguments (Straw Man fallacy) in order to make it easier to refute them?
Conclusion
- Did you restate your thesis in more emotional style (using more pathos than logos) to give emphasis to your points?
- Did you show the broader social implications of your thesis to show its urgency and relevance?
- Did you avoid the conclusion cliché? (In conclusion, as you can clearly see . . .)
Mechanics
- Did you check for spelling and word usage?
- Did you proofread for comma splices, sentence fragments, pronoun errors, verb tense shifts, missing apostrophes, and other egregious errors?