FORMATTING YOUR ESSAY
MLA Formatting Instructions
Saving your MLA template
• Open Microsoft Word
– Not on your desktop?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Right click on Desktop
Click “New”
Choose Microsoft Word Document
Double click on Microsoft Word icon
Create a “New Document” Need help? Ask!
Save as Word Template
File Name: “MLA formatting template”
Save as Type: Word Template
Open H drive
Open English II folder
Click “Save” – This will enable you to use the same document for each
essay that you write. You will save as a new Word Document in your
English II folder for each essay typed.
Creating your MLA template
With your MLA formatting template open
1. Margins
a. Click on the “Page Layout” tab
b. Slide down to “Margins” and click
c. Make sure that “Normal” 1 inch is highlighted
2. Font
a. Click on “Home”
b. Select “Times New Roman,” 12 pt. font ONLY
c. Black ink only
Save your formatting changes after each step! Make sure to
maintain the same file name and type.
Creating your MLA template
3. Spacing
a. Right click on your document
b. Choose “Paragraph”
c. Find “Spacing”
-
Make sure it is 0 pt for BEFORE and AFTER
d. Find “Line Spacing”
-
Choose “Double” – this should automatically change
the box to the right to a blank space.
e. Click “OK”
Save your formatting changes after each step! Make sure to
maintain the same file name and type.
Creating your MLA template
4. Header place cursor in header area
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Click on the “Insert” tab at the top
Go to the right to find “Header” 5th box
Click on “Header”
Choose the 1st option “Blank”
Your toolbar will now have a new tab called “Header &
Footer Tools”
f. Choose “Page Number” the far left, 3rd option in
g. Choose “Top of Page”
h. Choose “Plain Number 3” 3rd option down
i. Type your last name on your document in front of the page
number – make sure to change the font of your name and number to
Times New Roman, 12 pt. – Ask for help!
j. Close Header and Footer large red X on top right
Creating your MLA template
5. Heading place cursor in the actual document, not Header area
– Type your name make sure it is in Times New Roman, 12 pt.
• When you hit enter, your line should automatically double
space. If not, you didn’t create your MLA template correctly.
Ask for help in double spacing your document.
– Type “Steplock – 1st Period” hit enter
– Type the current date – 5 October 2012 hit enter
– Align your cursor to the center using the formatting
buttons – ask for help
– Hit enter – if it is still centered, make sure to un-center before saving your
template for its final draft
Save your formatting changes after each step! Make sure to
maintain the same file name and type.
STARTING A NEW ESSAY
• Open your “MLA formatting template”
• BEFORE TYPING A SINGLE WORD OR MAKING
ANY CHANGES, go to “File”
• “Save As”
• Name your document the current essay and
the stage of the essay (Example: Research paper rough
draft)
• Make sure you are saving to your H:/ (and
eventually a flash drive or Gaggle Digital Locker)