MLA Sample Essay Format

Posted: September 26th, 2022

MLA Format in an Essay

MLA Paper Format: Simple Guidelines to Follow

MLA papers are a specific type of papers that are meant to be written in a particular way. In order to write an MLA paper,First and foremost, all MLA papers should be written in 12 point font size and double spaced. The margins should also be one inch all around the page. In terms of headers, the first page of the MLA paper should have a header with the student’s last name and the page number. For all subsequent pages, the header should only have the student’s last name. Each MLA paper should also have a title page, where the student’s full name, teacher’s name, course name, and the date is listed. Lastly, every MLA paper needs to have citations. These citations can either be in-text or end-of-text. In order to create these citations, students need to consult their teacher or a style guide.

Why format a paper in MLA Style

MLA style is most often used in English literature papers and citing sources for these papers. There are other styles that are more commonly used in other disciplines, such as APA style or Chicago style. MLA style is also relatively simple to format, which makes it a good choice for students who are just learning how to cite their sources. In higher levels of education , MLA style is also often used in research papers. In fact, many research journals require that papers be submitted in MLA style.

MLA Cover Page

• Title of the paper
• Author’s name
• Class name
• Professor’s name
• Due date .While there is no specific template for an MLA cover page, students should make sure that it includes all of the required information. An MLA cover page is not counted as a page in the paper’s total page count.

MLA Headings & Headers

MLA headers are a required component of MLA style papers. Headers appear at the top of every page and include the student’s last name and the page number. For example, if a student’s name is John Smith and he is on his second page, then his header would look like this:

Smith 2

Headers are different from headings, which are used to organize the paper into sections. Headers are not required for papers that are only one page long.

MLA Works Cited Page

An MLA works cited page includes all of the sources that were used in a paper. These sources can be books, articles, websites, or any other type of source. Each source is listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. If there is no author, then the source is listed by its title.

MLA Text and Body Formatting

The text of an MLA paper should be double spaced, with one inch margins all around the page. The first line of each paragraph should be indented half an inch from the left margin. There is no need to create extra space between paragraphs. All MLA papers should have a header that includes the student’s last name and the page number.

Spacing and Formatting for an MLA Paper

The correct format should be :

-1-inch margins all around

double spacing throughout the paper, including the Works Cited page

-12-point font, preferably Times New Roman or something similar

-last name and page number in the header of each page (right margin)

-flush left (ragged right) text alignment 

Numbers in MLA Formatting

When writing MLA papers, students need to use Arabic numerals for all numbers. This includes page numbers, chapter numbers, and anything else that is numbered. All numbers that are not part of a quote or title should be written as numerals.

Rules for Quotes in MLA Formatting

Students need to use quotations when they are quoting someone else’s exact words. These quotes should be placed in quotation marks and the source of the quote should be cited. Quotes that are more than four lines long should be set apart from the rest of the paper as block quotes. Block quotes should be indented half an inch from the left margin and double spaced.

Citing Sources in MLA Format

All sources that are used in a paper need to be cited. This includes books, articles, websites, and anything else that is not the student’s original work. All citations should be listed in the Works Cited page at the end of the paper. Citations should be listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. For each citation, students need to include the author’s last name, the page number (if available), and the publication date.

Abbreviations in MLA Formatting

There are a few abbreviations that are commonly used in MLA papers. These include “ibid.” (meaning “the same”), “op. cit.” (meaning “in the work cited”), and “loc. cit.” (meaning “in the place cited”). Such abbreviations should only be used when absolutely necessary.

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