- Page margins: Use 1-inch margins on all sides of the page.
- Page numbers: Place page numbers in the upper right corner of each page, including the first page.
- Font: Use a legible font like Times New Roman or Arial and set the font size to 12 point.
- Line spacing: Use double-spacing throughout the document.
- Paragraphs: Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch from the left margin. Do not add an extra space between paragraphs.
- Headings: If you are using headings in your document, they should be consistently formatted and appropriately placed on the page. Use bold or italic font to distinguish headings from the main body of text.
- Title: Place the title of your document (if you have one) on the first page, centered and double-spaced down from the top of the page.
- Author: On the first page, in the top left corner, include your name and the course or class for which the paper is being submitted.
- Citations: Use in-text citations and a Works Cited page to credit the sources you used in your research. Follow the guidelines for citing sources in MLA style, which include providing the author's name, the title of the work, and publication information.
For more detailed information on formatting an MLA-style document, you can consult the MLA Handbook or the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) guide to MLA style:
MLA Handbook: https://www.mla.org/MLA-Style/MLA-Style-Introduction
Purdue OWL MLA Guide: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_general_format.html
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MLA Style Made Easy: 9 Steps to Format Your Thesis
The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is a citation style used in the humanities, particularly in the field of literature. If you are using MLA style to format a research paper or other written work, there are specific guidelines you should follow for the overall page layout. Here are the main elements of an MLA-formatted document, along with some general guidelines for each:
