General Principles of MLA 9 Formatting

These guidelines are developed in line with MLA Handbook. 9th ed., MLA, 2021.

Basics

• Use Times New Roman 12 pt. font (unless the instructions require a different font), double-spaced.
• Set 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins (all sides).
• Page numbers have to be located in the upper-right corner.
• Last name should be in the upper-right header preceding the page number.
• MLA format does not require a title page (but one may be included if required by the institution).
• Indent all lines after the first line in the bibliographical entry (hanging indent); the lines should be indented one-half inch (1.27 cm) from the left margin of your paper.

Title Page

• The MLA citation style does not require a title page (but one may be included if the institution requires one).
• On the first page, the MLA header in the left top corner (for papers without a title page) must include the Student’s Name, Professor’s Name, Course, and Date.
• The title of the paper should be centered, not underlined, not italicized, and not bold. Write the title in Title Case, not in capital letters.
• Use Times New Roman 12 pt. font (unless the instructions require a different font), double-spaced.
• Set 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins (all sides).
• Page numbers have to be located in the upper-right corner.
• Last name should be in the upper-right header preceding the page number (just write the phrase Your Last Name).

Headings & Subheadings

Headings in the paper must be formatted the following way:

Level 1 Heading: Bold, Flush Left

Level 2 Heading: Flush Left

Level 3 Heading: Italics, Flush Left

Please pay attention to the position (flush left/centered) and format (bold, italics, underlined) for different levels of subheadings.

Works Cited

• All sources used in papers should be mentioned under the “Works Cited” (“Work Cited” if only one source is cited) heading on a separate page.
• Each entry is to be written separately and consists of core elements included in a specific order.
• Note the indentations for reference entries: MLA uses a half-an-inch (1.27 cm) hanging line.
• Remember to list the sources alphabetically according to the author’s last name.
• Full names of authors are used in MLA.
• Capitalize each word in the titles of articles, books, etc, but do not capitalize articles (the, an), prepositions, or conjunctions unless one is the first word of the title or subtitle: Gone with the Wind, The Art of War, There Is Nothing Left to Lose.

You can use our MLA Citation Style Machine to master and better understand MLA citation style and our MLA Title Page Generator to format papers and sources according to MLA rules.

❓ MLA 9 Formatting FAQ