This document provides guidelines for formatting a paper according to MLA style. It discusses formatting the document with 1-inch margins and double spacing. It describes formatting the first page with the author's name, course, instructor, and date in the top left corner and a header with the author's last name and page number in the top right. It also discusses formatting in-text citations, block quotes, and the Works Cited page.

1. MLA STYLE
This guide reflect the rules from MLA Handbook for
Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.)

2. FORMATTING BASICS
 The margins of your document should be set at 1
inch.
 Double space your paper, including the Works
Cited page, and use a 12 point font such as Times
New Roman.
 Indent the first line of all paragraphs one ½ inch
from your margin by clicking the TAB key.

3. FIRST PAGE
 MLA does not require a cover page but if your
professor asks for one, follow his/her instructions.
If they do not ask for a cover page, then follow the
general rules:
 The right-hand corner of the first page should
contain a header with your last name and the page
number. Be sure to number the first page
 On the first page on the left corner, you give the
following information: your name, course,
instructor’s name and the date.
 Center the title of your paper

4. SAMPLE FIRST PAGE

5. FORMATTING IN-TEXT CITATIONS
 In-text citations give credit to an author of a quotation or
paraphrase placed in your paper.
 They usually consist of the author’s last name and the
page number in parentheses and are placed after the
quote or paraphrase.
Example:
“MLA is a fabulous style”(Jones 37).
OR: If you use the author’s name in your sentence, then it
is simply:
According to Jones, “MLA is a fabulous style”(37).
o If the author’s name is not known, the title or part of the
title is used.
Example:
Lady Macbeth is portrayed as a heroine (“Shakespeare’s Women”
24).

6. FORMATTING BLOCK QUOTES
 Block quotes are direct quotes that consist of four
lines or more of text
 Should be indented 10 spaces from the margin
 Do not use quotation marks! Should be introduced
by a sentence informing the reader about the
quotation.
 In-text citation should be placed after the block
quotation.

7. EXAMPLE OF BLOCK QUOTE

8. WORKS CITED PAGE
 Last page of your paper, and contains a list of all of
the sources or research used in the paper.
 Needs to alphabetized
 First determine what type of source you are using.
 Find a model entry for your particular type of source
and see what information is required in the works
cited entry.
 Place the information from your source in the
appropriate format according to the model entry.

9. WORKS CITED PAGE
 Double space all lines of a works cited entry
 You must specify all entries as either “Print” or
“Web”
 If no publisher is listed, use n.p. to denote no
publisher name given
 If an article doesn’t have page numbers, use
n. pag. for no pagination.
 If a site omits a date of publication, write n.d. for no
date.

10. CITATION EXAMPLES-BOOKS
Book with 1 author:
Last Name, First Name of Author. Title of Book in
Italics. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of
Publication. Medium of publication.
Example:
Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New
York: Penguin, 1987. Print.
Book with 2 authors:
Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and
Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Boston: Allyn,
2000. Print.