John Doe

Teacher

Class, Period

30 October 2013

MLA Formatting Guide

This is a sample of an essay written in MLA format. MLA format is the Modern

Language Association’s rules for setting up a piece of writing. Your high school papers will

be required to conform to this format. There are many steps to follow.

In MLA format, 12-point font is required. You must use a normal font (no bold,

italics, or cute fonts). Times New Roman is preferred. Also, you must double space. For

double-spacing, go to the "format" tab, then down to "line spacing," and then over to

"double."

The heading of your paper is very important. The heading goes in the upper left-hand

corner of the first page of your essay and has four parts. Each piece of information is on its

own line. The order of the heading is your name (first and last), your teacher’s name

(example: Mrs. Cowlin), the class title and period (example: English 8, Period 1), and the

date (day month year). (Follow the above example.) Remember to double-space the heading.

Also necessary in MLA format is the page number. The page number is located on the

upper right-hand corner of each page and must include the student’s last name and the page

number. The easiest way to insert page numbers automatically is to go to “insert” and then

click on “page number.” Next, click on “top of page.” Now type in your last name and a

space before the “1.” Now all of your papers will have your last name with the proper page

number automatically inserted.

 When you include text evidence (quotes or passages from the book), you must include

the page number. First, you must introduce your quote with a sentence of your own and then

attach the quote to your sentence with a comma. As your English teacher will tell you, “Using

direct quotes from the text can add punch to your report” (387). When the quote is finished,

close the quotation marks, type the page number in parentheses, and insert a period. If you

are using quotes from different sources in your essay, you should also include the author’s

name before the page number. For example, a quote citation from My Brother Sam is Dead

would look like this: "Oh, I envied him," (Collier and Collier 2) and a quote from one of the

primary source documents would look like this: He sees being a Patriot as glorious, as

suggested by Thomas Paine in Common Sense when he says, "[W]e have pledged

ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must

fight!" (Document B).

This guide is intended to help you set up your paper in MLA format. Please use it as

a reference and read over the rules again when you have a question. Below are a few

reminders.

- 1-inch margins (These should be standard, so you shouldn't have to

adjust anything.)
- 12-point normal font (Times New Roman or Arial)
- Double space (even the heading)
- Proper heading (4 lines)
- Page number with student’s last name on each page
- Use parenthesis with page numbers after a quote: “ ____ " (98).