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Sarah Viehmann

ENG 110

Instructor Sarah Viehmann

20 April 2010

MLA Formatting and Style Guide

This is a basic MLA formatting guide for your reference. All pages in this document are

formatted in correct MLA. This guide will show you how to format MLA in Word 2007. While

Word 2003 and Word on Macs are capable of the same formats, the locations of buttons and

functions may be different.

Please take the time to read this guide in its entirety. If you choose to use MLA format,

you will be expected to use it correctly.

If you have used MLA previously, note that the format has changed as of April 2009.

1. Basics

Here are the basic features of MLA format:

• 1” margins all around (this is the default in Word 2007, but you will have to change this

in Word 2003 under File > Page Setup).

• Times New Roman 12-pt font—no different fonts or different font sizes. No bold

• The paper should be double-spaced throughout.

• Headings are allowed but not preferred

• There should be a “Works Cited” page at the end

• No cover page!

2. Creating the header

a. Go to the “Insert” Tab, and click Page Number > Top of Page > Plain Number 3.
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b. While still in the header, type your last name and one space.

Note that you will have you change the font and size of your header to Times New

Roman, 12-point. The default for headers is Calibri 11-point. Please don’t use this.

3. Getting Rid of Extra Spaces Between Paragraphs

Word 2007 has an annoying habit of making it more difficult to format the page

sometimes. One of its quirks is automatically generating extra spaces between paragraphs. You

will need to manually correct this.

a. Under the “Home” tab, look for the “Paragraph” box. You’ll see a small box with

lines and up-and-down arrows. Click the box and then click “Line Spacing Options.”
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b. Under “Spacing,” click “Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style.”

4. Works Cited Page

The Works Cited page is a very important part of any MLA paper. Here are some basic

points to remember:

• If you used any external sources, you must have a Works Cited page.

• The page is called “Works Cited,” not References or Bibliography.

• Every source that is in the Works Cited page must be in the body of the paper, and vice-

versa.

• Page should be double-spaced and have hanging indents.

• Works Cited should be formatted according to MLA guidelines.

• Sources should be arranged alphabetically.

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4a. How to Create Hanging Indents

i. Go to the Page Layout tab, and then to the Paragraph box. Click the small

box in the corner.

ii. Under “Indentation,” you’ll see a box that says “Special.” Select Hanging

and make sure that the “By” field is 0.5”.

iii. Be sure that you are on the Works Cited page when you set this

indent, or it will apply to the whole document.

5. Resources for MLA Citation

You must use in-text citations for any information from other sources. There are several

great resources for learning how to cite sources in MLA.

Writing Center Resources Page: http://writingcenter.missouristate.edu/24690.htm

Scroll down to the MLA section. You’ll see a Powerpoint presentation on MLA citations

and a cheat sheet.

The Owl at Purdue: http://owl.english.purdue.edu

A great all-around resource with a complete guide to the most recent version of MLA.