MLA Style Guide

Brief instructions:

Margins: One-inch margins on the sides and bottom of each page. For the top of the page, one inch from the main heading, which will be a half-inch above the name/page number heading.

Page Numbering: Your last name and the page number should be in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Every page (including page 1) is numbered. Tip: Insert page numbers in your document headers.

Title Page: MLA format does not usually include a title page. Instead, use a heading at the top of the page on the left, one inch from the top. This heading should be double-spaced and include your name, the name of your instructor, the name and number of the course, and the date.

Note: The title of your paper should be immediately below the heading, centered. Do not italicize, underline or put your title in bold or UPPERCASE.

Spacing: Double-space every line, including block quotations and the Works Cited page.

Indenting: Indent the first line of every paragraph five spaces or one tab. Indent entire block quotations 10 spaces or two tabs.

Font and Typeface: Use an easily readable 12-point font. Times New Roman is often preferred by instructors.

For more information on formatting your research paper:

The first page of your paper formatting example:

"Fig. 1. The top of the first page of a research paper." The MLA Style Center: Writing Resources from the Modern Language Association. Modern Language Association of America, style.mla.org/formatting-papers/.

The 'Running Head' of your research paper:

This header information starts on the Title Page (1), and continues on every page, including the "Works Cited" page(s).

"Fig. 3. The running head of a research paper." The MLA Style Center: Writing Resources from the Modern Language Association. Modern Language Association of America, style.mla.org/formatting-papers/.

The "Works Cited" is the last page (or pages) of your document.

For more information on formatting the Works Cited page (including how to indent them!) and citation examples, please see the "Works Cited Page" section of this Guide.

"Fig. 4. The top of the first page of a works-cited list." The MLA Style Center: Writing Resources from the Modern Language Association. Modern Language Association of America, style.mla.org/formatting-papers/.