MLA FORMATTING AND CITATION
SETTING UP MLA STYLE DOCUMENTS IN
MICROSOFT WORD 2007
SETTING UP MLA STYLE DOCUMENTS IN
MICROSOFT WORD 2007
To change margins:
Click on “Page Layout” then “Margins”
Make sure the margins are set at “Normal” ( 1” all around)
To add page numbers:
Click on “Insert” and then “Page Number”
Select “Top of page” and “Plain Number 3”
You’ll see a gray number 1 at the top right of the first page – type your last name
right before it and then a space
Click “Close Header and Footer”
SETTING UP MLA STYLE DOCUMENTS IN
MICROSOFT WORD 2007
To set double spacing:
Click on “Home” and then on “Line Spacing” in the “Paragraph” box
Select “2.0” and “Remove Space after Paragraph” (if needed)
To get a “hanging indent” for the second and following lines of a Works Cited entry:
Type in your entry normally
Select the text that you want to format with a hanging indent
Click on the arrow in the bottom right of the “Paragraph” box to show the Paragraph
Dialog Box
Under “Special,” select “Hanging”
SETTING UP MLA STYLE DOCUMENTS IN
MICROSOFT WORD 2007
To get a “hanging indent” for the second and following lines of a Works Cited entry:
Begin typing in your entry, letting the words wrap around onto the second line
automatically
When you get to the beginning of the second line, hit “CTRL” and “TAB” at the same
time to indent the second line
Continue typing your entry, using “CTRL”/”TAB” as needed for each new line
If you have an earlier version of MS Word at home, make sure to save in
compatibility mode (select “Save As” and use the pull-down menu under “Save as
type” to select “Word 97-2003 Document”).
If you use another word processing program at home (Works, Word Perfect, etc.),
make sure to save as an rtf file.
MLA STYLE BASICS FOR IN-TEXT CITATION:
Every quote should be integrated into a sentence using a signal phrase and a
parenthetical note. A signal phrase is a group of words that introduces the quotation,
identifying the author and/or providing context for the quotation. A parenthetical
note follows the quote and indicates the page number where the quotation can be
found and (if needed) the author of the quote.
A quote should never stand on its own without a signal phrase:
 Jack Lopez really enjoyed his childhood. “I was lucky; I got the best of both worlds”
(16).
This is often referred to as a dropped quote because the quotation is just “dropped”
into the essay with no signal phrase.
MLA STYLE BASICS FOR IN-TEXT CITATION:
Instead, be sure to use a signal phrase to introduce all quotations. Depending on
what you include in your signal phrase, your parenthetical note may include just
the page number, or it may include the author of the quote and the page number.
 If you mention the name of the author in your signal phrase, you only need to put
the page number for the quote in parentheses after the quote.
 Sometimes, you may not mention the author’s name in the signal phrase. If you do
not mention the name of the author in your signal phrase, you need to put his or her
name in the parenthesis as well, just before the page number.
MLA STYLE BASICS FOR WORKS CITED PAGES
(WEBSITES)
On your Works Cited page, include the following information in the following order:
 Name (last name first) of the author, editor, or corporate author (if known)
 Title of the site (italicized)
 Name of sponsor
 Date of last update
 Medium (Web)
 Date of access
MLA STYLE BASICS FOR WORKS CITED PAGES
(PRINT SOURCES)
On your Works Cited page, include the following information in the following order:
 Name (last name first) of the author, editor, or corporate author (if known).
 Title of the essay (in quotation marks)
 Title of the book (italicized)
 Editor(s) (preceded by “Ed.”)
 City of publication
 Publisher
 Copyright date of the book
 The page numbers of the essay (full page range)
 Medium (Print)