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MLA Style Guide

Formatting Your Paper

Font - MLA recommends using 12 pt. Times New Roman font.

Line Spacing - Use double spacing throughout the paper - even on your reference page.

Margins - Your paper should have 1" margins all around.  

Page Numbers - Your last name and the page number is in the upper right hand corner of the page.  If your instructor prefers no page number on the first page, begin numbering from 2 on the 2nd page.

Heading and Title - Type the following 1 inch from the top of the first page, flush left  -  Remember everything is double spaced.

First page of a properly formatted MLA paper

Works Cited

Your Works Cited list is a separate list at the end of your paper.  It provides the reader with the retrieval information for all the sources you cited in the body of your paper.

  • Center the title Works Cited at the top of the page
  • Double space the entire list of sources
  • Entries are arranged in alphabetical order by the first element in the entry - Author's last name or title of work if there is no author.
  • Use hanging indents for each entry.

Works cited page of an MLA paper