MLA 9th Edition

Title Page Requirements

On the top, left-hand side of the first page of your paper write:

• Your Name
• Your Professor's Name
• Your Course Name and Number
• The Date of your Paper written in day, month year format (see example below)

Example:

Kevin Bacon

Professor Brown

English 1010

10 November 2023

Beneath the information listed above write the title of your paper, centered on the page, using standard capitalization rules for titles, and do not bold or italicize your title unless you are including the title of another work that would otherwise be italicized. Standard MLA capitalization rules include capitalizing the first and last word in the title and all "important" words.  This excludes articles (a, an, the, etc.), conjunctions (and, but, or, etc.), prepositions (as, of, to, between, against, etc.), and "to" when used as an infinitive, unless they begin or end the title.  

Example:

The Use of Symbolism in A Tale of Two Cities

After the title begin the text of your paper, making sure it is left-aligned and that the first line is indented.

Note on group papers:

If you are writing a group paper, MLA suggests creating a separate title page at the beginning of your paper with the same information listed above.

**Check with your professor to see if they want a different title page set-up. Title page set-up may vary depending on the preferences of your professor.**

Starting with your first page, add your last name followed by page number (e.g., Chen 2) at the top right corner of the page in the header. 

Note on group papers:

If you are writing a group paper, start your header on the second page of your paper after the title page. Add all students' last names followed by the page number at the top right corner of the page. If all last names do not fit in a single line in the header, you may just include the page number.

To add running headers in Microsoft Word on a PC device:

1. Open the "Insert" tab in the top application window
2. Click "Page Number", hover over insert on "top of page" and select preset option "plain number 3," which will insert automatic page numbering in the top-right corner of each page
3. Next to the page number, type your last name and add a space
4. Select the entire text of the header you just created and change the font size and style to match that of the rest of your paper (usually Times New Roman font size 12)
5. Click "Close Header and Footer" to continue writing and/or editing the rest of your paper

Add 1 inch margins on all sides.

To add 1-inch margins in Microsoft Word on a PC device:

1. Open the "layout" tab in the top menu
2. Open the "Margins" option on the left of the menu
3. Select the "Normal" preset option to add 1" margins on all sides and pages of your paper

Font Style & Size

Unless specified by your instructor, MLA recommends choosing an easy-to-read typeface set to 11 pt, 12 pt, or 13 pt. This includes:

• Calibri
• Arial
• Times New Roman
• Georgia

To set the font style and size using Microsoft Word on a PC device:

1. Select all text in your paper
2. In the drop-down menu of font styles in the "font section" of the "Home" top menu tab find and select an appropriate font
3. In the number drop-down menu next to the font style, type or select an appropriate font size

Line Spacing

Double-space your text.

To make your paper double-spaced in Microsoft Word on a PC device:

1. Select all text in your paper
2. Click the "paragraph settings" button in the bottom right corner of the "Paragraph" section in the "Home" tab of the application menu
3. In the pop-up menu that appears, in the "Indents and Spacing" tab, find "line spacing" and change it to "Double"
4. Check the box next to "Don't add space between paragraphs of the same style
5. Click "Okay"

Your works cited page should...

• Start on a new page at the end or your paper or project
• Have "Works Cited" written at the top-center of the page
• List all sources referenced throughout your work in alphabetical order by author last name (or title if there is no author or creator)
• Use 0.5" hanging indents for all references longer than 1 line of text

To add hanging indents to your works cited page in Microsoft Word on a Windows device:

1. Select all of your citations
2. Click the "paragraph settings" button in the bottom right corner of the "Paragraph" section in the "Home" tab of the application menu
3. In the pop-up menu that appears, in the "Indents and Spacing" tab, find "Special" under "Indentation" and change it to "Hanging"
4. Click "Okay"

See Purdue OWL's Sample MLA Works Cited Page for an example of how your works cited page should look.