English 100 (Susan St. John, Spring 2024): Formatting Your Paper

• What is MLA document formatting?
• Elements of MLA formatting
• Example

MLA formatting refers to the standardized style of paper formatting prescribed by the Modern Language Association (MLA). The purpose of using this formatting is to create uniformity in the presentation of your paper and the sources you used.

This page covers the style in which you will format your paper. For MLA citation style, please see the page, "Citing your Resources (MLA)". 

Page Layout

• 1" margins (top, bottom, left, and right)
• Font: Times New Roman, Size 12, Black (no use of bold, caps (unless an abbreviation), or underlining) 
• Line Spacing: Double Spaced
• "Tab" (0.5") in the first line of a paragraph
• One space after a period

Header

• In the upper right-hand corner, create a header with your last name and the page number.

First Page

• Preceding your paper, in the upper right corner, write your name, the professorʻs name, the course number, and date.

Works Cited

• Following your paper, include a "Works Cited" page.
• This page contains all of your sources. Each source should be formatted in MLA style. See page, "Citing your Resources (MLA)" for more information.

Example of MLA formatting from Purdue Online Writing Lab: