MLA format is a set of rules for page layout, in-text citations, and source documentation developed by the Modern Language Association. It’s the standard style for papers in English, literature, humanities, and many general college writing courses. The current version, the MLA Handbook 9th edition, uses a flexible template system that works across source types. Here’s everything you need to set up your paper correctly.
Page Layout Basics
Every MLA paper starts with the same foundation. Set your margins to 1 inch on all sides. Use a legible font like Times New Roman at 12-point size. Double-space the entire document, including your heading, body text, block quotes, and Works Cited page. Don’t add extra space between paragraphs or between your heading and the title.
Indent the first line of every paragraph by half an inch (one press of the Tab key in most word processors). Left-align your text rather than justifying both margins.
Page Numbers
Number every page consecutively in the upper right corner, placed half an inch from the top of the page and flush with the right margin. Include your last name just before the page number (for example, “Garcia 3”). Most word processors let you set this up once in the header, and it will repeat automatically on every page.
First Page Heading and Title
MLA papers don’t use a separate title page unless your instructor asks for one. Instead, the first page opens with a four-line heading in the upper left corner, double-spaced like the rest of the paper:
- Line 1: Your full name
- Line 2: Your instructor’s name
- Line 3: The course name and number
- Line 4: The date (typically in day-month-year format, like 15 June 2025)
After the heading, press Enter once (staying double-spaced) and center your title. Don’t bold, underline, or enlarge it. Use standard capitalization rules: capitalize the first word, the last word, and all major words in between. If your title includes the name of another work, apply the formatting that work would normally get (italics for a book, quotation marks for a short story or article). Then press Enter once more and begin your first paragraph.
In-Text Citations
MLA uses the author-page method for citing sources within your paper. Every time you quote, paraphrase, or reference an idea from a source, include the author’s last name and the page number where you found the information. A complete entry for that source then appears on your Works Cited page.
You can work the author’s name into your sentence naturally and put just the page number in parentheses at the end:
Morrison describes the house as “spiteful” (3).
Or you can place both the author and page number inside the parentheses:
The house is described as “spiteful” (Morrison 3).
Notice there’s no comma between the author’s name and the page number, and the period goes after the closing parenthesis, not before it.
Sources With No Known Author
When a source doesn’t list an author, use a shortened version of the title in your parenthetical citation instead. Put the shortened title in quotation marks if the source is a short work like an article, or italicize it if it’s a longer work like a book or website. Shorten longer titles to a noun phrase by cutting unnecessary words. For example, an article titled “New Findings in Climate Research Over the Past Decade” could be shortened to “New Findings” in your citation.
Sources Without Page Numbers
Many online sources don’t have page numbers. In those cases, simply include the author’s last name (or shortened title) with no number. If the source uses paragraph numbers, section headings, or timestamps, you can include those instead to help the reader locate the passage.
The Works Cited Page
Your Works Cited page goes at the end of the paper on its own page. Center the title “Works Cited” at the top (no bold, no underline), and continue the same double-spacing and 1-inch margins used throughout the paper.
List entries alphabetically by the first element in each citation, which is usually the author’s last name. Each entry uses a hanging indent: the first line sits flush with the left margin, and every line after that is indented 0.5 inches. Your word processor can set this automatically through its paragraph or indentation settings.
The Nine Core Elements
The 9th edition of the MLA Handbook builds citations using a flexible template of nine core elements. Rather than memorizing different formats for books, articles, websites, and videos, you fill in the same template each time, leaving out any elements that don’t apply to a particular source. The elements, in order, are:
- Author.
- Title of source.
- Title of container (the larger work that holds the source, like a journal, website, or anthology).
- Contributors (editors, translators, directors, etc.).
- Version.
- Number (volume and issue for journals).
- Publisher.
- Publication date.
- Location (page numbers, URL, or DOI).
Each element is followed by the punctuation mark shown in the template (usually a comma or period). The “container” concept is one of the most useful parts of MLA 9. A poem might appear inside an anthology (container 1), which you accessed through an online database (container 2). You simply list the core elements for each container in sequence.
Element names aren’t always literal. The “Publisher” slot, for instance, can refer to a book’s publishing house, a website’s sponsoring organization, or even the theater company that produced a play. Think of each element as a role rather than a rigid label.
Formatting Quotations
Short quotations (four lines of prose or fewer, three lines of verse or fewer) go directly into your paragraph, enclosed in quotation marks, with the parenthetical citation after the closing quotation mark and before the period.
Longer quotations get set off as a block quote. Start the quote on a new line, indent the entire passage 0.5 inches from the left margin, and don’t use quotation marks. Double-space the block quote just like the rest of the paper. Place your parenthetical citation after the final punctuation mark of the block quote.
Section Headings
MLA doesn’t require section headings, but they’re helpful in longer papers. If you use them, keep the formatting consistent. A common approach is to bold and center first-level headings, then bold and left-align second-level headings. Number your sections only if your instructor requests it or if the structure of the paper calls for it.
Quick Setup Checklist
- Font: 12-point, legible (Times New Roman is the safe default)
- Spacing: Double-spaced throughout, no extra spacing between paragraphs
- Margins: 1 inch on all four sides
- Paragraph indent: 0.5 inches on the first line
- Header: Last name and page number, upper right, on every page
- First page: Four-line heading (name, instructor, course, date) plus centered title
- In-text citations: Author last name and page number in parentheses
- Works Cited: Separate final page, alphabetical order, hanging indents