Is It Bad To Have Subheadings In An Essay MLA?

Subheadings are usually added when you’re writing an assignment, essay, research paper, or dissertation to organise the whole text and divide the main message into different parts. They not only help to construct the whole structure but also significantly help readers to scroll through the whole paper. However, writing an essay according to MLA might require adherence to all its respective rules and regulations. It might compel writers to ask the question, “Is it bad to have subheadings in an essay?”.

This blog exclusively focuses on answering this specific question. So, let’s get started to see if subheadings are either bad or good for MLA essays.

What is MLA Format?

MLA format is defined as a set of formatting and citation guidelines developed by the Modern Language Association. It significantly focuses on how an assignment, essay, research paper, and academic paper should be according to MLA. It is prominently used in disciplines such as literature, languages, education, social sciences, and cultural studies.

The MLA format ensures that all the written academic papers are clear, simple, and uniform. The common guidelines that the MLA format requires the writers to follow are Times New Roman 12-point font, double spacing, one-inch margin on both sides, header, title, and works cited page at the end of the paper.

What are Subheadings in an MLA Essay?

Subheadings are defined as the sub-sections or portions that are added to an MLA essay to divide it efficiently. The whole message of the essay is segregated into small portions that significantly help analyse the core message deeply. These small portions are referred to as subheadings. Subheadings play a significant role in guiding readers through the whole MLA essay.

Subheadings are normally added under the main headings of the MLA essay. They have smaller fonts than the main title or headings.

When to Use Subheadings in an MLA Essay?

Here’s when you must add subheadings to your MLA essay:

Advantages of Using Subheadings in MLA Essay

Imagine you’re writing an essay, and you write all the explanations without adding any simple headings or subheadings. Would the readers be able to navigate through it easily? The simple answer is no. As there are no marks in the written text, they might find it difficult to follow through. Apart from structuring the MLA essay, subheadings significantly serve various advantages, including:

• They help to divide the essay into different sections

The main advantage of using subheadings in MLA essays is to divide them into different sections. The main title of the MLA essay can also be elaborated without any subheadings, but it makes it difficult to keep track of what has been written and what remains. When subheadings are added, they help to maintain the structure.

• They allow readers to follow every point efficiently

Adding subheadings in an MLA essay not only makes it structured and labelled but also allows readers to follow every point efficiently. As the main message of the essay is divided into clear sections, it helps readers to understand all the essentials of the essay. Moreover, subheadings make the essay more engaging and readable for readers.

• They enable to construct a clearer argument

The main title of the MLA essay is dependent upon all the main headings, and all the main headings are dependent upon subheadings. This whole structure of dependency flows smoothly like water; one thing leads to another. All the things are interconnected and support each other which is essential to constructing a clearer argument.

• They enhance the visual presentation of the essay

Subheadings not only enhance the readability or flow of MLA essays, however, they also enhance their visual representation. Essays without subheadings look very bulky and stuffed, which is not seen as academically appropriate. When subheadings are added, MLA essays look very structured and professional.

• They help to sum up the whole message of the essay

Another major advantage of adding subheadings is that they help to summarise the whole message of the essay. Subheadings are particularly written to highlight the sub-sections of the essay. However, they also act as small patches of information related to the main message and conform the whole text into them.

Disadvantages of Using Subheadings in MLA Essay

Where adding subheadings in MLA essays has its advantages, there are also its disadvantages. There are certain rules and guidelines that you must follow while using subheadings, otherwise you may end up facing different issues. These issues might be oversimplification and over-cluttering of the essay. Here are the different disadvantages of using subheadings in an MLA essay:

• Overuse of subheadings can clutter the essay

The major disadvantage that can be experienced because of adding subheadings is the cluttering of the essay. As MLA essays are detailed and contain a whole bunch of data and information, their subheadings can also be of a significant number. So, their overuse leads to an increment of subheadings that make the essay cluttered.

• They can significantly cause redundancy in text

Sometimes, subheadings that are related to the main title or topic sentence are simultaneously used in the MLA essay. This significantly causes a redundancy in the whole text. For example, if the introduction of the MLA essay starts with a heading, it may not look right as all readers expect the essay to start from the introduction.

• They increase the risks of different formatting errors

When subheadings are added to an MLA essay, different formatting methods and measures are taken to make them relevant and prominent. However, overuse of subheadings can significantly increase the risk of formatting errors. For instance, if there are further subheadings within a subheading, it would be difficult to track them.

• They might oversimplify the whole essay

Subheadings undoubtedly make it easier for the readers to read the MLA essay efficiently. However, over-reliance on them will make the essays too obvious and clear. Readers might only want to read the subheadings instead of browsing the mentioned elaboration. This significantly leaves the value of MLA essays only on subheadings.

• They might not align with traditional essay structure

Sometimes, MLA essays are required to be written in a traditional minimalistic way in which paragraphs are written without a subheading, as preferred by the instructor. When subheadings are added, they ultimately do not align with the traditional minimalistic style and go beyond the instructor’s requirements, which then impacts your grades.

How to Use Subheadings in an Essay MLA Format?

After focusing on the benefits and drawbacks of using subheadings in MLA essays, it’s time to discuss the essential steps to use subheadings in an essay MLA format.

⭕Step 1: Start with the main title of the essay

The first step is to write the main title of the MLA essay. The main title shows the main message or argument that is going to be discussed in the whole essay and concludes with a conclusion. Now, imagine all the sections or components that can further elaborate on or support the main message. The whole essay is based on them and their findings.

⭕Step 2: Add the main sections to provide an idea

Once you have imagined and formulated all the possible sections, add them under the main title or heading. Number them efficiently so you can see how many sections you have been able to add in order to support the main title message. Write them in a way that represents their under-discussed text. Try to make them relevant.

⭕Step 3: Breakdown each section into different headings

After adding the main sections, break them into different headings. These headings must contain all the data and information relevant to their titles. Make the headings that are required to explain those sections completely. Avoid using too many headings, as readers don’t tend to read the ones they think are confusing or irrelevant.

⭕Step 4: Further segregate the heading into subheadings

When you have added the headings, the next step is to further segregate them into subheadings. Headings are the breakdown of main sections, and the subheadings are the segregation of headings. Make the subheadings about the content that is sufficient to explain the headings better. They frequency must be maintained, adhering to all your academic requirements.

General MLA Guidelines for Headings and Subheadings in an Essay

Above, we have discussed the steps to add subheadings in an MLA essay, now let’s focus on the general MLA guidelines for headings and subheadings. The guidelines significantly highlight all the things that you must consider while writing an MLA essay. By adhering to these guidelines efficiently, you can ensure that all your academic obligations are met. Here are the general guidelines MLA that you must follow while adding headings and subheadings in an essay:

Final Thoughts

In this blog, we have attempted to answer the question, “Is it bad to have subheadings in an essay MLA?”. We have discussed various things to answer this question properly. After the discussion, we can conclude by saying that subheadings in an MLA essay both have advantages and disadvantages. However, the disadvantage that we face is mainly due to not following the general guidelines.

Sometimes, subheadings are an integral part of an MLA essay, and sometimes, they are not even a requirement. They are mostly added due to their need to construct a better argument; however, in the case of minimalistic style, they are not required at all. It is entirely on you to use subheadings in an MLA essay or not.

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