MLA Common Mistakes
Identify and avoid the most frequent MLA citation errors with before/after examples and correction strategies
Most Common MLA Mistakes
Even experienced students make MLA citation errors. This guide identifies the most frequent mistakes and provides clear corrections to help you avoid them in your academic writing.
Quick Error PreventionEssential
Most MLA errors fall into these categories: formatting, punctuation, missing information, and incorrect source types. Learning these patterns prevents repeated mistakes.
Formatting and Style Mistakes
Paper Format Errors
❌ Wrong Font or Spacing
Using Arial font, single spacing, or extra spaces between paragraphs
Font: Arial, 11pt
Spacing: Single-spaced with extra spaces between paragraphs
✅ Correct Format
12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced throughout
Font: Times New Roman, 12pt
Spacing: Double-spaced throughout entire document
Margins: 1 inch on all sides
Header and Title Mistakes
❌ Wrong Header Format
Page 1 ← (Wrong header format)
John Smith, Professor Johnson, English 101, October 15, 2024 ← (Commas instead of lines)
The Impact of Social Media ← (Bold and underlined title)
✅ Correct Format
Smith 1 ← (Last name + page number)
John Smith
Professor Johnson
English 101
15 October 2024
The Impact of Social Media ← (Centered, no formatting)
Works Cited Page Errors
Title and Organization Mistakes
❌ Wrong Works Cited Setup
"Works Cited" ← (Quotation marks)
1. Smith, John. Modern Teaching. 2024. ← (Numbered list)
2. Johnson, Mary. "Digital Learning." Education Today. 2024. ← (No hanging indent)
✅ Correct Works Cited Format
Works Cited ← (No quotation marks, centered)
Johnson, Mary. "Digital Learning." Education Today, vol. 45, no. 3, 2024, pp. 12-25.
← (Hanging indent)
Smith, John. Modern Teaching Methods. Academic Press, 2024.
← (Alphabetical order, hanging indent)
Individual Citation Errors
❌ Book Citation Mistakes
Smith, J. "Modern Teaching." Academic Press. (2024). ← (Initials, quotation marks, parentheses)
Johnson, Mary and Brown, Lisa. Teaching Methods. 2024. ← (Wrong name order, no italics)
Chen, David, Mike Wilson, and Sara Lee. Research. Academic Press, 2024. ← (All names listed)
✅ Correct Book Citations
Smith, John. Modern Teaching Methods. Academic Press, 2024.
Johnson, Mary, and Lisa Brown. Advanced Teaching Methods. Educational Publishers, 2024.
Chen, David, et al. Educational Research Methods. Academic Press, 2024.
In-Text Citation Errors
Basic Format Mistakes
❌ Wrong In-Text Format
According to Smith, "education is changing." (page 45) ← (Citation after period)
The study shows improvement (Smith, page 45). ← (Includes "page")
Research indicates positive outcomes (Smith, John 45). ← (Full name)
Johnson states that "learning is evolving" (45.) ← (Period inside citation)
✅ Correct In-Text Citations
According to Smith, "education is changing" (45).
The study shows improvement (Smith 45).
Research indicates positive outcomes (Smith 45).
Johnson states that "learning is evolving" (45).
Special Cases Errors
❌ Multiple Authors and Sources
The research confirms this (Smith & Johnson 45). ← (Ampersand instead of "and")
Multiple studies agree (Smith, Johnson, Wilson, and Lee 78). ← (All authors listed)
Several sources support this (Smith 45, Johnson 67, Wilson 89). ← (Multiple citations in one)
✅ Correct Multiple Author Citations
The research confirms this (Smith and Johnson 45).
Multiple studies agree (Smith et al. 78).
Several sources support this (Smith 45; Johnson 67; Wilson 89).
Digital Source Mistakes
Website Citation Errors
❌ Website Citation Problems
Smith, John. "Digital Learning." Education Today. Retrieved from www.educationtoday.com on March 15, 2024.
Johnson, M. Online Teaching. N.d. Web. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
"Technology Trends." https://www.edtech.com/trends. March 12, 2024.
✅ Correct Website Citations
Smith, John. "Digital Learning Strategies." Education Today, 15 Mar. 2024, www.educationtoday.com/digital-learning.
Johnson, Maria. "Online Teaching Methods." EdTech Today, www.edtech.com/teaching-methods. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
"Technology Trends in Education." EdTech News, 12 Mar. 2024, www.edtech.com/trends.
Social Media and AI Source Errors
❌ Modern Source Problems
@teachersmith. Twitter post about education. March 15, 2024.
ChatGPT said that online learning is effective. (No proper citation)
Johnson, Sarah. Instagram. Educational content. 2024.
✅ Correct Modern Source Citations
Smith, Teacher [@teachersmith]. "Interactive learning boosts engagement in virtual classrooms." Twitter, 15 Mar. 2024, twitter.com/teachersmith/status/123456.
"What are effective online teaching strategies?" ChatGPT, 4.0, OpenAI, 20 Apr. 2024, chat.openai.com.
Johnson, Sarah [@sarah_edu]. "Behind the scenes of our virtual science lab." Instagram, 3 Feb. 2024, www.instagram.com/p/ABC123.
Punctuation and Grammar Errors
Common Punctuation Mistakes
❌ Punctuation Problems
Smith, John. Teaching Methods. Academic Press; 2024. ← (Semicolon instead of comma)
Johnson, Mary. "Digital Learning", Education Today, vol. 45, 2024, pp. 12-25. ← (Wrong punctuation)
Chen, David. Research Methods Academic Press, 2024. ← (Missing period after title)
✅ Correct Punctuation
Smith, John. Teaching Methods. Academic Press, 2024.
Johnson, Mary. "Digital Learning." Education Today, vol. 45, no. 3, 2024, pp. 12-25.
Chen, David. Research Methods. Academic Press, 2024.
Capitalization Errors
❌ Capitalization Mistakes
smith, john. "teaching in the digital age." education today, 2024.
Johnson, Mary. "The Art Of Online Learning." Education Review, 2024.
Chen, david. "MODERN TEACHING STRATEGIES." Educational Research, 2024.
✅ Correct Capitalization
Smith, John. "Teaching in the Digital Age." Education Today, vol. 45, no. 3, 2024, pp. 12-25.
Johnson, Mary. "The Art of Online Learning." Education Review, vol. 28, no. 2, 2024, pp. 45-67.
Chen, David. "Modern Teaching Strategies." Educational Research, vol. 33, no. 1, 2024, pp. 78-95.
Missing Information Errors
Incomplete Citations
❌ Missing Required Information
Smith, John. Teaching Methods. 2024. ← (Missing publisher)
Johnson, Mary. "Digital Learning." Education Today. ← (Missing date and page numbers)
"Technology Trends." ← (Missing publication, author, date)
✅ Complete Citations
Smith, John. Teaching Methods. Academic Press, 2024.
Johnson, Mary. "Digital Learning Strategies." Education Today, vol. 45, no. 3, 2024, pp. 12-25.
"Technology Trends in Education." EdTech Weekly, 15 Mar. 2024, www.edtechweekly.com/trends.
Error Prevention Strategies
Before You Submit Checklist
Format Checklist:
- • 12-point Times New Roman font
- • Double-spaced throughout
- • 1-inch margins on all sides
- • Last name + page number header
- • 4-line heading in top left
- • Centered title (no bold/italics)
- • Proper paragraph indentation
Citation Checklist:
- • Every source has Works Cited entry
- • Every citation has matching source
- • Alphabetical order in Works Cited
- • Hanging indent for all entries
- • Consistent punctuation throughout
- • Author-page in-text format
- • Proper title formatting (italics vs quotes)
Quick Fix Strategies
Use Find & Replace for:
- • Changing (page 45) to (45)
- • Fixing font inconsistencies
- • Standardizing date formats
- • Correcting punctuation patterns
Double-Check These Areas:
- • First and last pages of your paper
- • Transitions between paragraphs
- • Long quotations (block format)
- • Works Cited alphabetization