Comprehensive MLA Formatting and Academic Style Guide

Overview of Academic Formatting Styles

  • Modern Language Association (MLA) Style: The standardized formatting style utilized by academic writers to prepare, structure, and submit journal papers for publication through academic journals. Different academic journals require specific styles, necessitating standardized guidelines.
  • Comparative Academic Formatting Styles:
    • MLA (Modern Language Association): The standard format used across English and general humanities courses. It is widely considered one of the simplest and clearest academic styles to learn and apply.
    • APA (American Psychological Association): Commonly used in the social sciences. Requires a formal cover letter/title page and a continuous running head at the top of every page.
    • Chicago Style: Frequently used in history and select humanities disciplines. Relies heavily on the use of structured footnotes at the bottom of pages.
    • AP (Associated Press) Style: Standard guidelines utilized by news outlets, journalism publications, and press articles.
  • Course Assignment Formatting Requirements:
    • All written document assignments submitted as file uploads must strictly adhere to full MLA formatting.
    • Short discussion board responses typed directly into the Blackboard text box do not require MLA formatting. No extra points are awarded nor are points deducted for applying MLA formatting in text boxes; standard text responses of 11 to 22 paragraphs typed directly into the box are exempt.

Core Requirements for MLA Document Formatting

  • Approved Software:
    • Microsoft Word: The preferred word processor for all coursework. Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) provides free access to Microsoft Word for enrolled students through tuition. Microsoft Word offers seamless version history tracking and straightforward conversion into PDF files.
    • Google Docs: An acceptable alternative to Word. Menu locations for certain tools and PDF conversion options differ slightly from Word, but core formatting capabilities are equivalent.
  • Font Specifications:
    • Font Family: Times New Roman.
    • Font Size: 12 point font.
  • Line Spacing & Paragraph Options:
    • Line Spacing: Double spacing (2.02.0) applied across the entire document.
    • Paragraph Spacing Checkbox: When opening Line and Paragraph Spacing options, navigate to Paragraph Options and check the box that says "Do not add space between paragraphs of the same style". This setting maintains uniform double spacing throughout the text without adding excessive vertical gaps after pressing Enter.
  • Margins:
    • Standard 1-inch1\text{-inch} (1′′1'') margins required on all four sides (top, bottom, left, and right). This is typically set as the default layout in both Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

Formatting the Page Header and Document Heading

  • Page Header (Top Right Corner):
    • Position: Upper right corner of every page.
    • Content: Student's last name followed by a single space and the page number (e.g., Valdez 1).
    • Software Navigation Rule: Navigate to Insert > Page Number and select the top-right alignment option. Do not go to the "Header" menu to manually type the page number. Typing a number directly into the header tool duplicates that fixed page number across every page (e.g., repeating Valdez 1 on pages 1, 2, and 3). Inserting via the Page Number tool dynamically auto-increments page numbers on subsequent pages (e.g., Valdez 1, Valdez 2, Valdez 3).
  • Document Heading (Top Left Corner):
    • Position: Positioned on the left margin across the first four lines of the paper's first page.
    • Line 1: Student's full name (First Name Last Name).
    • Line 2: Instructor's name accompanied by an honorific (e.g., Instructor Valdez or Mr. Valdez). The title "Professor" should not be used if unearned; writing "Professor" results in a strike-through correction.
    • Line 3: Course name and course code: ENGL 1301.31 (a period, dash, or underscore between the course number 1301 and section code 31 is acceptable). Specifying section 31 is required because the instructor manages four separate sections of ENGL 1301, and exact section codes keep printed documents organized.
    • Line 4: Assignment Due Date (the official date the assignment is due, not the date it was drafted).
    • Date Formatting Standard: MLA strictly uses the European date format standard: Day Month Year (e.g., 06 September 2026 or written numerically as 09/06/2026).

Rules for Paper Titles and Body Paragraphs

  • Paper Title Formatting:
    • Placed directly underneath the date line, centered horizontally on the page.
    • Do not add extra blank line spaces above or below the title.
    • Creative titles are permitted, but standard descriptive titles matching the assignment name (e.g., MLA Template Assignment) are welcomed and preferred.
    • Inappropriate titles will result in point deductions. (For example, an academic article about cursing titled "What the F***" previously led high school students to submit inappropriate assignment titles).
  • Body Paragraph Rules:
    • Body text begins on the line immediately following the centered title.
    • Body text must be left-aligned.
    • Paragraph Indention: The first line of every body paragraph must be indented by pressing the Tab key once (0.5 inches0.5\text{ inches}).
    • Blackboard Indention Glitch Warning & Mitigation:
    • The Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS) frequently strips paragraph indentations automatically upon document upload.
    • If Blackboard removes indentations upon upload, students must leave a comment in the submission text box or send an email stating: "I had indentations, but Blackboard took them away." Providing this notification confirms indentation was attempted and prevents improper formatting point deductions.

File Naming Conventions and Submission Policies

  • Standardized File Naming Format:
    • Saved files must follow the systematic naming structure: FirstName_LastName_MLATemplateAssignment (e.g., using underscores between the student's first name, last name, and exact assignment title).
    • Generic default file names generated by computers (such as document42, document55, document80, or document100) must be avoided.
  • Course Syllabus Policies & Consequences:
    • Non-descriptive file names reflect poor effort and often lead to uploading incorrect files (e.g., accidentally submitting a Sociology or History paper for an English assignment).
    • Per course syllabus policy, no retakes, redos, or resubmissions are permitted.
    • Due to heavy grading volume (such as processing 205205 pending assignments across multiple course sections by Thursday for a Sunday deadline), discovering an incorrect file upload during grading results in an immediate, permanent grade of zero (00).

Step-by-Step Template Creation Procedure

  1. Open Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
  2. Adjust font settings: Set font family to Times New Roman and font size to 12.
  3. Configure line and paragraph spacing:
    • Click the three dots ... on the toolbar (or right-click the page area) and select Paragraph Options.
    • Under Line Spacing, select Double.
    • Check the box labeled "Do not add space between paragraphs of the same style".
    • Click OK.
  4. Type the 4-line left-aligned heading:
    • Line 1: Type student's full name.
    • Line 2: Type Instructor Valdez or Mr. Valdez.
    • Line 3: Type ENGL 1301.31.
    • Line 4: Type assignment due date (09/06/2026).
  5. Add and format paper title:
    • Press Enter once to move to the next line.
    • Click Center Align on the paragraph alignment toolbar.
    • Type MLA Template Assignment.
  6. Insert continuous page header:
    • Go to menu ribbon: Insert > Page Number.
    • Select the top-right alignment option.
    • Double-click inside the header space next to the generated number 1.
    • Type student's last name followed by a single space (e.g., Valdez 1).
    • Double-click outside the header region back into the main document body.
  7. Save and export document file:
    • Navigate to File > Export > Download as PDF.
    • Save file using proper file naming format (FirstName_LastName_MLATemplateAssignment.pdf).

Questions, Discussion, and Student Technical Assistance

  • Word Access & IT Support:
    • Question/Issue: A student reported lacking access to Microsoft Word and being unable to log into their institutional account.
    • Guidance: Contact campus IT support immediately via email. In the interim, use Google Docs to build the document, as menu controls for margins, double spacing, and page numbers function similarly to Microsoft Word.
  • Header & Page Number Setup Clarification:
    • Question/Issue: A student requested a re-demonstration of the header and page number setup.
    • Guidance: Navigation was re-explained: Select Insert > Page Number (avoid Page Break or standard Header options), choose the top-right placement, double-click beside the generated page number, type student's last name, and insert a space.
  • Line Spacing Inspection:
    • Question/Issue: A student requested verification of double spacing settings on their screen.
    • Guidance: Screen settings were checked directly to confirm double line spacing and paragraph spacing checkboxes were correctly enabled.
  • In-Class Template Submission Eligibility:
    • Question/Issue: Can students submit the exact template created during the guided in-class demonstration?
    • Guidance: Yes, completing the template alongside the lecture fulfills all requirements for the MLA Template Assignment and can be submitted directly for credit.

Next Steps: Citations in Academic Writing

  • Following page layout, heading, and header setup, academic writing requires mastering source citations.
  • Practice with in-text citations and Works Cited pages will occur continuously throughout the term, as approximately 90%90\% of college writing assignments require proper source citation.