MLA Style Writing Guide: Home

MLA format is typically used in English, language and literature, and Foreign Language classes.

Always double-check your professor's requirements for your assignment as they could differ from the standard MLA format requirements. 

MLA Paper Format: 

• Times New Roman, 12 pt. font
• Double-spaced lines
• One-inch margins
• Your Name, Your Professor’s Name, Your Class, and the Date should all be in the upper left corner of your paper, each on separate lines. 
• The title of the paper should be centered on the next line after the date. The title of your paper should not be italicized, underlined, or put in quotation marks. Use standard title capitalization when writing your paper title.
• Your last name and the page number should be in the upper right corner of the Header.  

See the example below: 

View a full MLA Sample Paper from Liberty University's Online Writing Center. 

This information is taken from MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 8th Ed. and the MLA Formatting and Style Guide from the OWL at Purdue University.

• Entries in the Works Cited page should have a hanging indent of one-half inch.
• The Works Cited page should be double spaced with the title:

Works Cited

(no quotation marks, no italics, centered at the top of the page)

• Entries in the Works Cited page should be listed alphabetically. 

What to do when you are missing information:

​In the new edition of the MLA Handbook you can simply leave out any missing information and skip that section of the citation.