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MLA Style Guide

The basics of MLA citation and paper formatting as outlined in the MLA Handbook (9th ed.)

MLA Style Formatting Guidelines

These are general guidelines for formatting your paper in MLA style.  For more detailed information, see Chapter 1 in the MLA Handbook (9th ed.).  Also, see the sample papers below for illustrations of these formatting guidelines.

 

Margins

  • All margins should be one inch (top, bottom, left, and right).  Your running head will be within your top margin.

Text Formatting

  • MLA recommends using Times New Roman 12-point font
  • Do not justify lines of text at the right margin
  • Double-space the entire paper including quotations, notes, and the Works Cited list.
  • Indent the first line of a paragraph 1/2 inch from the left margin
  • Indent block quotations 1/2 inch from the left margin

Heading and Title

  • Do not use a title page
  • Include your name, instructor's name, course name and number, and date on separate lines, double-spaced, at top of the first page in the upper left corner.   Maintain your one inch top and left margins. 
  • Place your title on next line and center the text.  Do not use bold, underline, italics, quotation marks, or all capital letters in your title.

Running Head with Page Numbers

  • Include your last name and page number in the upper right corner on every page.  Place this running head within the top margin, 1/2 inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
  • Do not include "p." for page number

Works Cited List

  • The Works Cited list appears as a new page at the end of your paper.
  • Center the words Works Cited one inch from the top of the page.
  • Double-space the entire list.
  • Use a hanging indent for each citation.  Every line in the citation after the first line should be indented 1/2 inch from the left margin.

How to Create Hanging Indents for a Works Cited Page

Microsoft Word:
 
  1. Highlight your citations.
  2. From the Home ribbon, open the Paragraphs box.
  3. In the Indentation section of the pop-up window, select Hanging.
  4. Click OK. 

Your citations will now be formatted with a hanging indent. You may need to delete or add line breaks.

 

Google Docs:
  1. Highlight your citations. 
  2. In the Format menu, select Align & Indent.
  3. Select Indentation options.
  4. In the popup window, under Special, select Hanging.
  5. Click Apply.

Your citations will now be formatted with a hanging indent. You may need to delete or add line breaks.

Sample Papers