MLA Formatting for Written Assignments | English 2
MARGINS,LINE SPACING,FONTS AND OTHER FORMATTING GUIDELINES
What does “MLA” mean?
MLA stands for Modern Language Association, a professional/academic organization that supports scholarship related to language and literature. The MLA formatting style is a universally recognized system for organizing and documenting one’s writing and research. It is widely used in colleges, universities, and professional writing contexts all over the world. Demonstrating competence with MLA format is an expectation in this course.
Some MLA Format Basics:
• MARGINS: MLA style requires you to have one-inch margins on every side of your paper. That means there is one inch of space between the text and the edge of the paper. Set one-inch margins as the default on your computer; most computers are set at 1.25" or 1.50" as the default. You can check your settings by going to "Page Set Up" (on your File menu), which will display margin settings.
• SPACING: All papers must be double-spaced. To set spacing, go into your word program and click the
"Paragraph" section of your "Format" menu. Double-space all elements in your work, including your first-page header, and the spaces between your title and first paragraph, and between paragraphs generally.
• FONT: Use a standard readable, 12-point font that looks like a typeface you might find in a book. Do not use handwriting styles or other fanciful fonts. Some clear, easily readable fonts are Times, and Times New Roman, for example. Present your work seriously if you want to be taken seriously. The ink color is always black.
• PARAGRAPHING: Begin each paragraph by indenting five spaces. Do not add extra space between paragraphs.
• HEADERS: There is the first page heading and the remaining headers for page 2 onward. (More about headers on the following page). The first page of all written assignments should have an MLA-style heading in the upper left-hand corner that provides the following identifying information in this order:
Your full name
Instructor’s name ß These lines all must be double-spaced Course title and section number
The date assignment is due
So, a proper MLA heading on the first page would look something like this:
Lisa Simpson ß Your name (student) Prof. Charles Burns ß Instructor
English 2, Section 2399 ß Course title and section number October 21, 2024 ß Date assignment submitted/due
MLA FORMAT REQUIREMENTS FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS | 2
HOW TO FORMAT TITLES in your written work (research journals, research paper, other homework):
• Titles, like your text, are in 12-point type. Do NOT use boldface, italics, underlining, quotation marks or other effects for your title.
• Titles are written in title case, a punctuation style that differs from sentence case. In title case, the first word is always capitalized, and all other principal words are capitalized, too. Do not use capital letters for prepositions (at, by, of, etc.); articles (a, the, and an); or conjunctions (and, or, and but) unless they’re the first word of your title. Examples in title case: The Last of the Mohicans or How I Learned to Love Homework
• If you include the title of some other work within your title, follow proper format -- i.e., italicize your reference to a longer work, such as a novel. Use quote marks for titles of shorter works, like a news article, or poem).
• Placement: The title should be one double-space below the last line of your left-hand MLA heading.
HOW TO FORMAT HEADERS for page 2 of your work and beyond:
A header is a line of text that is on every page of your document except the first page, where your four-line first page heading is placed. In MLA format, a header with your last name and the page number should appear at the top of every page, starting with page 2. A header occupies a specific, defined space in the document. See below for how-to instructions.
To create the header:
In Microsoft Word, for example (the process is very similar in other word processing programs):
1. Pull down the "View" menu and choose "Header and Footer." Select “Header.” A defined space with a dividing line will appear at the top of your document.
2. Insert your last name in that auto-text space. Then click the setting “align text right” so that your name moves to the right edge of the page instead of the left.
3. Return to the Word menu at the top of the screen to format your page numbers. Choose “Insert” and from the drop-down menu, click “Page Numbers.” A page numbering format menu will appear. When it does, choose the following options:
a. Under “Position,” click the drop-down menu and select “top of page (header).
b. Under “Alignment,” select “Right.”
c. You will also see the option to “show the page number on the first page.” Reject that option by clicking to remove the check from that box.
d. Click OK to confirm your settings.
4. If done correctly, your header will begin on page 2, be properly formatted with your name to the left of the page number, and be aligned on the right side of the page. This way, every page of your work will be correctly identified and paginated.
5. DO NOT type your header at the top of the main area of your document – it belongs in this SEPARATE HEADER SPACE.
See header examples on the next page
MLA FORMAT REQUIREMENTS FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS | 3
EXAMPLES: FRONT PAGE HEADING and PAGE HEADERS
for page 2 & beyond PAGE 1ß No page # + last
name header here
because it’s page 1 à
First-page header is
double-
spaced, with the info. in
the proper order
ß Assignment’s title
One-inch margin on
all sides à of paper
PAGE 2
Lisa Simpson Prof. Charles Burns
English 1, Section 2399 ß Thefirst page header, double-spaced, upper left
October 21, 2024
HW #1
The double-spaced text of your homework or essay is here, beneath the title of the assignment. The double-spaced text of your homework or essay is here, beneath the title of the assignment. Your paragraphs are all indented five spaces, and you do not add extra spaces in between paragraphs. The double-spaced text of your homework or essay is paragraphs are all indented five spaces, and you do not add extra spaces in
Jones 2
The double-spaced text of your homework or essay is here, beneath the title of the assignment. The double-spaced text of your homework or essay is here, beneath the title of the assignment. Your paragraphs are all indented five spaces, and you do not add extra spaces in between paragraphs. The double-spaced text of your homework or essay is here, beneath the title of the assignment. The double-spaced text of your homework or essay is here, beneath the title of the assignment. Your paragraphs are all indented five spaces, and you do not add extra spaces in between paragraphs. The double-spaced text of your homework or essay is
ß In MLA format, the header (writer’s last name and the page #), begins on page 2. This information is aligned on the right side of the page, and is placed in a separate, defined space inside the header area, not in the main part of the document.
Remember, only the first page of your MLA document does not contain this header – it uses the four-line first page header instead, in the upper left-hand corner of the main space in the document.
MLA FORMAT REQUIREMENTS FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS | 4
An MLA Formatting Checklist
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Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.ü
Double-space the text of your paper, and use Times New Roman font.ü
Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.ü
Indent the first line of a paragraph one half-inch (five spaces or press tab once) from the left margin.ü
Do not add extra spacing between paragraphs.ü
Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marksü
Create a header that numbers all pages after page one consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. This header in the upper right-hand corner will include your last name, followed by a space with the page number, in standard Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), Omit this last-name/ page number header on the first page.ü
Use quote marks around titles of shorter works, or works that are a subset of larger works. Short works include news articles, book chapters, stories or poems, specific television episodes, or YouTube interviews.Example: “Stock Market Spikes after President’s Speech” or “The Road Not Taken”
ü
Use italics when referencing the titles of longer, or larger works, such as book titles, names of newspapers or magazines, or titles of record albums, television programs or films. Examples: The Los Angeles Times, or Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s StoneMLA Format Checklist for the First Page of Your Work
ü
Do not create a separate title page for your paper or assignmentü
In the upper left-hand corner on page 1, list your name, your instructors' name, the course name and section number, and the date. Double-space the text and align to the left-hand margin of the pageü
Double space again after the four-line heading. Center the title of your assignment or paper. Always include a title for your work, whether a short assignment or full-length paper. Examples: HW 4, or RJ7, or Dreams and Debt: How College Loans are Killing American Innovationü
Write your title in Title Case, not in all capital letters, or like a sentence. Example: Beauty and the Beastü
Do NOT:Underline your title Boldface it
Make it larger than 12-point font Italicize it
Put a period after it, as if it were a sentence Or put it in quotation marks
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If the title of your paper or assignment includes reference to the title of some other published work in it, use the same quote marks (short works) and italics (long works) rules you would when referencing that title as you would when referencing it elsewhere in the text of your paper. Examples below:o Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality Play à (Book title is in italics) o Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking" à (Poem title is in quote marks) o How The Washington Post Changed the Presidency à (Newspaper’s name is in italics)