MLA STYLE—PART I
•Basic
Formatting
•Works
Cited Page Formatting
SAMPLE MLA PAPER
BRIEF VIDEO
Click on the link below to watch a brief video.
MLA "How To" Video (Five Minutes)
PAPER FORMATTING BASICS
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One inch margins all around (except for page
numbers, which should be ½ inch below the top).
Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt. recommended
No title page needed
Page 1 headings:
Your name
 Your instructor’s name
 The course number
 The date in day/month/year format
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Centered title 1 double space below the headings
Name and page number in the upper right hand
corner (half-inch margin) on all pages
Last page=Works Cited page
PAPER FORMATTING—MS WORD ISSUES
MS Word uses 1.25 as the default left and right
margins. You need to reset these margins to 1
inch under the Page Layout>Margins tab.
 MS Word uses 11 pt. Calibri font as the default
font. You need to reset this font/size choice to 12
pt. Times New Roman on the Home tab.
 MS Word puts extra space between paragraphs
in the default setting. You need to reset this
spacing to zero (0) extra points of spacing under
the Paragraph>Spacing tab.
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PAPER FORMATTING—SPECIAL ISSUES
“Place tables and illustrations as close as possible
to the parts of the text to which they relate”
(118).
 Label Tables as Table 1, Table 2, etc.
 Label all other visuals as Figures: Fig. 1, Fig. 2,
etc.
 Use good quality white paper of 8.5” by 11”.
 Avoid folders or binders. Use a binder clip, paper
clip, or a staple. (Many professors prefer staples.)
 Print on only one side of the paper unless your
teacher specifically tells you otherwise.
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WORKS CITED PAGE FORMATTING BASICS
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Center the title “Works Cited” (with no quotation
marks) one inch below the top of a new page.
Include your last name and the page number on this
page.
List the works in alphabetical order by author.
If the author is not available, alphabetize by title.
Each entry is double spaced, with no extra space
between entries
Use the same 12 pt. Times New Roman font as in the
rest of the paper.
Use a hanging indentation of ½ inch in each entry.
Do not number the entries.
WORKS CITED PAGE—SPECIAL ISSUES
If you have two or more works by the same
author or authors, begin the 2nd and subsequent
entries with “---.”
 Alphabetize these multiple entries by the title:
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Twain, Mark. Huckleberry Finn…
---. Tom Sawyer…
WORKS CITED PAGE—INDIVIDUAL ENTRIES
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Broadly speaking, entries follow this order:
1.
2.
3.
4.
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Author’s name
Title
Publication information (date, volume, city of publication,
etc.)
Mode of access (print or web)
Each form is slightly different. There are forms for
books, journal and magazine articles, newspaper
articles, web sites, video recordings, and other types
of entries.
Look up the right format for each source.
Do not trust an automated online citation service or
citation-generating software to format your entries
correctly. The responsibility is yours.
QUESTIONS?
Writing Center
Prince 209
(843) 349-2937