How to Set Up an MLA Heading La Jolla High School

Set Margins Open a word processing program such as Microsoft Word®. Set the margins for 1 inch (all four sides.)

Create Your Heading The heading is typed in the top left corner of your paper. There is a specific order to the four pieces of information you need to include.

Your Name Type your name in normal order: First Name Last Name Do not reverse the order and do not insert a comma.

Teacher’s Name The second line states your teacher’s name. Include the Mr. or Mrs. or Dr. or Ms. or Professor or whichever is appropriate for your teacher. You do not need to use your teacher’s first name.

Class Name In college you would include the full name of the class, for example, Film Studies 46. In high school, we would also like you to include the period number: Advanced World History, Period 5

The Date MLA format uses this order for the date: Day Month Year No commas are used. Example: 11 September 2001

Example: Joe Smith Mrs. Dill AP Psychology, Period 2 12 September 2014

Title Create a title. Follow the directions your teacher gives concerning the title. When possible, make your title unique and specific.

Example Bad example: College Essay PreWrite #1 Good example: Snapping Turtles and Dragonflies: My Biology Epiphany

Create a Header A header is different than a heading. The header goes on the top right of each page.

The Header Use the feature in your word processing program to create a header. Justify the header to the right.

The Header Type your last name. After your last name, put a space, then insert an automatic page number. Do not use “Page” or “p.” or anything except the number. Close the header feature.

Example: Smith 2

To Review What goes in the heading? Student’s Name Teacher’s Name Class Name Date What goes in the header? Last Name #(page number)

To Review What size are the margins? 1 inch on all four sides Where does the title go? centered, below the heading

Spacing and Font Remember to doublespace your typing. The font should be 12 point and a plain legible font; Times or Helvetica are good.

Works Cited Remember if you use sources, you will need to have a Works Cited page at the end of your paper. There are specific rules for the format for your Works Cited page. Refer to an MLA handbook.

Web Site for MLA http://www.mla.org/style_faq

Just a Suggestion Set up an MLA format paper now. Save it as a template, and then open it each time you need to write a paper this year.

Example: Your Name Last 1 Teacher’s Name Class Name, Period # Date Title of the Paper Indent when you start typing your paper to say what you need to say; in other words, use paragraphs.

Here is an example of an actual paper.

Don’t forget the heading: Your name Teacher name Class name, Period # Date Don’t forget the header: Last Page#