Basic Formatting for MLA Style

• Type or word-process your paper in a standard font and size (e.g., Times Roman, 12 pt.).
• Left-align the text and center the title (only use a title if necessary).
• Double-space the paper.
• Set the margins at one inch from the top, bottom, and sides of the paper.
• Create a header that includes your last name and the page number in the upper right corner and one half-inch from the top of each page.
• Do not create a title page. Instead, type your name, your instructor's name, your course number, and the date on separate, left-aligned, and double-spaced lines at the top of the first page.
• Indent the first line of each paragraph one-half inch from the left margin.
• Indent block quotations one inch from the left margin.
• Italicize the titles of longer works (like a book) and put the titles of shorter works (like a poem) “in double quotation marks.”