An MLA paper uses 1-inch margins on all sides, 12-point legible font (such as Times New Roman), double spacing throughout, and half-inch paragraph indents. Those are the foundation settings, but there’s more to get right: a specific first-page heading, a running header with page numbers, proper in-text citations, and a correctly formatted Works Cited page. Here’s how to set up each piece.
Page Layout and Font Settings
Before you start writing, configure your document with these settings:
- Margins: 1 inch on all four sides (top, bottom, left, right).
- Font: A legible typeface at 12-point size. Times New Roman is the most common choice, but MLA allows other readable fonts as long as the regular and italic styles look clearly different from each other.
- Line spacing: Double-spaced everywhere, including the heading, body text, block quotes, and Works Cited page. Don’t add extra space between paragraphs.
- Paragraph indentation: Indent the first line of every paragraph half an inch from the left margin. Use the Tab key rather than hitting the spacebar multiple times.
In most word processors, you’ll also want to turn off any “add space after paragraph” setting, which is sometimes on by default. In Microsoft Word, go to the Paragraph settings and set “Before” and “After” spacing to 0.
First-Page Heading and Title
MLA papers do not use a separate title page unless your instructor specifically asks for one. Instead, the identifying information goes in the upper-left corner of the first page, starting one inch from the top (inside your normal margin). This heading is four lines, double-spaced, in the same font and size as the rest of the paper:
- Your full name
- Your instructor’s name
- The course name and number
- The date (in day-month-year format, such as 15 June 2025)
After the four-line heading, press Enter once (which gives you another double-spaced line) and type your title, centered. Do not bold, underline, or increase the font size of your title. Capitalize major words using standard title case. If your title references another work, italicize or use quotation marks for that work’s title as you normally would in the body of a paper. After the title, press Enter once and begin your first paragraph with a half-inch indent.
Running Header With Page Numbers
Every page of your paper, including the first, needs a running header in the upper-right corner. The header contains your last name followed by a space and the page number. Set this inside the header area of your document, half an inch from the top of the page and flush with the right margin.
In Word, double-click the top of the page to open the header, then right-align the text. In Google Docs, go to Insert, then Headers & footers, then Header, and right-align. Type your last name, add a space, then insert an automatic page number so it updates on every page. Keep the font and size consistent with the rest of your paper (12-point, same typeface).
In-Text Citations
MLA uses the author-page method for in-text citations. Every time you quote, paraphrase, or reference a source, you include the author’s last name and the page number where the information appears. A complete entry for that source then appears on your Works Cited page.
You have two options for placing the author’s name. You can work it into your sentence naturally, which is called a signal phrase, and then put only the page number in parentheses at the end:
Smith argues that the data supports a different conclusion (42).
Or you can place both the author’s last name and the page number inside the parentheses:
(Smith 42)
Notice there’s no comma between the name and the page number, and no “p.” before the number. The period for the sentence goes after the closing parenthesis, not before it.
Sources With Multiple or No Authors
For a source with two authors, include both last names: (Miller and Jones 17). If two different authors you’re citing share the same last name, add their first initials to distinguish them: (J. Smith 42) and (R. Smith 118).
When a source has a corporate author, such as an organization or government agency, use the organization’s name in place of an individual author. Abbreviate where appropriate so the parenthetical doesn’t become unwieldy.
If a source has no identified author, use a shortened version of the work’s title in the parenthetical citation. Italicize it if the full title would be italicized (for a book or report), or put it in quotation marks if the full title would be in quotes (for an article or web page).
Sources Without Page Numbers
Many online sources, videos, and other media don’t have traditional page numbers. If the source uses a different numbering system, use that system with a label. For poetry, write “line” or “lines” before the numbers: (lines 12-15). For a script, use act and scene numbers. If the source has no numbering at all, the author’s name alone is sufficient in the parenthetical.
Block Quotes
When a prose quotation runs longer than four lines in your paper, format it as a block quote. Start on a new line and indent the entire passage one inch from the left margin (two tab presses or a manual indent). Keep it double-spaced and do not add quotation marks around the text. The parenthetical citation goes after the closing punctuation of the quoted passage, not before it.
For poetry, use a block quote when quoting more than three lines. Reproduce the line breaks as they appear in the original poem, indented one inch from the left margin.
Works Cited Page
The Works Cited page is the final page of your paper. It lists every source you cited in the text, and only those sources. Start it on a new page. Center the title “Works Cited” at the top (not bolded, not in a larger font), then list your entries below it.
Formatting Each Entry
Each entry uses a hanging indent: the first line sits flush against the left margin, and every subsequent line of that same entry is indented half an inch. The entire page stays double-spaced with no extra space between entries. In Word, you can set this under Paragraph, then Special, then Hanging. In Google Docs, adjust the indent markers on the ruler so the second-line marker sits at the half-inch mark.
Alphabetizing Your Entries
Arrange entries alphabetically by the first element of each citation, which is usually the author’s last name. For works with no known author, alphabetize by the title (ignoring “A,” “An,” or “The” at the beginning). If you cite multiple works by the same author, list them alphabetically by title. For the second and subsequent entries by that author, replace the author’s name with three hyphens followed by a period. When an author appears both as a solo author and as the first author of a collaborative work, list the solo-author entries first.
URLs and DOIs
When citing online sources, include a DOI (a permanent digital identifier assigned to many academic articles) whenever one is available. Format it with a lowercase label: doi:0000000/000000000000. If no DOI exists, use the source’s URL instead, but drop the “https://” or “http://” portion so the address typically begins with “www.” Place the DOI or URL near the end of the citation. Access dates (formatted as “Accessed 15 June 2025”) are optional when you’re using a DOI, but including one for regular URLs is a good practice since web content can change or disappear.
Section Headings in the Body
MLA does not require section headings within the body of your paper, but many instructors welcome them for longer assignments. If you use them, keep them consistent. A common approach is to number them with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) or simply use descriptive titles. Format them flush left, in the same font and size as your body text, with each major word capitalized. Do not bold or underline them unless your instructor prefers it. Leave a double-spaced line before and after each heading, consistent with the rest of your spacing.
Quick Setup Checklist
- Margins: 1 inch, all sides
- Font: 12-point, legible (Times New Roman is the safe default)
- Spacing: Double, everywhere, with no extra paragraph spacing
- Header: Last name and page number, upper right, on every page
- First page: Four-line heading (name, instructor, course, date) flush left, followed by a centered title
- Paragraph indent: Half an inch, using Tab
- In-text citations: Author last name and page number in parentheses
- Works Cited: New page, centered title, hanging indents, alphabetical order