An MLA formatted paper uses 1-inch margins, double spacing, a 12 pt font like Times New Roman, a heading block instead of a title page, a centered title, and a running header with your last name and page number. This guide covers every MLA 9th edition requirement so you can get it right the first time.
A well-formatted MLA paper is refreshingly simple. Unlike APA, which requires a separate title page, an abstract, and a running head, MLA keeps things minimal — your first page starts right with a heading block, and the formatting rules are straightforward enough to set up in under five minutes.
The goal is consistency. Once you configure your margins, spacing, and font, the format fades into the background and lets your writing do the talking. Let's walk through every formatting requirement so you can set it up once and focus on what matters.
Page Layout
These settings form the foundation of your paper. Set them in your word processor before you start writing and they'll apply to the entire document.
Margins
Use 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins on all four sides — top, bottom, left, and right. This is the default in most word processors, but it's worth double-checking under Page Setup or Layout.
Font
MLA doesn't mandate a specific font, but it does require a legible font in which regular and italic styles are clearly distinguishable. The most common choices are:
| Font | Size |
|---|---|
| Times New Roman | 12 pt |
| Arial | 12 pt |
| Calibri | 12 pt |
| Cambria | 12 pt |
| Georgia | 12 pt |
Whatever you choose, use the same font and size throughout the entire paper — body text, headings, Works Cited, and block quotes. Don't mix fonts.
Tip:When in doubt, use 12 pt Times New Roman. It's the most widely accepted choice and what most instructors expect.
Line Spacing
Double-space everything. The heading block, the title, the body text, block quotes, and the Works Cited page — all of it. Don't add extra blank lines between paragraphs, before or after headings, or between Works Cited entries.
Set your line spacing to 2.0 and remove any "before" or "after" paragraph spacing your word processor may add by default.
Paragraph Indentation
Indent the first line of every body paragraph by 0.5 inches (1.27 cm). Use the Tab key or set a first-line indent in your paragraph settings.
Things that are not indented:
- The heading block (name, instructor, course, date)
- The paper title
- Block quotations (these use a 0.5-inch indent from the left margin for the entire quote — more on this in In-Text Citations)
- Works Cited entries (these use a hanging indent — first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches)
First Page Setup
MLA papers do not require a separate title page. Instead, the first page begins with a four-line heading block in the upper-left corner, followed by the centered title.
The Heading Block
On the first page, starting at the top-left margin, type the following information — each on its own line, double-spaced:
- Your full name
- Your instructor's name
- The course name and number
- The date (day month year format — e.g., 15 March 2026)
Here's what it looks like:
Elena Vasquez
Professor Thompson
English 201
15 March 2026
What to notice: Everything is left-aligned, double-spaced, and in the same font and size as the rest of the paper. There are no extra blank lines — just standard double spacing.
The Title
After the heading block, press Enter once (the double spacing creates the correct gap) and center your title. The title should be:
- In the same font and size as the body text — do not make it larger, bold, underlined, or italicized (unless it contains the title of another work, like a novel)
- In title case — capitalize the first word, the last word, and all principal words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs). Don't capitalize articles (a, an, the), prepositions, or coordinating conjunctions unless they're the first or last word
- On a single line if possible — don't put a blank line between the title and the first paragraph
The Evolution of the Unreliable Narrator in Contemporary Fiction
After the title, begin your first body paragraph on the next double-spaced line, with a 0.5-inch indent.
Running Header
Every page of your MLA paper should have a running header in the upper-right corner containing your last name and the page number:
Vasquez 1
The header should be:
- In the same font and size as the body text
- Positioned 0.5 inches from the top of the page (this is the default header position in most word processors)
- Right-aligned within the header area
- On every page, including the first page and the Works Cited page
Setting Up the Header in Microsoft Word
- Double-click the top of any page to open the header area
- Click Align Right (or press Ctrl+R)
- Type your last name, then press the space bar
- Go to Insert → Page Number → Current Position → Plain Number
- Click outside the header area to close it
Setting Up the Header in Google Docs
- Go to Insert → Headers & footers → Header
- Click Options → Page numbers — check "Show on first page" and set start at 1
- Click in the header, press the right-align button (or Ctrl+Shift+R)
- Type your last name followed by a space — the page number should appear automatically
Common mistake:Some students put a running head (a shortened title) instead of their last name. That's APA, not MLA. MLA uses your last name followed by the page number.
Title Formatting
MLA has specific rules for how titles should appear in your paper — both your own paper's title and the titles of works you reference.
Your Paper Title
- Centered, not bold, not underlined, not in a larger font
- Title case capitalization
- If your title includes the title of another work, apply the appropriate formatting to that embedded title:
- Italicize titles of long works: The Role of Memory in Beloved
- Use quotation marks for titles of short works: Symbolism in "The Lottery"
Titles of Other Works
When mentioning other works in your paper:
| Type of Work | Formatting | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Book, novel, play | Italics | The Great Gatsby |
| Long poem (book-length) | Italics | The Odyssey |
| Film, TV series | Italics | Parasite, The Bear |
| Album | Italics | Blue |
| Journal, magazine, newspaper | Italics | The New Yorker |
| Website (whole site) | Italics | Wikipedia |
| Short story, essay | Quotation marks | "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" |
| Poem (short) | Quotation marks | "The Road Not Taken" |
| Article, chapter | Quotation marks | "The Eating of the Soul" |
| Song | Quotation marks | "Bohemian Rhapsody" |
| TV episode | Quotation marks | "Ozymandias" |
| Web page (individual page) | Quotation marks | "About Us" |
Body Text Rules
Once the first page is set up, the body of your paper should follow these conventions:
- Double-space all text — no exceptions
- Indent the first line of each paragraph 0.5 inches
- Do not add extra blank lines between paragraphs
- Left-align all body text (do not use justified alignment — it creates uneven spacing between words)
- One space after periods and other punctuation marks (not two)
- Use em dashes (—) without spaces around them for parenthetical statements
- Use en dashes (–) for number ranges (pp. 45–67)
Headings and Subheadings
MLA does not require headings in short papers, but they can be helpful for longer essays and research papers. If you use headings, MLA recommends a consistent system:
| Level | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Bold, centered, title case | The Roots of Magical Realism |
| Level 2 | Bold, left-aligned, title case | Latin American Origins |
| Level 3 | Bold, italic, left-aligned, title case | García Márquez and Macondo |
Keep heading levels consistent throughout your paper. Most essays need only one or two levels.
Works Cited Page Layout
The Works Cited page goes at the end of your paper, on a new page. Here's how to format it:
- Continue the running header (last name + page number) in the upper-right corner
- Center the title "Works Cited" at the top of the page — not bold, not underlined, not in quotation marks, same font and size as the body
- Double-space all entries with no extra space between them
- Use a hanging indent — first line of each entry is flush left, subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inches
- Alphabetize entries by the first element (usually the author's last name). If a work has no author, alphabetize by the first significant word of the title (ignore "A," "An," "The")
For detailed guidance on building individual entries, see Works Cited.
Paper Formatting Checklist
Use this checklist before you submit to catch formatting issues:
- 1-inch margins on all four sides
- Legible, consistent font (e.g., 12 pt Times New Roman) throughout
- Entire document is double-spaced — no extra spacing anywhere
- First page has the four-line heading block (name, instructor, course, date) left-aligned
- Title is centered on the line after the date — not bold, not larger, not underlined
- Running header shows last name and page number in the upper-right corner of every page
- First line of each paragraph is indented 0.5 inches
- Body text is left-aligned (not justified)
- Works Cited begins on a new page with "Works Cited" centered at the top
- Works Cited entries use hanging indents and are alphabetized
- One space (not two) after periods
What's Next
Now that your paper is formatted correctly, explore the other two core aspects of MLA style:
- MLA In-Text Citations — how to credit sources within the body of your paper
- MLA Works Cited — how to build entries for every source type using the container system
If you're tired of fiddling with margins and headers, Archivero can help you focus on writing by automatically generating properly formatted citations for any source in your library — just save it and the citation is ready to copy.
