MLA Essay Formatting Directions

MLA Tutorial #1: Basic Paper Formatting Links to an external site.

All essays must be formatted according to MLA (Modern Language Association) standards. These standards provide a consistent set of rules for all essays submitted in English classes and several other humanities courses.

Basic MLA essay formatting rules include the following requirements:

1) Use Times New Roman twelve point font            5) Put your name, my name (Mrs. Speights),
2) Double-space                                                              your class section, and the date at the
3) Create one-inch margins                                             top, left-hand corner of the page
4) Insert your last name and page numbers               6) Have a title (Not “Essay 1”)
    at the top, right-hand corner of the page

 

You may download and use this file as a template for all of your essays: Download Example MLA format.docx

 


Individual Instructions

1. Times New Roman twelve point font.
a. At the top of the screen, you will see a row of tabs, such as “Home” and “Insert.” Click on the “Home” tab.
b. There are several sections under each tab. Once you have chosen the “Home” tab, find at the second section. This is the “Font” section, and you should see the word “Font” at the bottom.
c. At the top of the “Font” section, you will see the options for the types of fonts. Click on the down arrow and choose “Times New Roman.”
d. To the right of the font types you will see the choices for the font size. Click on the down arrow and choose “12.”

 

font.png

2. Double-space. The entire document, including the information at the top, left-hand corner, should be double-spaced.
a. Click on the “Home” tab and find at the third section. This is the “Paragraph” section.
b. You will see several icons that have rows of lines in them. Find the fifth icon on the bottom row. This icon will have one arrow facing up
and another arrow facing down on its left side.
c. Click this icon and choose the option “2.0.”

 spacing.png

3. One-inch margins.
a. Click on the “Page Layout” tab and find the second section. This is the “Page Setup” section.
b. The first option in the “Page Setup” section is “Margins.” Click “Margins” and select the second option. This is the “Normal” option and
should give one inch margins for each side.

 margins.png

4. Inserting your last name and page numbers at the top, right-hand corner.
a. Click on the “Insert” tab and find the fifth section. This is the “Header & Footer” section.
b. The third option in the “Header & Footer” section is “Page Number.” Click on “Page Number” and choose “Top of Page.” Select the third
option, “Plain Number 3.”
page_numbers.png
c. You should immediately be taken to the header, and the number “1” should be highlighted in the header. Type your last name and enter one space after the name.
d. To exit the header, place your mouse over the main part of the paper and double-click.

 
5. Putting your name, my name (Mrs. Speights), your class section, and the date at the top, left-hand corner of the page.
a. All this information should be double-spaced and in the order listed above.
b. For the class section, capitalize ENG (for English), and then type the course number. Example: ENG 1113
c. Write the date as follows: day, month spelled out, year. Do not include commas.
     Example: 23 October 2015
d. The following is an example of how the top, left-hand corner of the first page of your essays should look:

John Smith

Mrs. Speights

ENG 1113 

day month year 

 

6. Title
a. The title should be after date. After entering the date, simply press “Enter” on your keyboard to go to the next line.
b. The title should be centered, but it should not be bold, in quotations, or in a larger font. To center the title, do the following:
    1) Click on the “Home” tab and find the “Paragraph”.
    2) Click the second icon, which has straight lines that are jagged on the left and right. 
title_centered.png
    3) Type your title.
    4) Hit the Enter button on your computer, which will take you to the next line, but it will still be centered. This time, click
        the first alignment icon, which has straight lines on the left and jagged lines on the right. Doing this will return your
        cursor to the left side of the screen.
c. Do NOT title your paper “Essay 1.” Come up with a short, creative title that suggests the content of your essay.
d. The following is an example of how the first section of your paper should look.

Example_MLA_Format.png

 

Additional Reminder: Indent the first line of each individual paragraph. To do this, simply press the Tab button to the left of the Q on your keyboard. This will indent the line the exact amount of spaces.