MLA Format HOW YOUR ESSAYS SHOULD LOOK

Why MLA Format is Important MLA format is the standard format for all college papers. When you format your papers in MLA, you are telling the instructor you have written a college level essay before. No one will tell you that you’re judged on presentation. However, how you present yourself creates an impression; thus, how you present a paper creates an impression.

 Use black ink on white paper. Use one side only, please

  Use a 12 point font in Times New Roman  Do not use all bold, ALL CAPS, or all italics  Your title is in the same font and same font size as the rest of the essay  You know you have the proper font size when you get about 250 words a page (double spaced)

 Staple the paper once in the top, left-hand corner.

 Do not submit the paper in a folder or a binder

Double-space your text. DO NOT add additional spaces between paragraphs

Include a Title  Center Your Title  Do not bold, italicize, or underline your title  Do not use “quotes” around your title  Use the same font and font size as the rest of the essay  Use title case (example: The Cat in the Hat The Cat in the Hat)

 Indent paragraphs 5 spaces or set your tab key for a 5- space indent. That’s 0.5” (inches) (or ½ an inch).

 Margins should be one inch from the top, bottom, left, and right.  Know that your bottom margin will shift; sometimes it will be bigger than one inch depending on where your paragraphs end.

 Include a heading on the top left hand corner of the first page only.  Include your name  Include the teacher’s name  Include the class (example: English 101)  Include the date (example: 5 February 2050)

 It is a double-spaced heading.

 Only include a cover page if asked by the instructor  If you include a cover page, you don’t need a heading.

 Include a header on every page  HEADER: The header is found in the upper right hand corner of the page. It contains your last name (in title case) and page number.

 Your top margin for an academic essay is 1” from the top of the page. However, your HEADER needs to be ½” from the top.

Here’s How:  STEP 1 1. go to “insert” 2. pick “page numbers” 3. move to the top right hand corner when asked 4. hit “OK” 5. The page number will appear with the cursor before it. Type your last name. 6. hit esc.