Last Name 1

First Last

Mr/s. Teacher’s Last Name

Course – Pd #

7 August 2018

Centered Title

As a student of English, you will be required to write and format essays according

to the Modern Language Association’s (MLA) guidelines for academic papers. If you are

not familiar with MLA format, relax. It is easy to learn. In fact, this essay, which explains

how to use MLA format, follows MLA format! Reading the following paragraphs will walk

you through the format requirements.

Spacing is critical to MLA format. Every paragraph must be indented five spaces.

Also notice that every single line of the essay is double-spaced. It is always a good idea

to select double-spacing ​before​ you begin writing.

A ​title​ is always required for an essay. Choose a title that is interesting and

directly related to the main idea of your essay. Contrary to what many students believe,

the title’s font does not have to be formatted in any special way. In fact, the title is ​not

underlined​, ​italicized​, ​bolded​, nor is it enclosed in “quotation marks.” It is simply

CENTERED using Title Caps.

The ​heading​, located in the ​top left corner​ of the paper, presents important

information in a ​specific​ order from which you must ​not​ deviate. Notice how it provides

your name, your teacher’s name, the course information and period number, as well as

the submission date. Make sure ​not​ to use any punctuation for the date. Follow the

order exactly: day month year. This order is different from what you are used to doing, so

double check before submitting an essay.

 Last Name 2

Now look at the ​header​ (not to be confused with the heading!) in the ​top right

corner of the page. The header is important, as it provides your LAST name and page

number. While this information may seem trivial to you, it is important to your teacher,

especially as you begin to write longer essays. Many teachers separate the pages of an

essay to compare information and provide feedback. They rely on the header information

to reassemble your essay. Notice that aside from the header, all margins are set at one

inch.

The ​font size​ should also be formal and legible. Teachers require one of three

popular fonts: Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Arial. The font size should be at least 10

but not more than 12, and it must be ​consistent​ throughout the essay.

If you are citing sources, you must include a ​Works Cited​ page in addition to the

parenthetical citations. Look at the Works Cited on page 3 of this document. Notice

sources are organized in ​alphabetical order​ and ​double-spaced​ like the rest of the

essay. Instead of traditional indentation, however, the Works Cited page uses ​hanging

indentation​. In other words, the second and subsequent lines of the source are indented.

Hanging indentations are important because they help readers quickly identify the

sources you cite. If you use Easybib.com, your Works Cited will automatically be

formatted correctly when you export it to Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

By following all of these formatting requirements, you are using the conventions

required by the Modern Language Association (MLA) for writers of academic papers.

You are required to use MLA format for all of your English essays, unless your teacher

directs you to format the assignment otherwise.

 Last Name 3

Works Cited

Gibaldi, Joseph. ​MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers​. New York: Modern

Language Association of America, 2009. Print.

Hacker, Diana, and Barbara Fister. "MLA Manuscript Form." ​Research and

Documentation Online​. 5th Ed. Bedford St. Martin's, 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

Russell, Tony, Allen Brizee, and Elizabeth Angeli. "MLA Formatting and Style

Guide." ​The Purdue OWL​. Purdue U Writing Lab, 4 Apr. 2010. Web. 20 July

2010.