{"id":323,"date":"2025-04-17T16:35:51","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T16:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/text-mla-document-formatting\/"},"modified":"2025-07-13T05:19:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T05:19:37","slug":"text-mla-document-formatting","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/text-mla-document-formatting\/","title":{"raw":"MLA Documentation: Learn It 2","rendered":"MLA Documentation: Learn It 2"},"content":{"raw":"<h2>Overall Structure of an MLA Paper<\/h2>\r\nOne purpose of using MLA format is to streamline the writing process and establish a consistent and uniform way of presenting the material. For this reason, there are specific guidelines you\u2019ll need to follow when formatting your paper..\r\n<h3>General MLA Formatting Rules<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Font<\/strong>:\u00a0Your paper should be written in 12-point text. Whichever font you choose, MLA requires that regular and italicized text be easily distinguishable from each other. Times and Times New Roman are often recommended.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Line Spacing<\/strong>:\u00a0All text in your paper should be double-spaced.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Margins<\/strong>:\u00a0All page margins (top, bottom, left, and right) should be 1 inch. All text should be left-justified.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Indentation<\/strong>:\u00a0The first line of every paragraph should be indented 0.5 inches.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Page Numbers<\/strong>: Create a right-justified header 0.5 inches from the top edge of every page. This header should include your last name, followed by a space and the page number. Your pages should be numbered with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3\u2026) and should start with the number 1 on your title page. Most word-processing programs have the ability to automatically add the correct page number to each page, so you don\u2019t have to do this by hand.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Use of Italics:<\/strong>\u00a0In MLA style, you should italicize (rather than underline) the titles of books, plays, or other standalone works. You should also <em>italicize<\/em> (rather than underline) words or phrases you want to lend particular emphasis\u2014though you should do this rarely.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Sentence Spacing<\/strong>: Include just one single space\u00a0after a period before the next sentence:\u00a0\u201cMary went to the store. She bought some milk. Then she went home.\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>The First Page:<\/strong> Like the rest of your paper, everything on your first page, even the headers, should be double-spaced.\u00a0The following information should be left-justified in regular font at the top of the first page (in the main part of the page, not the header):\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>on the first line, your first and last name<\/li>\r\n \t<li>on the second line, your instructor\u2019s name<\/li>\r\n \t<li>on the third line, the name of the class<\/li>\r\n \t<li>on the fourth line, the date <span style=\"font-size: 1rem; orphans: 1; text-align: initial;\">in military-style format: day month year<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<section class=\"textbox proTip\" aria-label=\"Pro Tip\">Remember, the heading appears only on page 1. Also, don't misspell your professor's name\u2014you would be surprised at how many students make this mistake!<\/section>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>The Title:<\/strong>\u00a0After the header, the next\u00a0double-spaced line should include\u00a0the title of your paper. This should be centered and in title case, and it should not be bolded, underlined, or italicized (unless it includes the name of a book, in which case just the book title should be italicized).<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>The Oxford Comma:\u00a0<\/strong>The Oxford comma (also called the serial comma) is the comma that comes after the second-to-last item in a series or list. For example:\u00a0<em>The UK includes the countries of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.\u00a0<\/em>In the previous\u00a0sentence, the comma immediately after \u201cWales\u201d is the Oxford comma.\u00a0In general writing conventions, whether the Oxford comma should be used is actually a point of fervent debate among passionate grammarians. However, it\u2019s a requirement in MLA style, so double-check all your lists and series to make sure you include it!<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Subheadings:<\/strong>\u00a0If you include subheadings, they should be bolded and left-justified (not indented or centered).<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nEssentially, your paper should look like this:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1077\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"816\"]<img class=\"wp-image-1077 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2016\/07\/25141552\/Screen-Shot-2016-07-25-at-10.15.01-AM.png\" alt=\"Sample MLA paper showing the student last name and page number in the top right corner. In the top left corner is the student's name (Brandon Freeman), the instructor name (Professor Lee), the course name (English 101), and the date (25 February 2017). All pieces of information are on separate lines. The title is shown with a partial indent, and the first line of the first paragraph is fully indented.\" width=\"816\" height=\"626\" \/> <strong>Figure 1<\/strong>. This sample paper shows how the first page of a paper written in MLA is formatted. Note the header information in the upper-left corner, the last name and page numbers in the upper-right corner, the double spaced text, and indentations that begin each paragraph.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\">[ohm2_question]34499[\/ohm2_question]<\/section><section class=\"textbox linkToLearning\" aria-label=\"Link to Learning\">Need help with creating an MLA style document? You can use <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/English+Comp\/MLA_Template_Word_simplified.docx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this MLA formatted template<\/a> to help you get started, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_1jnx7fn1V8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">watch this video to set it up in Google docs\u00a0<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\">or <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9rXoM4eW7_4&amp;t=74s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this video to set it up in Microsoft Word<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\">. Look at <a href=\"https:\/\/oerfiles.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/WM+English+Composition+I\/Excelsior+Resources\/Charlton+Springhill+Mines.docx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this student essay to see an example of appropriate formatting<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>[reveal-answer q=\"893098\"]Video Transcripts[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"893098\"]\r\nYou can view the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/English+Comp\/Transcripts\/Setting+up+MLA+Format+Paper+in+Google+Docs+Step-by-Step+(2020)+%7C+Scribbr+%F0%9F%8E%93_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for \u201cSetting up MLA Format Paper in Google Docs Step-by-Step (2020) | Scribbr \ud83c\udf93\u201d here (opens in new window).<\/a>\r\n\r\nYou can view the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/English+Comp\/Transcripts\/Formatting+an+MLA+8th+edition+Works+Cited+page+(current+for+2021)_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for \u201cFormatting an MLA 8th edition Works Cited page (current for 2021)\u201d here (opens in new window).<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\">[\/hidden-answer]\r\n<\/span><\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/section>","rendered":"<h2>Overall Structure of an MLA Paper<\/h2>\n<p>One purpose of using MLA format is to streamline the writing process and establish a consistent and uniform way of presenting the material. For this reason, there are specific guidelines you\u2019ll need to follow when formatting your paper..<\/p>\n<h3>General MLA Formatting Rules<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Font<\/strong>:\u00a0Your paper should be written in 12-point text. Whichever font you choose, MLA requires that regular and italicized text be easily distinguishable from each other. Times and Times New Roman are often recommended.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Line Spacing<\/strong>:\u00a0All text in your paper should be double-spaced.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Margins<\/strong>:\u00a0All page margins (top, bottom, left, and right) should be 1 inch. All text should be left-justified.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Indentation<\/strong>:\u00a0The first line of every paragraph should be indented 0.5 inches.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Page Numbers<\/strong>: Create a right-justified header 0.5 inches from the top edge of every page. This header should include your last name, followed by a space and the page number. Your pages should be numbered with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3\u2026) and should start with the number 1 on your title page. Most word-processing programs have the ability to automatically add the correct page number to each page, so you don\u2019t have to do this by hand.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use of Italics:<\/strong>\u00a0In MLA style, you should italicize (rather than underline) the titles of books, plays, or other standalone works. You should also <em>italicize<\/em> (rather than underline) words or phrases you want to lend particular emphasis\u2014though you should do this rarely.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sentence Spacing<\/strong>: Include just one single space\u00a0after a period before the next sentence:\u00a0\u201cMary went to the store. She bought some milk. Then she went home.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>The First Page:<\/strong> Like the rest of your paper, everything on your first page, even the headers, should be double-spaced.\u00a0The following information should be left-justified in regular font at the top of the first page (in the main part of the page, not the header):\n<ul>\n<li>on the first line, your first and last name<\/li>\n<li>on the second line, your instructor\u2019s name<\/li>\n<li>on the third line, the name of the class<\/li>\n<li>on the fourth line, the date <span style=\"font-size: 1rem; orphans: 1; text-align: initial;\">in military-style format: day month year<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section class=\"textbox proTip\" aria-label=\"Pro Tip\">Remember, the heading appears only on page 1. Also, don&#8217;t misspell your professor&#8217;s name\u2014you would be surprised at how many students make this mistake!<\/section>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Title:<\/strong>\u00a0After the header, the next\u00a0double-spaced line should include\u00a0the title of your paper. This should be centered and in title case, and it should not be bolded, underlined, or italicized (unless it includes the name of a book, in which case just the book title should be italicized).<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Oxford Comma:\u00a0<\/strong>The Oxford comma (also called the serial comma) is the comma that comes after the second-to-last item in a series or list. For example:\u00a0<em>The UK includes the countries of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.\u00a0<\/em>In the previous\u00a0sentence, the comma immediately after \u201cWales\u201d is the Oxford comma.\u00a0In general writing conventions, whether the Oxford comma should be used is actually a point of fervent debate among passionate grammarians. However, it\u2019s a requirement in MLA style, so double-check all your lists and series to make sure you include it!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Subheadings:<\/strong>\u00a0If you include subheadings, they should be bolded and left-justified (not indented or centered).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Essentially, your paper should look like this:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1077\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1077\" style=\"width: 816px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1077 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2016\/07\/25141552\/Screen-Shot-2016-07-25-at-10.15.01-AM.png\" alt=\"Sample MLA paper showing the student last name and page number in the top right corner. In the top left corner is the student's name (Brandon Freeman), the instructor name (Professor Lee), the course name (English 101), and the date (25 February 2017). All pieces of information are on separate lines. The title is shown with a partial indent, and the first line of the first paragraph is fully indented.\" width=\"816\" height=\"626\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1077\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Figure 1<\/strong>. This sample paper shows how the first page of a paper written in MLA is formatted. Note the header information in the upper-left corner, the last name and page numbers in the upper-right corner, the double spaced text, and indentations that begin each paragraph.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"ohm34499\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/ohm.one.lumenlearning.com\/multiembedq.php?id=34499&theme=lumen&iframe_resize_id=ohm34499&source=tnh&show_question_numbers\" width=\"100%\" height=\"150\"><\/iframe><\/section>\n<section class=\"textbox linkToLearning\" aria-label=\"Link to Learning\">Need help with creating an MLA style document? You can use <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/English+Comp\/MLA_Template_Word_simplified.docx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this MLA formatted template<\/a> to help you get started, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_1jnx7fn1V8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">watch this video to set it up in Google docs\u00a0<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\">or <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9rXoM4eW7_4&amp;t=74s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this video to set it up in Microsoft Word<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\">. Look at <a href=\"https:\/\/oerfiles.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/WM+English+Composition+I\/Excelsior+Resources\/Charlton+Springhill+Mines.docx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this student essay to see an example of appropriate formatting<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><button class=\"show-answer show-answer-button collapsed\" data-target=\"q893098\">Video Transcripts<\/button><\/p>\n<div id=\"q893098\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">\nYou can view the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/English+Comp\/Transcripts\/Setting+up+MLA+Format+Paper+in+Google+Docs+Step-by-Step+(2020)+%7C+Scribbr+%F0%9F%8E%93_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for \u201cSetting up MLA Format Paper in Google Docs Step-by-Step (2020) | Scribbr \ud83c\udf93\u201d here (opens in new window).<\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can view the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/English+Comp\/Transcripts\/Formatting+an+MLA+8th+edition+Works+Cited+page+(current+for+2021)_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for \u201cFormatting an MLA 8th edition Works Cited page (current for 2021)\u201d here (opens in new window).<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"menu_order":17,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Overall Structure and Formatting of an MLA Paper\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Boundless\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.boundless.com\/writing\/textbooks\/boundless-writing-textbook\/writing-a-paper-in-mla-style-humanities-255\/introduction-to-mla-style-299\/overall-structure-and-formatting-of-an-mla-paper-301-16889\/\",\"project\":\"Boundless Writing\",\"license\":\"cc-by-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"MLA 8th Edition - What\\'s New?, sample student paper\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"College of DuPage Library \",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.codlrc.org\/IL\/Future\/MLA\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"MLA: The Works Cited Section\",\"author\":\"Boundless\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.boundless.com\/writing\/textbooks\/boundless-writing-textbook\/writing-a-paper-in-mla-style-humanities-255\/mla-citations-and-references-303\/mla-the-works-cited-section-319-16905\/\",\"project\":\"Boundless Writing\",\"license\":\"cc-by-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Revision and Adaptation\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"MLA Style Demo\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Excelsior OWL\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/citation-and-documentation\/mla-style\/mla-style-demo\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"MLA Document Template\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lonestar College\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/upresearch.lonestar.edu\/mla\/start\",\"project\":\"Research Guides\",\"license\":\"cc-by-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"copyrighted_video\",\"description\":\"Setting up MLA Format Paper in Google Docs Step-by-Step (2020) | Scribbr ud83cudf93\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Scribbr\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/_1jnx7fn1V8\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"arr\",\"license_terms\":\"Standard YouTube License\"},{\"type\":\"copyrighted_video\",\"description\":\"Formatting an MLA 8th edition Works Cited page (current for 2021)\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Roberts Library\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/9rXoM4eW7_4\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"arr\",\"license_terms\":\"Standard YouTube License\"}]","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"part":308,"module-header":"learn_it","content_attributions":null,"internal_book_links":[],"video_content":null,"cc_video_embed_content":{"cc_scripts":"","media_targets":[]},"try_it_collection":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/323"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3218,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/323\/revisions\/3218"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/308"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/323\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=323"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=323"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}