MLA stands for Modern Language Association, and it is a group that publishes the rulebook on how research papers should be formatted and how sources should be included. The format of the paper refers to the settings you need for fonts, margins, and paragraphs (among many other things). The rulebook also explains the rules about using research sources in your paper within the text you are writing as well as how the full reference, or citation, should be given at the end of the paper.
MLA Handbook (9th Edition) by 