How-to · Step-by-step
MLA format
MLA format is the page-layout style of the Modern Language Association — the margins, header, name block and spacing used to present a paper in the humanities.
The step most authors miss
Doing CRediT right? Don’t stop at the statement.
A CRediT statement credits you inside one paper. The recognition CRediT was built for happens when those roles are tied to you, persistently. Sign in with your ORCID — free — and claim your CRediT contributions on casrai.org, the home of the standard. They become a verified, portable part of your identity, not a line that disappears into one PDF.
Free: claim your contributions, then export a journal-ready CRediT statement, schema.org structured data, JATS XML, CSV or BibTeX — and preview your public profile. A membership publishes that profile publicly and verifies the journals you serve.
Step by step
How to do it
1.Set the page basics
Use one-inch margins on all sides and a legible 12-point font such as Times New Roman. Double-space the entire document, including the name block and any quotations, and left-align the body text with a ragged right edge.
2.Add the running header
In the top-right corner, half an inch from the top, insert a header that gives your surname followed by the page number (for example, Okafor 1). It appears on every page.
3.Write the first-page name block
In the top-left corner of the first page, list four double-spaced lines: your name, your instructor’s name, the course, and the date in day-month-year order. There is no separate title page in standard MLA.
4.Centre the title
On the line below the date, centre the title of the paper in plain text — no bold, italics, underlining or quotation marks. Capitalise it in title case and do not add extra spacing around it.
5.Format the body
Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch. Keep one space after end punctuation and avoid extra blank lines between paragraphs, so the page reads as continuous double-spaced prose.
6.Start the Works Cited page
Begin the list of sources on a new page titled Works Cited, centred. Order entries alphabetically and apply a hanging indent. The detailed entry format is a citation task — see the citation guidance below.
Formatting a paper is not the same as citing sources
MLA format here means the visual presentation of the document — margins, header, name block, spacing and title placement. It is distinct from MLA referencing, which governs how you build in-text citations and Works Cited entries. The MLA Handbook (9th edition) covers both, but they are separate skills: a paper can be laid out correctly and still cite sources wrongly. This page deals with layout; for the rules on quoting, paraphrasing and assembling Works Cited entries, follow the citation cross-link.
Common questions
FAQ
Does an MLA paper need a title page?+
No. Standard MLA format does not use a separate title page. Instead you place a four-line name block (name, instructor, course, date) in the top-left of the first page, then centre the title on the next line. A title page is only added if your instructor specifically requests one, in which case you follow their layout.
What font and spacing does MLA require?+
MLA asks for a legible, widely available font in 12-point size — Times New Roman is the common choice — with the whole document double-spaced, including the name block, quotations and the Works Cited list. Margins are one inch on all sides, and the first line of each paragraph is indented half an inch.
What goes in the MLA running header?+
The running header sits in the top-right corner, half an inch from the top of every page, and contains your surname followed by a space and the page number (for example, Rivera 3). It uses the same font as the body and continues automatically onto the Works Cited page.
Going deeper
