MLA Report Formatting
The main steps in creating an MLA research
paper are:
 Set margins to 1 inch
 Set document to double space (Ctrl 2)
 Create header
 Enter 4 parts of report information (student name,
instructor, class, date)
 Enter title – center aligned (Ctrl E)
 Type body of paper
 Type Works Cited page
The margins for an MLA paper are:
 Top margin = 1 inch
 Left margin = 1 inch
 Right margin= 1 inch
 Bottom margin = 1 inch
 Line spacing should be set to double space.
 Use 12 point Times New Roman font.
Header
 Your last name and
the page number.
 The alignment for the
header should be right
aligned.
 How: go to view and
select header from the
list. Type your
information in the
header box, highlight it,
and hit the right justify
selection.
Report Information
 Located at the top left
corner
 double spaced
 Include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Student Name
Teacher Name
Course
Date (day/month/year
style)
Title
 Press enter once
 Center align the title of
your paper.
 Press enter
 Note: MLA standard
format for the title of a
book has changed from
underline to italics.
Typing the Report
 The first line of each paragraph should have
a .5 tab.
 You do not press enter twice at the end of a
paragraph to begin a new paragraph.
 The document is double spaced already.
Quotes that are four lines or longer
 Indented one inch.
 Quotes that are less than four lines should be within
the paragraph and at the end of the quote do not put
your period yet, you should type a parentheses then
type the last name of the author and the page
number from the reference you used and then close
the parentheses

Example: (Craddock 1).
Works Cited page
 Created on a separate page
 You will use the same margins, line spacing, and
header as the report body.
 Center the
Works Cited title at the top margin.
 The references are then listed alphabetically by the
authors’ last names.
 The list is double spaced
 Type references using a hanging indent.
Works Cited page
Footnotes and Endnotes
Because long explanatory notes can be distracting to the
reader, APA and MLA academic styles recommend limited
use of footnotes (an explanation at the bottom of the page)
or endnotes (an explanation at the end of a document).
But if footnotes/endnotes are required, they should include
the following information:
 Author (first name then last name) followed by a comma
 Title of the book (in italics), article (in quotation marks), or Web
page
 Name of publication, volume, number, and/or date followed by a
colon
 Page number(s) where the material is located, followed by a period
 If a Web page, also include URL address enclosed in angle brackets <
>
Here are the steps to insert a footnote:
 Position insertion point after text to footnote
 Click the References tab on menu
 Click the Insert Footnote button
 Type note text.
Short Cut Keys
•
•
align
•
 Ctrl R = right align •
 Ctrl B = bold
•
 Ctrl U = underline •
 Ctrl L = left align
 Ctrl E = center
Ctrl I = italicize
Ctrl C = copy
Ctrl X = cut
Ctrl V = paste
Ctrl 1 = single space
Ctrl 2 = double space
The ones listed are easy to remember and
can help you be very productive.
Title Page in MLA
 Place your report title
about one third of the
way down your paper.
 Place your name about
two inches below the
title.
 Place your class
information about two
inches below your name.