The Proper Format for Essays

Below are guidelines for the formatting of essays based on recommendations

from the MLA (the Modern Language Association).

Fonts: Your essay should be word processed in 12-point Times New Roman
fonts.

Double space: Your entire essay should be double spaced, with no single
spacing anywhere and no extra spacing anywhere. There should not be extra
spaces between paragraphs.

Heading: In the upper left corner of the first page of your essay, you should
type your name, the instructor's name, your class, and the date, as follows:
Your Name
Mr. Rambo
ENG 1001-05
30 August 2013

Margins: According to the MLA, your essay should have a one-inch margin
on the top, bottom, left, and right.

Page Numbers: Your last name and the page number should appear in the
upper right corner of each page of your essay, including the first page, as
in Jones 3. Insert your name and the page number as a "header." Do not type
this information where the text of your essay should be.

Title: Your essay should include a title. The title should be centered and
should appear under the heading information on the first page and above the
first line of your essay. The title should be in the same fonts as the rest of your
essay, with no quotation marks, no underlining, no italics, and no bold.

Indentation: The first line of each paragraph should be indented. According to

the MLA, this indentation should be 1/2 inch or five spaces, but pressing [Tab]
once should give you the correct indentation.

Align Left: The text of your essay should be lined up evenly at the left margin
but not at the right margin. In your word processor, choose "Align Left." Do not
choose "Justify."

Putting all of the above together, you should have a first page that looks like
the following:

DO - Pay Attention to Your Introductory Paragraph

Because this is the first paragraph of your essay it is your opportunity to give the reader the best first impression
possible. The introductory paragraph not only gives the reader an idea of what you will talk about but also shows
them how you will talk about it. Put a disproportionate amount of effort into this more than the 20% a simple
calculation would suggest and you will be rewarded accordingly.

DO NOT - Use Passive Voice or I/My

Active voice, wherein the subjects direct actions rather than let the actions "happen to" them "he scored a 97%"
instead of "he was given a 97%" is a much more powerful and attention-grabbing way to write. At the same time,
unless it is a personal narrative, avoid personal pronouns like I, My, or Me. Try instead to be more general and you
will have your reader hooked.

. Document Settings
Your word processor comes with default settings (margin, line height, paragraph spacing, and typeface)
that will likely need adjustment. For MLA style, you need:
1.
2.
3.
4.

1-inch margins all around

2.0 line height (double-spaced)
no extra spacing after paragraphs
12-point typeface (usually Times New Roman)

(Jump directly to instructions for adjusting MS-Word settings in Windows or Mac; or, skip ahead to 2)
Page Header.)
1.1 Adjusting Document Settings in MS-Word (Windows)
My copy of Microsoft Word for Windows defaults to
1.
2.
3.
4.

1-inch margins all around

1.15 line height
10pt spacing between paragraphs
Calibri 11-point typeface.

Changing to MLA Style (Windows)

1. The default margins in my test run were fine, but if you need to change them:
Page Layout -> Margins -> Normal (1-inch all around)
2. The default line height is too low. Change it to 2.0.
Home -> Line Spacing -> 2.0.
(You could try fudging it to 1.9 or 2.1 to meet a page count, but any more than that
and your instructor may notice.)
3. The MS-Word default adds extra space after paragraphs.(MLA Style instead requires
you to signal paragraph breaks by indenting the first line.)
CTRL-A (select all your text)
Home -> Line Spacing -> Remove Space After Paragraph
4. Change the typeface to Times New Roman 12-point.
Home-> Font Face Selector (change to Times New Roman)
Home -> Font Size Selector (change to 12)