MLA Style

MLA stands for the Modern Language Association. Most papers that use MLA formatting and citation style are those written in the humanities, especially in languages and literature.

MLA Formatting

Papers constructed according to MLA guidelines should adhere to the following elements:

• Double-space the text of your paper, and use Times New Roman or Courier 12-point font.
• Use one-inch margins on all sides, and indent the first line of a paragraph one half-inch from the left margin.
• List your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date in the upper left-hand corner of the first page.
• Double-space between the title and the first line of the text.
• Type a header in the upper right-hand corner with your last name, a space, and then a page number. Pages should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
• Include a Works Cited page at the end of your paper that gives full bibliographic information for each item cited in your paper.
• Include endnotes on a separate page before your Works Cited page.

MLA style requires that you include a Works Cited page at the end of your research paper. All in-text citations in your paper must have an entry in the Works Cited page.

If you choose to include endnotes, they should appear on a separate page before your Works Cited page.

The MLA style demos in this section will provide you with more information regarding MLA basic formatting, parenthetical citations, and the Works Cited list, and detailed information regarding citations and references formatting can be found in the section that follows. The information in this section follows the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th edition. MLA guidelines do change over time, so it's important to be aware of the most current information. 

The official MLA Handbook is also a helpful resource.