Setting Up and Formatting an MLA Paper
If your paper will follow MLA formatting, follow the steps below. You may view the MLA Style Center's Formatting Your Research Project page (chapter 1 of the MLA Handbook) for more guidance.
Sample Papers
- MLA Handbook PlusSix annotated sample papers from the official MLA Handbook.
Formatting the Title Page
Step 1: Set the Margins to One Inch
Download a PDF with all the steps for formatting an MLA title page
All directions are for the installed (desktop) version of Word. Word Online and Google Docs may have different steps.
Basics
The margins of the paper should be set to 1" (one inch) all around.
Step-by-Step Directions
- Go to the Page Layout or Layout tab
- Click Margins
- Select the Normal option
Step 2: Set the Spacing to Double
Basics
The line spacing for the paper should be set to double (2.0).
Step-by-Step Directions
- Go to the Home tab
- In the Paragraph box, click the icon that looks like two up/down arrows with text to the right
- Pick 2.0
- Alternate Method: You can also press the Control Key along with the number 2 to quickly double space.
Step 3: Set the Font
Basics
The font should be a standard size (such as 12 point) and an easy to read font, such as Times New Roman. If you have specific font guidelines from your instructor, use those.
Step-by-Step Directions
- Go to the Home tab
- In the Font box, change to Times New Roman and 12
Step 4: Create a Title for Your Paper
Basics
Your title should summarize the main topic of your paper. Try not to be too wordy or off-topic. 'Short but sweet' is the goal. You may also use the title of your assignment if you wish.
Example Titles
- Attitudes of College Students Towards Transportation Fees
- Effect of Red Light Cameras on Traffic Fatalities
- Juror Bias in Capital Punishment Cases
Step 5: Create the Headers
Basics
In your header, include your last name and the page number, right aligned:
Smith 1
Step-by-Step Directions
- Go to the Insert tab
- Under Header, select Edit Header (at the bottom)
- Make sure that the font is still Times New Roman 12 (you may need to change it)
- Click Page Number
- Click Top of Page
- Click Plain Number 3
- Move your cursor so it is before the page number. Type your last name and then a space.
Example
Step 6: Set Up the First Page
Basics
On the first page, you will include the following information, left aligned and double-spaced:
Your Name
Professor's Name
Course
Date
Next, include your centered paper title.
Step-by-Step Directions
- Go to the top of the first page
- Type your name, professor's name, course, and date, on separate lines.
- Go to the next line
- Center your text
- Type in the title of your paper
- Begin your essay on the next line, left-aligned, and indented.
Setting Up the Works Cited List
The Works Cited list should be on a new page, and should be the last section of your paper. You can press the Control key along with the Enter key to create a new page in Word.
Heading of Works Cited List
The heading at the top should say Works Cited at the top, centered.
Hanging Indent
All citations should be formatted with a hanging indent. An example of a hanging indent is shown below:
George, Mary W. The Elements of Library Research: What Every Student Needs to Know. Princeton UP, 2008.
To create a hanging indent in Word, you can press the Control key along with the letter T.
+ 
Spacing
Line spacing in the Works Cited list should be set to double (2.0).
Alphabetizing
When organizing your Works Cited list, alphabetize your citation by the first word of the citation, which is usually the author's last name. Go letter by letter and ignore spaces, hyphens, punctuation etc.
For multiple citations by the same author, use the title to further alphabetize them.
If a work has no author, use the title to alphabetize. You will use the first significant word to alphabetize; this means you skip words like the, a, and an.
Example of Proper Order:
- Alcott, Louisa May. Little Men.
- Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women.
- Anonymous. Beowulf...
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- "Etiquette in Florida."
- Grammar Girl.
- Johnson, Claude L., and Charles Tuite, editors.
- Johnson, Suzette.
- Oxford English Dictionary.
- "A Prescription for Health Care."
- United Nations.
For more information on creating and formatting citations, go to the Citation Components page.
Annotated Bibliographies
An annotated bibliography is a list of sources you have found, each with a short summary and explanation of how you will use it. The usual format is the citation, with the annotation directly under it.
When creating an annotated bibliography, the annotation is a new line directly below the citation, with the entire annotation indented 1" from the left (this goes beyond the hanging indent, which is only indented a half inch). To move the annotation over one inch click the increase indent icon in the Home tab in Word twice: 
Retain the double-spacing.
MLA Handbook. 9th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2021.
Published by the Modern Language Association, a group that sets standards for writing and research in the humanities, this handbook provides the official rules for MLA citation and paper formatting. It explains how to cite different types of sources, avoid plagiarism, and structure a research paper. I will use this book as a trusted guide to format my project and create accurate citations.