MLA Citations  

The websites listed below offer helpful tools related to MLA formatting.

The first page of an MLA style paper should resemble the model below.

Formatting "Do's" (using Microsoft Word)

• Do use a standard font & size (12pt) that is easy to read (Times New Roman, Calibri, Cambria, etc.)
• Do set your line spacing to "double space" (Page Layout -> Paragraph ->Spacing -> Line Spacing -> Double) *Make sure the spacing before and after boxes are set to "0"
• Do set your page margins to 1" (Page Layout -> Margins -> Normal)
• Do include your last name and page number in a running header 1/2" from top of page (Insert -> Header)
• Do include Your Name, Your Instructor's Name, Name of Course/Class, and the Date below the header, in the top left corner of the page.
• Do center the title of your paper below your name information.
• Do indent the first line of each paragraph 1/2"

Formatting "Do Not's" (using Microsoft Word)

• Do not use a font just because it takes up a lot of space or because it is trendy (Courier, Script, anything bold or difficult to read)
• Do not underline, bold, italic, or use quotation mark in the title of your paper
• Do not add an extra line space between paragraphs. Always start the next paragraph on the next line directly below the previous one.
• Do not wait until you are finished writing the paper to format it. It is always easier to start out with and maintain consistent fomatting from the beginning.