MLA Cover Page: Do You Need One? Format and Example

MLA 9th edition does not require a stand-alone cover page. A student paper normally opens with a heading block of four lines (your name, your instructor’s name, the course, the date) followed by the centered title, all on the first page of the text. This guide shows that layout line by line, shows where university guides agree, covers the one documented title-page layout (group projects), and lists the mistakes that most often get marked down. Format details are as of 2026-10 for MLA 9th edition; each rule below names the guide it comes from.

Does MLA require a cover page?

No. The UNT Dallas Library MLA 9 guide states that “MLA 9th edition does not require a stand-alone title page” and that student papers usually begin with the author’s name, the faculty member’s name, the course information and the date. The University of Kansas Writing Center and the UNLV Writing Center describe the same default: a left-aligned heading block above a centered title, with no separate page in front of it.

Work through the decision in this order:

1. Your instructor asks for a cover page. Follow the instructor’s template or assignment sheet. The UNLV handout itself says to follow any instructor requirements first.
2. The paper is a group project. UNLV documents a title-page layout for group projects (see the section below).
3. Anything else. Skip the cover page and use the first-page heading block.

Theses and dissertations follow their institution’s own template instead of the student-paper layout described here; see dissertation page numbers for how institutional front matter is handled.

Where the university guides agree

Three openly readable university guides (checked 2026-10-29) agree on the core layout. The table records only what each guide states.

Point	UNT Dallas Library	University of Kansas Writing Center	UNLV Writing Center
Stand-alone title page	Not required	None described; heading sits above the title	First-page heading is the default; title page is shown for group projects
Heading lines: name, instructor, course, date	Yes, each on its own double-spaced line, flush left	Yes, left-aligned	Yes, on the left, double-spaced
Title	Next double-spaced line, regular font	Center-aligned	Centered, no bold or italics
1-inch margins	Author name on the first line, flush left	Yes, all sides	Yes
Last name and page number header	Author’s name before the page number, one space between, on every page including the Works Cited page; no “p.” or dash	Yes, for example “Nguyen 1”	Yes, right side, 0.5 inch from top

Only UNLV gives the 0.5-inch header distance, so treat that figure as one handout’s instruction rather than a universal rule.

Structure of the first-page heading

Build the first page in this order. Everything is double-spaced, with no extra blank line before or after the heading block or the title (UNLV).

1. Header. Your last name and the page number, in a header 0.5 inch from the top on the right side (UNLV); KU asks for the last name before the page number (for example “Nguyen 1”). Page 1 carries it too.
2. Your full name, flush left, on the first line (UNT Dallas); margins are 1 inch on all sides (KU, UNLV).
3. Instructor’s name on the next double-spaced line.
4. Course name and number on the next line.
5. Date on the next line. UNLV’s example uses the day-month-year form, “1 December 2023”. KU accepts the current date or the due date.
6. Title on the next double-spaced line, centered, in the same font and size as the rest of the paper.
7. Body text starts on the line after the title.

Use a readable font. KU suggests Times New Roman at 11 to 13 points unless your instructor says otherwise, and double-spacing throughout.

A short annotated example

The following is an illustrative placeholder, not a real student paper.

                                              Rivera 1
Jordan Rivera                                          (full name, flush left)
Dr. Casey Morgan                                       (instructor)
English 201, Section 4                                 (course name and number)
12 November 2026                                       (date, day month year)
            Memory and Place in Coastal Fiction        (title, centered, plain)
      Paragraph one begins on the next double-spaced line...

Notes on the example: the header line follows KU and UNLV; the four heading lines and their order follow all three guides; the title is centered and plain per KU, UNLV and UNT Dallas. If the title contains a book or journal title, italicize only that part, as you would in running text (UNT Dallas).

Group project title page

The one title-page layout documented in these guides is UNLV’s for group projects under MLA 9. Use 1-inch margins and no running header. List each student’s full name, the instructor’s name, the course and the due date on the left, double-spaced. Center the title in the middle of the page, in the same font and size as the paper, with no bold or italics. Check your assignment first: the handout says instructor requirements take precedence.

If your instructor wants a solo cover page with a different arrangement, such as a university name at the top or lines placed in thirds of the page, the instructor’s template is the rule to follow. The university guides above do not prescribe such a layout for MLA.

Common mistakes

• Adding a cover page nobody asked for. The default is no stand-alone title page (UNT Dallas).
• Decorating the title. Do not italicize, underline, bold, put in quotation marks or capitalize every letter. Only words that would be italicized in text, such as a book title, take italics (UNT Dallas).
• Ending the title with a period. UNT Dallas: “Do not enter a period after the title or any other headings in the paper.”
• Extra spacing. No additional blank lines around the heading block or the title (UNLV).
• Left-aligning the title. The heading block is flush left; the title is centered (KU, UNLV).
• Forgetting the header. Last name and page number appear from the first page (KU, UNLV).

Checklist

• Instructor’s own instructions checked first.
• No separate cover page unless asked for (or a group project).
• 1-inch margins, double-spaced throughout.
• Four heading lines in order: name, instructor, course, date.
• Title centered, plain, no final period.
• Last name and page number in the header.
• Works Cited page formatted separately; see MLA Works Cited format.

FAQ

Do I need a title page in MLA?

No. MLA 9th edition does not require a stand-alone title page (UNT Dallas Library). Put the heading block and title at the top of page one. Add a cover page only when your instructor requires one.

Where does the title go in an MLA paper?

On the first page, centered, on the line after the date line of the heading block, in the same font as the body text (KU, UNLV, UNT Dallas).

Does a cover page get a page number?

For the standard first-page layout, page 1 carries your last name and the page number (KU, UNLV). The group-project title page in the UNLV handout has no header. For any other separate cover page, follow your instructor’s numbering instructions.

What goes in the MLA heading block?

Your name, your instructor’s name, the course name and number, and the date, each on its own line (UNT Dallas, KU, UNLV).

Where do I learn the rest of MLA formatting?

See the broader research paper format guide for the wider picture of paper formatting, and MLA Works Cited format for the end-of-paper list. For individual entries, see MLA citation for a book.

Sources

MLA 9th edition formatting as described by the following university guides, checked 2026-10-29. Where your instructor’s requirements differ, follow your instructor.

• UNT Dallas Library, “MLA 9th edition: Title page / first page”: https://library.untdallas.edu/mla9/title
• University of Kansas Writing Center, “MLA Format”: https://writing.ku.edu/mla-format
• UNLV Writing Center, “MLA Title Pages” (handout, example dated 1 December 2023): https://www.unlv.edu/sites/default/files/media/document/2023-12/MLA-Title-Pages.pdf