How to Format My Essays MLA Style

1. Open Microsoft Word.

2. From the “Home” tab, click “Paragraph.” Home Tab Paragraph (click the arrow)

3. In “Paragraph,” set “Spacing” to 0 pt. for “Before” and “After.” Notice that, by default, “After” is set to add 10 points whenever you hit “Enter” on the keyboard. Set “Line Spacing” to “double.” When done, click “OK.”

4. Your document is now ready for you to begin typing. ADD A HEADER AS FOLLOWS, but note that you only need page numbers for essays more than one page long:

5. The following screen shot is taken from Purdue OWL’s section on MLA formatting (student sample.) Follow all the formatting requirements noted in the blue boxes.