A Simple Guide to MLA Formatting

A Simple Guide to MLA Formatting

What is MLA?

• The acronym MLA stands for Modern Language Association.

• MLA style formatting is primarily used in various humanities disciplines.

• It regulates several aspects of academic writing, including:

  • Document format.

  • In-text citations.

  • The works-cited list.

• In addition to its official handbook, MLA offers an online resource, The MLA Style Center (found at https://style.mla.org/), which provides supplementary instructions and materials for writing and formatting academic papers.

How to Format a Paper in MLA Style

An MLA Style paper should adhere to the following formatting guidelines:

• Paper Type: Be typed on white paper with dimensions of 8.5 inches by 11 inches.

• Spacing: Double-space everything throughout the document.

• Font: Use a 12 pt. font, typically Times New Roman or a similar legible serif font.

• Punctuation Spacing: Leave only one space after punctuation marks.

• Margins: Set all margins (top, bottom, left, and right) to 1 inch on all sides.

• Paragraph Indentation: Indent the first line of each new paragraph by one half-inch (0.5 inches).

• Header: Include a header with page numbers located in the upper right-hand corner of every page.

• Titles:

  • Use italics for titles of larger